Tampa Stadium
"The Big Sombrero" | |
Tampa (Houlihan's) Stadium in early 1999 | |
| Full name | Tampa Stadium |
|---|---|
| Former names | Tampa Stadium (November 4, 1967 – December 28, 1995) Houlihan's Stadium (January 16, 1996 – April 11, 1999) |
| Address | 4201 N Dale Mabry Hwy |
| Location | Tampa, Florida |
| Coordinates | 27°58′44″N 82°30′13″W / 27.97889°N 82.50361°W |
| Owner | Tampa Sports Authority |
| Operator | Tampa Sports Authority |
| Capacity | 46,481 (original) 74,301 (final) |
| Surface | Bermuda grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | October 9, 1966 |
| Opened | November 4, 1967 |
| Renovated | 1983, 1990 |
| Expanded | December 4, 1974 – June 5, 1975 |
| Closed | September 13, 1998 |
| Demolished | April 11, 1999 |
| Construction cost | US$4.4 million ($41.5 million in 2024 dollars) US$13 million (renovations) ($41 million in 2024 dollars) |
| Architect | Watson & Company Architects, Engineers & Planners |
| General contractor | Jones-Mahoney Construction Co. |
| Tenants | |
| Tampa Spartans (NCAA) (1967–1974) Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL / independent / ASL / APSL) (1975–1986, 1988–1990, 1993) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL) (1976–1997) Tampa Bay Bandits (USFL) (1983–1985) Outback Bowl (NCAA) (1986–1998) Tampa Bay Mutiny (MLS) (1996–1998) South Florida Bulls (NCAA) (1997) | |
Tampa Stadium (nicknamed The Big Sombrero and briefly known as Houlihan's Stadium) was a large open-air stadium (maximum capacity about 74,000) located in Tampa, Florida, which opened in 1967 and was significantly expanded in 1974–75. The facility is most closely associated with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League, who played there from their establishment in 1976 until 1997. It also hosted two Super Bowls, in 1984 and 1991, as well as the 1984 USFL Championship Game. To meet the revenue demands of the Buccaneers' new owners, Raymond James Stadium was built nearby in 1998, and Tampa Stadium was demolished in early 1999.
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 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.