Raymond James Stadium has been called the Crown Jewel of the National Football League.
Located in Tampa, it hosted Super Bowl XXXV in 2001 and Super Bowl XLIII in 2009.
It officially opened September 20th, 1998 when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Chicago Bears. It is a state-of-the-art facility and was the first professional sports venue to show high-definition television. BucVision consists of 2 video boards measuring 24’ high by 92’ wide.
Raymond James Stadium is home of the National Football League’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the University of South Florida Bulls football team, and the New Year’s Day Outback Bowl. It also hosts a few other large special events and concerts during the year, but football is the main attraction.
Raymond James Financial purchased naming rights for the stadium for $32.5 million for the first 13 years. Since that time they have extended it to 2015. Raymond James Financial is a St.Petersburg, Florida based diversified holding company providing financial services to corporations, municipalities and individuals.
The internationally acclaimed HOK Sport Facility Group out of Kansas City, Missouri, was the architect for the stadium. The seating capacity for football is 65,657 with 195 suites and 12,332 club seats. For Super Bowls, temporary seats can be added to raise the capacity to approximately 75,000.
The turf is Bermuda grass, which thrives in the Florida climate. The facility is owned and operated by the Tampa Sports Authority. They also own and operate the St. Pete Times Forum in downtown Tampa.
One of the most unique features of the stadium is the authentic replica of an early 1800s pirate ship in Buccaneer Cove at the north end of the stadium. The same company that produces some of the props for Walt Disney World created the ship. It is 103’ long with eight cannons that celebrate each Buccaneer score by releasing smoke, confetti, mini-footballs and fire. It also has a 9’ by 7’ skull and crossed swords with glowing red eyes and a mouth that breathes smoke.
Buccaneer Cove is located beyond the north end zone of the stadium and was modeled after a 19th century waterfront village. The pirate ship is the centerpiece of the village. All of the concession stands have facades to make it look like a fishing village.
Raymond James Stadium allows smoking only in designated areas. It has 60 restrooms, 24 men, 28 women, and 8 unisex/family restrooms. It is an ADA compliant venue and has approximately 650 seats for guests in wheelchairs. Disabled seating is available in all price ranges and the accessible stadium entrances are gates A, B, C and D. All Club and Suite entrances are also accessible. Disabled parking is available close to the stadium with a valid disabled parking permit. They are on a first come first served basis. If you need help with disabled seating or parking, call 813-879-2827.
The parking lots open 4 hours before Buccaneers games and 3 hours before other events.
You are not permitted to bring in coolers, hard containers, large bags, backpacks, video cameras, and cameras with lenses longer than 12". There is no re-entry to the stadium unless you buy a new ticket.
Box-office hours for the Buccaneers are Monday through Friday 8:30am to 5:30pm. They are closed on Saturday and Sunday. Call 813-879-BUCS.
The box- office hours for USF Football are Monday through Friday 9:00am to 5:00pm. Call 1-800-GOBULLS. For the Outback Bowl, call 813-874-2695.
The Outback Bowl is on New Year's Day and it is the match up between the 3rd seed from the SEC and the 3rd seed from the Big Ten. It is usually a good match up between 2 good teams. The game is a culmination of a week long schedule of events throughout Tampa.
Raymond James Stadium is a great place to see a football game in the Florida sunshine. With the pirate ship located in Buccaneer Cove we wonder if Walt had anything to do with it. It is ironic that the NFL team whose home stadium is closest to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Walt Disney World, is the Buccaneers. Yo-Ho Yo-Ho a Pirate’s Life For Me!!!