Since its opening in 1998, Raymond James Stadium has been called one of the
crown jewels of stadiums in the NFL. It has also been the site of the annual
Outback Bowl. The Buccaneers spent 21 seasons playing
at the 74,000 seat Houlihan Stadium. When owner Hugh Culverhouse died in
1994 the future of the Buccaneers was uncertain. Groups in cities including
Baltimore, Orlando, St. Louis, and Toronto wanted to buy the franchise to
relocate the team. Malcolm Glazer bought the team in 1995 and demanded that
a new stadium be built for the Buccaneers. After the team was unsuccessful
in selling charter seats in a campaign to fund a new stadium it appeared
that the team may move to Cleveland to replace the Browns who had moved to
Baltimore. However, in September 1996 Hillsborough County voters approved a
referendum to construct a stadium for the Buccaneers in Tampa. The Buccaneers wanted a combination
of the finest elements of modern stadium design and its own groundbreaking
innovations in a new stadium. Construction began adjacent to Houlihan
Stadium in October 1996. Raymond James Financial of Tampa, purchased the
naming rights for 13 years. The stadium was named Raymond James
Stadium.
On September 20, 1998,
the Buccaneers played their inaugural first game at Raymond James
Stadium, against the Chicago Bears.
It was an exciting, anticipated event as over 65,000 fans filled the stadium. Two, three tier
grandstands are located on both sides on the playing field, and
additional seating is located past both endzones. Raymond James
Stadium's features are centered around one concept: enhancing fans
experiences at a Tampa Bay Buccaneers games. The stadium has
many amenities including 12,000 club seats, 195 luxury suites and
the main feature, Buccaneer Cove. Located
beyond
the north endzone at Raymond James Stadium, Buccaneer Cove, is
modeled after a 19th century Pirate village. Costing
$3
million, Buccaneer Cove's main attraction is a 103 foot long
replica
Pirate ship. The ship serves as a entertainment area for fans.
Other features of the Cove include a weathered, 2-story fishing
village facade from which a wide variety of stadium concessions. Also
located throughout the area are a variety of beach hut kiosks
offering additional concessions, a 9 ft x 7 ft skull, and other
game enhancements. When a Buccaneer player scores a touchdown,
eight cannons fire to celebrate the moment. Raymond James Stadium
has been the host of the Super Bowl and is home of the Outback
Bowl every year. This bowl games pits teams from the
SEC and Big Ten Conferences.
