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63-799: Besides the Bucs, Tampa Stadium was home to the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the original North American Soccer League , the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League , the Tampa Bay Mutiny of Major League Soccer , and the college football programs of the University of Tampa and the University of South Florida . It also hosted many large concerts, and for a time, it held the record for

126-399: A sombrero ( Spanish for 'hat', lit.   ' shadower ' ; Spanish: [somˈbɾeɾo] ) is a type of wide-brimmed Mexican men's hat used to shield the face and eyes from the sun. It usually has a high, pointed crown; an extra-wide brim (broad enough to cast a shadow over the head, neck, and shoulders of the wearer) that is slightly upturned at the edge; and

189-683: A barboquejo or chin strap. In the Western United States , the sombrero had a high conical or cylindrical crown with a saucer-shaped brim, highly embroidered and made of plush felt. In the Philippines, due to the influence from Spain brought about by the Manila galleon trade, the term has been assimilated into the Tagalog language in the form of sumbrero and now refers to any hat – from Mexican sombreros (as used in

252-440: A ceremony held before the final home game of the 1989 regular season , Steve Wegerle became the first Tampa Bay Rowdies player to have his number retired by the team. That night he assisted on all three Rowdies' goals in a 3–0 victory over arch-rival Fort Lauderdale. He went on to appear in several home matches during the 1990 season as well. While Mike Connell 's and Perry Van der Beck 's numbers have since been retired by

315-430: A chin strap to hold it in place. In Mexico, this hat type is known as a sombrero de charro (" charro hat", referring to the traditional Mexican horsemen). In Spanish, any hat is considered a sombrero. Sombreros, like cowboy hats , were designed in response to the demands of the physical environment. The concept of a broad-brimmed hat with a high crown, for wear by riders on horseback , can be seen as far back as

378-587: A football game between the University of Tampa Spartans and the #3 ranked University of Tennessee Volunteers on November 4, 1967. While the Spartans lost that game 38-0, they would enjoy later success in their new home, moving up to Division I football in 1971, defeating several established programs, and sending several players to the NFL, including Freddie Solomon and John Matuszak . However, university officials were unsure of continued community support after Tampa

441-601: A full indoor season in 1982–83, but (in addition to a few friendlies) Tampa Bay and three other teams participated in the Grand Prix of Indoor Soccer . The Rowdies finished second in the round-robin stage and subsequently went on to defeat Montreal for the championship in a double overtime thriller at the Montreal Forum ; 5–4. The final NASL indoor season took place in 1983–84 and the Rowdies finished last out of

504-602: A large modern football facility which could be used by the Tampa Spartans in the short term and could be expanded to serve as the home field for an NFL or AFL franchise in the future. Construction of Tampa Stadium began in the fall of 1966 just beyond the left field wall of Al Lopez Field, which was by then the home of the Tampa Tarpons of the Florida State League and the spring training home of

567-565: A modern football stadium as the 1960s began. The two largest extant venues were both located across the Hillsborough River from downtown : Plant Field , which had been built in the 1890s and consisted of a single grandstand and a large open field, and Phillips Field , which had been built in the 1930s as the home of the University of Tampa's football team . Some of Tampa's civic leaders began to discuss plans for attracting an expansion or relocated professional football franchise to

630-475: A newsletter. The "Wowdies" were the Rowdies' cheerleaders. The team also had a pep band known as the "Loudies" that sat in the south endzone and attended local pep rallies. The NASL folded in 1984, but the Rowdies continued to play for several more years. Tampa Stadium continued to be used as their home ground for outdoor games except during the 1991 and 1992 seasons in the APSL. Those two years were spent at

693-588: A regular basis. On June 19, 1974 George Strawbridge and Beau Rogers, IV purchased an expansion franchise in North American Soccer League for the sum of $ 25,000 and by July 24 they named Eddie Firmani their coach. In October 1974, Alex Pringle becomes the first player to sign with the team. On November 21, 1974, the Tampa Bay Professional Soccer Club announced that they would henceforth be known as

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756-489: A year-long pause of concerts at Tampa Stadium until security protocols were revised and shows were allowed to resume. In March 1979, evangelist Billy Graham held a "Florida West Coast Crusade" at Tampa Stadium and drew a combined crowd of about 175,000 over five consecutive days. Immediately upon buying the Buccaneers in 1995, new owner Malcolm Glazer declared that Tampa Stadium was inadequate and threatened to move

819-543: The sombrero calañés , sombrero cordobés and sombrero de catite (Spain), and sombrero vueltiao (Colombia). Many early Texan cowboys adopted the Spanish and Mexican sombrero with its flat crown and wide, flat brim. Also called the poblano , these hats came from Spain. The Mexican variation of the sombrero added an even wider brim and a high, conical crown. These are the hats worn by mariachi musicians and charros . Both types of sombreros usually include

882-680: The Bayfront Center across Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg .) The Rowdies played their home games in Tampa Stadium every summer until the original North American Soccer League disbanded in 1984. Subsequently, the Rowdies continued on, first as an independent team, then in other leagues ( ASL , APSL ) and used the stadium every year through 1990. In 1991 and 1992 they moved across town to the smaller USF Soccer Stadium , before returning to Tampa Stadium in 1993 for their final season of play in

945-574: The Cincinnati Reds . The plot purchased by the city in 1949 was large enough to host separate football and baseball venues, training facilities for the Reds, and several acres of parking spaces. When it opened in 1967, Tampa Stadium consisted of a matching pair of large arch -shaped concrete grandstands with open endzones. The seating consisted of long, backless aluminum benches that were accessed via short tunnels ( vomitoria ) which connected

1008-528: The Coca-Cola Classic International Soccer Series , which culminated with a Fourth of July match, and also included a post-game fireworks display and laser light show. Since Tampa Bay had only a handful of players under contract at the time, their roster was composed mostly of guest players from Queens Park Rangers F.C. The only NASL-era Rowdies on this roster were Roy Wegerle , Steve Wegerle , Dave Power , and

1071-554: The Cow Palace . The Rowdies again reached the final-four in 1976 , but that year were the host team. This time Tampa Bay would not be denied, as they followed up a 6–2 semi-final win over Dallas with a 6–4 finals triumph over the Rochester Lancers on March 27 in the Bayfront Center . Over the next few years, the Rowdies (and a handful of other NASL teams) played indoor friendlies and invitationals as preparation for

1134-530: The Detroit Lions on December 28, 1997, which they won 20-10. This would be the last game the team ever played in Tampa Stadium, as they moved next door to Raymond James Stadium in 1998. In 1991, the organization initiated the "Krewe of Honor", which featured a mural of the first class of three members. Quarterback Doug Williams was inducted September 6, 1992 and owner Hugh Culverhouse on September 5, 1993. No additional members were added before Tampa Stadium

1197-555: The Grateful Dead , and several big acts at the same time during the 1988 Monsters of Rock Tour , among others. Two particularly memorable concerts were held there by the English rock band Led Zeppelin . On May 5, 1973, the band attracted 56,800 people, which at the time represented the largest audience for a single artist performance in history, breaking the record set by The Beatles at Shea Stadium in 1965. On June 3, 1977,

1260-560: The Mongolian horsemen of the 13th century. Hats with tall crowns provide insulation, and wide brims provide shade. Hot and sunny climates inspire such tall-crowned, wide-brimmed designs, and hats with one or both of these features have evolved again and again in history and across cultures, as, for example, the Greek petasos of two millennia ago, or the traditional conical hat widespread in different regions of Asia. The exact origin of

1323-716: The Orlando Lions , on May 16 at the Florida Citrus Bowl , and then again on May 23 at Pepin-Rood Stadium . The Rowdies lost the first encounter, 2–0, with the teams tying, 2–2, in the return leg. The Rowdies played one season of indoor soccer in the American Indoor Soccer Association , once again using the Bayfront Center as their home. After a strong start they finished third in their division and eventually lost in

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1386-631: The St. Louis Cardinals on the last game of the following season, December 18, 1977. Jubilant fans swarmed the Tampa Stadium turf and tore down the goal posts . The Buccaneers had improved enough by the 1979 season to host the NFC Championship Game , which they lost 9-0 to the Los Angeles Rams . The Bucs played 18 additional seasons in the facility but struggled through most of them. They would only host one more playoff game on their original home turf: an NFC Wild Card Game vs.

1449-716: The Tampa Bay Rowdies . The Rowdies played ten seasons at Tampa Stadium and won their only Soccer Bowl championship in their 1975 inaugural season , defeating the Portland Timbers 2–0 on August 24. The Rowdies also finished as runners-up in 1978 and 1979 . The team showcased international stars such as midfielder, and team captain Rodney Marsh (England), 1979 league scoring leader Óscar Fabbiani (Chile), swift and forward Steve Wegerle (South Africa), rock-solid defenseman Arsene Auguste (Haiti), 1976 NASL goal scoring champion Derek Smethurst (South Africa), who

1512-472: The USF Soccer Stadium , before returning to Tampa Stadium in 1993 for the team's final season in existence. With Rodney Marsh staying on as coach (through 1987), the Rowdies operated as an independent team for two years before joining the American Indoor Soccer Association for one season (1986–87). Cornelia Corbett, Dick Corbett's wife and a businesswoman in her own right, became sole owner of

1575-487: The current franchise , Wegerle's #7 continues to be reissued each season. As part of a name-the-team contest, on November 21, 1974, the franchise announced that the name Tampa Bay Rowdies had been selected. Out of nearly 12,500 entries it was Clearwater attorney, Bill Wilhelm's suggestion that won. That suggestion earned Wilhelm a vacation to Acapulco for his efforts, along with a lifetime pass to all home games. The Rowdies' fans were known as "Fannies". Advertisements for

1638-482: The APSL. After the disappointing turnout at Phillips Field for an AFL preseason game back in 1964, the city was eager to showcase its new stadium in the hopes of attracting a professional franchise and organized a dozen exhibition games in Tampa Stadium in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The first of these was a preseason game between the NFL's Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins in August 1968 that almost sold out

1701-592: The Mexican sombrero is unknown, but it is usually accepted that the hat originated with mestizo cowboys in Central Mexico. Although sombrero is usually taken to refer to the traditional Mexican headwear, the term sombrero predates this item of clothing, and has been applied to several differing styles of hat. Other types of hats known as sombrero can be found in South America and Spain, including

1764-516: The NFL, and was regularly named a players' favorite in surveys conducted by the National Football League Players Association . Tampa Stadium was built almost exclusively of concrete . Throughout its existence, exterior walls were painted light tan or white or left as bare concrete, as were the flooring surfaces. Seating consisted of long aluminum benches, and there was no roof or overhang of any kind over

1827-551: The Tampa Bay area and the stadium, and on April 24, 1974, Tampa was awarded an NFL expansion team to begin play in the 1976 . The Buccaneers' first regular season home game was held on September 19, 1976, when the Bucs lost to the San Diego Chargers 23-0. That would become a trend, as the team began their existence with an NFL-record 26-game losing streak. They would not win a game on their home field until defeating

1890-495: The Tampa Stadium goal. The club gave "Soccer Head" complimentary tickets to future games so that he could continue his antics for the crowd, even bringing him along when the Rowdies played in Soccer Bowl '79 . While anyone who supported the club could call themselves a Fanny, members of the official Rowdies Fan Club particularly claimed the moniker as their own. The fan club held regular meetings and social events and published

1953-778: The Year Rookie of the Year North American Player of the Year FIFA World Cup players All-Star first team selections All-Star second team selections All-Star honorable mentions Indoor All-Stars U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame members Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame members Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame members Other National Halls of Fame *Excludes friendlies. ^Cup includes playoff games and mini-games. *due to Connell injury *Excludes friendlies and indoor matches. ^Includes playoff games. In

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2016-490: The area by the early 1960s and arranged an exhibition game between the American Football League 's Buffalo Bills and New York Jets at Phillips Field on August 8, 1964. Though temporary bleachers were installed to increase capacity to 17,000, actual attendance was less than 6000. Realizing that the venue was too small and primitive to support a professional football franchise, the city decided to construct

2079-476: The band returned to the venue, but the concert was paused and ultimately cut short due to a large thunderstorm. The crowd became unruly after the announcement of the cancellation, and the Tampa police ultimately dispersed the "riot" using tear gas and billy clubs . Much criticism was leveled at both the concert organizers' decision to cancel the performance and the aggressive tactics of law enforcement, resulting in

2142-450: The chain had no restaurants. Tampa Stadium was the home field for several additional teams and hosted a wide variety of events during its lifetime. The stadium hosted concerts by many famous artists, including Deep Purple , The Who , Jethro Tull , Santana , Paul McCartney , David Bowie , U2 , The Rolling Stones , Jimmy Buffett , The Eagles , Whitney Houston , Jonathan Butler , Genesis , Kenny G , George Michael , Pink Floyd ,

2205-416: The city was awarded an NFL expansion team. Over 27,000 seats were added by completely enclosing the open end zones with seating areas that blended into the existing two-tiered grandstands and created two walkways that completely encircled the seating bowl at ground level and about 40 rows up. The finished stadium had the largest capacity in the NFL (71,908) and was not in the shape of a simple bowl. The top of

2268-422: The club declared that "Soccer is a kick in the grass" and encouraged their supporters to "Get up, get out, and get Rowdy!" and to "make a fanny of yourself!". The calls were answered by fans who threw confetti , drank beer, chanted during games, and generally "let the guys know we're behind them." One memorable fan named Bob Rogers won a "Rowdiest Fan" contest by donning a giant soccer head and throwing himself into

2331-467: The early 1980s when, in preparation for its first Super Bowl in January 1984 , the press box atop the west grandstand was expanded and updated and a large new suite of luxury boxes was added atop the east grandstand. This configuration gave the facility its maximum seating capacity of 74,301. For the 1990 season which culminated in the stadium's second Super Bowl, large flagpoles were mounted on

2394-403: The federal government with the idea of eventually building a community sports complex. Al Lopez Field was the first phase of the project, opening in 1955. However, further development stalled for several years after that. Though the city of Tampa already had a long history with amateur and minor league professional sports and had undergone tremendous growth after World War 2, it did not yet have

2457-399: The field or seating areas. While the stadium's minimalist design allowed for very good sight lines, it also exposed both spectators and players to the full brunt of Tampa's subtropical climate . This was especially true after the stadium was fully enclosed for the Buccaneers' 1976 inaugural season, cutting off breezes which had flowed through the open endzones. While fans could retreat under

2520-551: The first round of the playoffs. Steve Wegerle was selected as a starter in the AISA All-Star game and scored the game's first goal. Arnie Mausser , Rubén Astigarraga , and Glenn Ervine also made the Southern Division team. Ervine added a goal in the fourth quarter. Tim Walters was a late All-Star addition, because Astigarraga was unable play in the match. Sombrero In English,

2583-406: The flag were hoisted on the stadium's flagpoles when the Buccaneers penetrated their opponents' 20-yard line. The franchise continued this practice when it moved to Raymond James Stadium next door a year later. Over the lifetime of Tampa Stadium, the natural grass turf consisted of several varieties of Bermuda grass , most notably Tifway 419. The playing surface was consistently one of the best in

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2646-583: The following year two more surpassed the 50,000 mark. The Rowdies had long-standing rivalries with both the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers and the New York Cosmos . Following the 1981 season the Dallas Tornado merged with Tampa Bay. At the time, Dallas principals Lamar Hunt and Bill McNutt retained a minority stake in the Rowdies. Two years later after the 1983 season, Strawbidge, Hunt and McNutt sold

2709-485: The franchise to another city unless a new stadium was built at taxpayers' expense. To accommodate these demands, Hillsborough County raised local sales taxes and built Raymond James Stadium just south of Tampa Stadium in 1997–98. Demolition of Tampa Stadium proceeded soon after the Tampa Bay Mutiny's final home game on September 13, 1998. Wrecking balls and long reach excavators were used for much of

2772-407: The grandstands to the shade of the wide concourses where concessions and restrooms were located, players and personnel on the field had no such recourse. Cooling equipment was usually placed near the sideline benches. The Buccaneers were also allowed to wear their white jerseys at home, forcing their opponents to suffer in their darker (and hotter) jerseys. During the summer and early autumn, events in

2835-492: The head coach, Rodney Marsh . Four former Rowdies played in the final game of this series for the opposing NASL All-Stars. These included Mike Connell , Winston DuBose , Wes McLeod and Tatu . They also played a pair of friendlies against the newly established Orlando Lions on February 22 and July 2 at Lake Brantley High School , using their regular players. Tampa Bay won the matches by scores of 1–0 and 2–1 (SO) respectively. In 1987 Tampa Bay played twice against

2898-471: The larger venue, and preseason matchups over subsequent seasons similarly drew large and enthusiastic crowds. In 1972, the Baltimore Colts trained at Leto High School, West of Tampa, in unincorporated Hillsborough County during the preseason and played all three of their exhibition games in Tampa Stadium to large crowds. These preseason games gave NFL owners and officials ample opportunity to assess

2961-425: The largest audience to ever see a single artist when a crowd of almost 57,000 witnessed a Led Zeppelin show in the facility in 1973. The land on which Tampa Stadium was situated had been the perimeter of Drew Field , a World War II-era airfield which was the precursor to Tampa International Airport . In 1949, the city of Tampa bought a 720-acre (290 ha) grassy parcel between the airport and West Tampa from

3024-539: The preseason Rowdies Cup , which celebrates the city's rich soccer history. To date the NCAA Division II Spartans have only captured the trophy once, back in 2012. As an independent club, the Rowdies played only one match in 1985. It was against the U.S. Men's team on the Fourth of July in front of 30,038 fans. In the summer of 1986 the Rowdies staged a four-game series at Tampa Stadium called

3087-441: The process, and the last portion of the stadium (the east side luxury boxes built for the stadium's first Super Bowl), was imploded on April 11, 1999. Tampa Stadium's former site is now a parking and staging area for Raymond James Stadium, and its footprint can still be seen in a grassy area inside a roughly circular road that once ringed its perimeter. †= Team's stadium under construction or refurbishment at time 1 = A team used

3150-490: The seating area to wide, open concourses at the rear of the grandstands. The benches were arranged in two large tiers divided by a horizontal walkway about halfway up the grandstands. The slope of the grandstands was relatively steep, giving every seat a direct and unobstructed view of the field. The official capacity was 46,481, though temporary bleachers could be placed in one or both endzones if needed. Tampa Stadium underwent an extensive expansion project in 1974–1975 after

3213-872: The seven teams. Due to scheduling issues that season, the Rowdies played five games at the Bayfront Center, eight at the State Fairgrounds' Expo Hall in Tampa, and three in the Lakeland Civic Center . Tampa Bay regularly drew home crowds of over five thousand "fannies" to the Bayfront Center, despite the arena's limited seating capacity and relatively remote location. *playoff game NASL Indoor championships (3) Regular Season Premiership (1) Division titles (6) Conference Titles (3) Regional Titles (2) League scoring champion League goal scoring champion Indoor Grand Prix Assists Leader Finals MVP Regionals MVP Coach of

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3276-427: The stadium was in the shape of a wave which was highest at the center of the two sideline grandstands and gently sloped downward to a rounded corner where it met the endzone sections, which were a little more than half as tall. Much later, the stadium was dubbed "The Big Sombrero " by ESPN 's Chris Berman for the unique undulating hat / wave shape created by the 1975 expansion. The last major renovation took place in

3339-412: The stadium were often scheduled in the evening hours to avoid the often oppressive afternoon heat and humidity. In another nod to local weather, the natural grass playing surface was highly crowned to provide rapid drainage during Tampa's intense thunderstorms, with the sidelines almost 18 inches lower than the center of the field. Tampa Stadium was completed just in time to host its first sporting event –

3402-471: The stadium when their permanent stadium was unable to be used as a result of damage. Tampa Bay Rowdies (1975%E2%80%9393) The Tampa Bay Rowdies were an American professional soccer team based in Tampa, Florida , that competed in the original North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1975 to 1984. They enjoyed broad popular support in the Tampa Bay area until the NASL folded in 1984, after which

3465-546: The start of the outdoor season. The NASL did not sanction a full indoor season until 1979–80 , when the Rowdies won the championship by defeating the Memphis Rogues 2 games to 1. The 1980–81 campaign marked the first time Tampa Bay had ever missed the playoffs, indoor or outdoor. In the 1981–82 season they lost the finals to the San Diego Sockers 2 games to 0. Once again the NASL chose not to sanction

3528-635: The team in 1986. As a footnote, in 2011 the University of South Florida opened the new Corbett Soccer Stadium for their NCAA Division I men's and women's teams, after the Corbetts had made a $ 1.5 million donation to the project. The stadium features several display cases that highlight the history of the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Since 2005, the USF Bulls and the crosstown rival University of Tampa Spartans men's squads have competed annually for

3591-407: The team outright to local investors Stella Thayer , Bob Blanchard and Dick Corbett. *playoff game In the winter of 1975 , the NASL ran a two-tiered, 16 team indoor tournament with four regional winners meeting in a "final-four" style championship. The Rowdies defeated the New York Cosmos 13–5 in the semi-final, before losing 8–5 to the host San Jose Earthquakes in the finals on March 16 at

3654-491: The team played in various minor indoor and outdoor leagues before finally folding on January 31, 1994. The Rowdies played nearly all of their outdoor home games at Tampa Stadium and nearly all of their indoor games at the Bayfront Center Arena in nearby St. Petersburg, Florida . Although San Diego played indoors until 1996, the Rowdies were the last surviving NASL franchise that played outdoor soccer on

3717-432: The three different NASL titles available at the time ( Soccer Bowl '75 , 1976 Indoor Title , 1976 Regular Season title ) in succession within twelve months. On and off the pitch, the Rowdies would prove to be one of the league's most recognizable brands. At one three-year point in their history, the team regularly drew crowds of well over 25,000 a night. In 1979 three different matches were attended by over 40,000 people, and

3780-399: The upper rim of the stadium as part of a stadium update that included the addition of a JumboTron screen in the south end zone and smaller scoreboards above the field-level tunnels in two corners of the stadium. The poles were used to fly large flags for each of the NFL's teams until 1997 , when the Buccaneers adopted a uniform redesign featuring a red flag on their helmets. Large versions of

3843-417: Was also the franchise's all-time leading goal scorer with 57 tallies in 65 games, as well as forward Clyde Best (Bermuda). Coached along the way by Firmani, John Boyle , Gordon Jago , Al Miller , and Marsh after his retirement, their catch phrase and marketing slogan was "The Rowdies arrrre...a kick in the grass!" While no NASL team ever captured a treble , in 1975–76 Tampa Bay came the closest by winning

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3906-437: Was awarded an NFL expansion franchise. "Tampa U" president B. D. Owens ended the football program after the 1974 season, saying that the school would face bankruptcy if it had to subsidize the sport. The Tampa Bay Rowdies were the stadium's first professional tenant, starting play in 1975 and winning their only (outdoor) championship in their inaugural season. (The team also won several indoor soccer championships playing at

3969-615: Was closed and demolished. Malcolm Glazer also acquired naming rights to Tampa Stadium when he purchased the Buccaneers in 1995. In October of that year, he had the Houlihan's restaurant chain, another business in his portfolio, pay the Bucs $ 10 million for those rights. This resulted in the official name of the facility being changed to "Houlihan's Stadium" in 1996 and in Glazer being sued by Houlihan's stockholders, who were not happy about purchasing stadium naming rights in an area in which

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