Raymond James Stadium
In 1995, new owner Malcolm Glazer purchased the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a record $192 million. He immediately declared the existing twenty-eight-year-old Tampa Stadium inadequate for his franchise. The city of Tampa and Hillsborough County proposed a $168 million stadium funded by rental car surtaxes and event fees. Glazers rejected this plan within hours because it would reduce their revenue. Local officials could not agree on an alternative taxpayer-financed plan quickly enough to satisfy them. They threatened to move the team elsewhere and met with officials from several other cities to explore relocation sites.
Early in 1996, the city proposed a Community Investment Tax. This was a thirty-year half-cent sales tax increase designed to pay for public improvements and a new stadium. A public referendum scheduled for September required approval. Team proponents launched an intensive public relations campaign. Malcolm Glazer promised to pay half the cost if fans put down 50,000 deposits on ten-year season ticket commitments priced at $190 to $2500 per seat. Former Tampa mayor Bill Poe sued to halt the referendum, claiming the tax violated Florida state constitution bans on public support for private companies. His objections were rejected, and plans for the vote proceeded.
Public opinion polls showed limited support as election day neared. Voters reacted negatively to Glazers' tactics and refused to raise taxes to help owners who overpaid for an NFL team. Proponents launched a media blitz of television and radio advertisements emphasizing potential impacts on local schools and roads. On the 3rd of September 1996, the ballot measure passed by a margin of 53% to 47%. The season ticket deposit drive fell 17,000 short of its goal. The Buccaneers offer to pay half construction costs was withdrawn. The facility was designed and built entirely at public expense.
One of the most recognizable features of the stadium is a forty-three-ton steel-and-concrete replica pirate ship in the north end zone. Each time the Buccaneers score points or win a home game, the replica cannons fire off once for each point scored. When the Buccaneers enter their opponent's red zone, flags are hoisted and waved around the stadium. During pre-game player introductions, the cannons also fire. Throughout various times during games, the song Yo Ho A Pirate's Life for Me plays on the public address system. This signals patrons on board the ship to throw beads, T-shirts, and other free prizes to spectators below.
An animated parrot sits on the stern of the pirate ship. Controlled by radio and remote control, the parrot picks fans out of the crowd and talks to those passing by. The pirate ship's sails usually show Buccaneers logos and sponsors but change to suit the event hosting. Two Daktronics video displays were among the largest in the league when built. In 2016 they were replaced with HD video boards in both end zones. Buc Cove in the north end zone features a weathered two-story fishing village facade housing concessions and restrooms.
After the stadium opened in 1998, roughly fifty thousand Hussey-manufactured seats began fading from bright vibrant red to washed-out pink. The Buccaneers organization pleaded to the Tampa Sports Authority to sue the seating manufacturing company for replacement costs in 2003. Testing samples showed no cause for fading under the current ten-year warranty initially. However, the TSA cited a portion of the warranty stating Hussey would replace seats if any fading occurred. Hussey president Tim Hussey admitted an error in research and eventually reached a $1.5 million agreement to replace problem seats. A UV inhibitor component was forgotten in the plastic mixture used to create the seats. All problem seats were replaced by new non-pink seats in spring 2006.
Raymond James Stadium has hosted three Super Bowls: Super Bowl XXXV in 2001, Super Bowl XLIII in 2009, and Super Bowl LV in 2021. In Super Bowl LV, the Buccaneers became the first team in NFL history to play and win a Super Bowl on their home field. They won that game 31, 9 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Like previous Super Bowls, the league treated Super Bowl LV as a neutral site game. The pirate ship's Buccaneer-logo sails were replaced with Super Bowl sails during the event.
The league did not allow the Buccaneers to fire the ship's cannons during the actual game. Cannons are normally fired after every score by the Buccaneers and when their offense enters the red zone. During Super Bowl LV, cannons were only fired during player introductions. They were fired thirty-one times after the end of the game to represent the Buccaneers' thirty-one points. The Buccaneers were coincidentally designated the home team for Super Bowl LV because the home team alternates between conferences annually.
Super Bowl XXXV set a then-record stadium attendance of seventy-one thousand nine hundred twenty-one fans. Temporary bleachers were erected in the end zones for this event. Super Bowl XLIII drew seventy thousand seven hundred seventy-four spectators. Super Bowl LV saw an attendance of twenty-four thousand eight hundred thirty-five due to pandemic restrictions.
In college football, Raymond James Stadium hosts the annual ReliaQuest Bowl since 1999 and the Gasparilla Bowl since 2018. It hosted the ACC Championship Game in 2008 and 2009. The facility was also the site of the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2017. Clemson Tigers defeated Alabama Crimson Tide in that rematch with an attendance of seventy-four thousand five hundred twelve. This crowd remains the largest for any football game in stadium history.
The three highest-attended South Florida Bulls home games occurred at different times. On the 29th of September 2012, Florida State Seminoles beat South Florida Bulls 30, 17 before sixty-nine thousand three hundred eighty-three fans. A 2007 game against West Virginia Mountaineers drew sixty-seven thousand one hundred twelve people. Another match against Miami Hurricanes on the 28th of November 2009 attracted sixty-six thousand four hundred sixty-nine spectators.
Bowl games held here include the Outback Bowl since its inception. The highest-attended college bowl game saw South Carolina Gamecocks defeat Ohio State Buckeyes 31, 28 in January 2002 before sixty-six thousand two hundred forty-nine fans. Penn State Nittany Lions beat Kentucky Wildcats 26, 14 in 1999 with sixty-six thousand attendees. Florida Gators defeated Iowa Hawkeyes 31, 24 in 2005 drawing sixty-five thousand eight hundred eighty-one spectators.
The stadium also hosts soccer matches including United States men's national team games. On the 11th of October 2018, Colombia men's national team played against the US winning 4, 2 before thirty-eight thousand three hundred sixty-one spectators. This set the current attendance record for soccer matches at this facility. Major League Soccer returned to the stadium on the 14th of February 2025, for a preseason game between Orlando City SC and Inter Miami CF ending in a 2, 2 draw before forty-two thousand seventeen fans.
Professional wrestling events include WrestleMania 37 held April 10 and 11, 2021. The event had reported attendance of twenty-five thousand six hundred seventy-five each night for a combined total of fifty-one thousand three hundred fifty spectators. Ice hockey will be featured when Tampa Bay Lightning plays Boston Bruins in the 2026 NHL Stadium Series on the 1st of February 2026. Baseball exhibitions like Savannah Bananas games have drawn sellout crowds of sixty-five thousand spectators.
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Common questions
When was Raymond James Stadium built and opened?
Raymond James Stadium opened in 1998 after a public referendum passed on the 3rd of September 1996. The facility was designed and built entirely at public expense following the withdrawal of the Buccaneers offer to pay half construction costs.
Who owns Raymond James Stadium and how much did they pay for it?
Malcolm Glazer purchased the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for $192 million in 1995 and proposed building the stadium. He rejected an initial city plan because it would reduce their revenue, leading to a new tax measure that funded the project without private owner contribution.
What is the pirate ship feature inside Raymond James Stadium?
A forty-three-ton steel-and-concrete replica pirate ship sits in the north end zone of Raymond James Stadium. Each time the Buccaneers score points or win a home game, the replica cannons fire off once for each point scored.
How many Super Bowls has Raymond James Stadium hosted?
Raymond James Stadium has hosted three Super Bowls: Super Bowl XXXV in 2001, Super Bowl XLIII in 2009, and Super Bowl LV in 2021. In Super Bowl LV, the Buccaneers became the first team in NFL history to play and win a Super Bowl on their home field.
What was the largest crowd at Raymond James Stadium during a football game?
The largest crowd for any football game in stadium history occurred during the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2017 with seventy-four thousand five hundred twelve spectators. Clemson Tigers defeated Alabama Crimson Tide in that rematch before this record attendance.