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 Raymond
James Stadium
Tampa Bay, FL
Opening in 1998 and home to the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers and the annual Outback Bowl, Raymond James Stadium has been called
one of the crown jewels of stadiums in football. After spending
several decades at Houlihan Stadium, the Buccaneers wanted a combination of
the finest elements of modern stadium design and its own
groundbreaking innovations in a new stadium.
After a referendum was passed, construction
began on the Buccaneers stadium in October 1996. Constructed
adjacent to Houlihan Stadium, fans could watch as the stadium was
being built. Raymond James Financial of Tampa purchased the
naming rights for 13 years, thus the stadium was named Raymond
James Stadium.
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Opening day at the
state of the art Raymond James Stadium was on September 20, 1998.
Over 65,000 Buccaneers 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
includes 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, ranging from standard fare to more authentic Tampa
items. 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.
Find hotels for college bowl games
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