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 Houlihan
Stadium
Tampa, FL
Home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for
nearly 25 years, Houlihan Stadium was home to many events
including two Super Bowls.
In the mid 1960s the Tampa Sports
Authority was created. One of its first jobs was to have a new
football stadium built for the University of Tampa. Construction
on a stadium began on October 18, 1966 and was swiftly completed
in just over a year. The first game at Tampa Stadium was held on November 4, 1967
between the University of Tennessee and the University of Tampa.
The stadium originally had a capacity of 40,000, with one
tier of seating on both sides of the field. One year later on
August 10, 1968, Tampa Stadium hosted its first NFL game between
the Washington Redskins and Atlanta Falcons. During the same
year, a committee was formed in order to get the area an
expansion NFL team. They succeeded and Tampa was awarded a team in
1974, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, that began
playing in 1976. The stadium received $13 million in renovations that included
expanding the capacity of the stadium to 72,000 and the addition
of luxury suites. The Buccaneers
first game at Tampa Stadium was on August 21, 1975. Very few
changes took place at Tampa Stadium after 1975. In 1995, Tampa
Stadium was renamed Houlihan Stadium by the Buccaneers. In the mid
1990s the Buccaneers wanted a new stadium in order to bring in
additional revenues. A bond was
passed and Raymond James Stadium, a brand new stadium was built adjacent
to Houlihan Stadium. The Buccaneers played their last game at
Houlihan Stadium on September 13, 1998. The stadium was demolished
the following year. Houlihan Stadium was home to many events other
than Buccaneers games, including the Tampa Bay Mutiny (MLS), the
Outback Bowl and Super Bowls XVIII and XXV.
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FACTS &
FIGURES |
SUPER BOWLS |
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Tenant:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Capacity:
47,000 (original), 74,300 (final)
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Cost:
$4.6 Million. $13 million (renovations)
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Opened:
November 4, 1967, August 21, 1976 (NFL)
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Closed: September 13, 1998
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Surface: Grass
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Architect:
Unknown
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Other
Names: Tampa Stadium
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Demolished:
1999
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-Super Bowl XVII - Los Angeles Raiders
vs. Washington
-Super Bowl XXV - New York Giants vs. Buffalo
Memorable Moments:
As time
expires in Super Bowl XXV, the Buffalo Bills' Scott Norwood attempts a
47-yard field goal but misses wide to the right, and the New York
Giants win 20-19. It is the only game that was decided by one point. |
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stadimsofnfl.com
Matt Angle |
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