Houlihan's Stadium
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Houlihan's Stadium was a sports venue in Tampa that opened in 1967 as Tampa Stadium (later changed when the Glazers acquired the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and renamed the stadium after a family-owned restaurant), and saw a number of major sporting teams and events grace its fields over the years. The stadium is most closely associated with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who played their NFL games there from 1976 until 1998, when they moved to Raymond James Stadium, though the stadium was originally built with a capacity of 45,000 for the University of Tampa Spartans football team, which was disbanded in 1974. Other tenants include the Tampa Bay Rowdies, the soccer team of Tampa Bay, who brought home a cup victory in 1975. After the NASL disbanded, the Rowdies quickly died off. When the MLS gave Tampa the chance to have another major soccer team, many expected the revival of the Rowdies, however the Tampa Bay Mutiny was born. The Tampa Bay Mutiny started with an impressive first season, being the top in the league. In 2001 they were disbanded due to MLS reorganization. In the Mutiny's last season, they finished last. During a short stint from 1983-1985, the Tampa Bay Bandits, a USFL football team, also played in Tampa Stadium. Finally, the University of South Florida Bulls football team played its intial season at the stadium in 1997.
The stadium's capacity was 74,301, although it rarely reached full capacity outside of a few major concerts, the 1984 and 1991 Super Bowls, and Buccaneer playoff appearances. The stadium was dubbed "The Big Sombrero" by ESPN's Chris Berman for its Mexican hatlike shape. The stadium consisted entirely of bench seating, though skyboxes were added in the mid 80's. In 1998 the stadium was demolished to add a parking lot for the new Raymond James Stadium.