The story
Tampa Stadium opened on November 4, 1967, on land that had been the edge of Drew Field, a World War II airfield. It was expanded in 1974 and 1975 to about 74,000 seats in hopes of landing an NFL team. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers played there from 1976 to 1997, and it hosted Super Bowl XVIII in 1984, Super Bowl XXV in 1991 and the 1984 USFL championship game.
ESPN's Chris Berman gave it the nickname The Big Sombrero for its hat-like roofline. Led Zeppelin drew about 56,800 on May 5, 1973, then a record for a single act. A 1977 Led Zeppelin show was stopped by a thunderstorm and police used tear gas on the crowd afterward. The stadium's final game was on September 13, 1998, and the east side luxury boxes were imploded on April 11, 1999.
What's There Now
The footprint is a grassy area inside a circular road, used as parking and staging for neighboring Raymond James Stadium.
Everything that was here
- 1967–1998
Tampa Stadium (The Big Sombrero)Stadium
The city built it on the edge of a wartime airfield, and it hosted two Super Bowls and a record Led Zeppelin crowd before the last piece was imploded in 1999.
See the map in 1968 → - 1954–1988
Al Lopez FieldStadium
Spring training home of the White Sox and then the Reds, named for Tampa native Al Lopez, and torn down in 1989 to clear room for a new stadium.
See the map in 1955 →
Did you know?
Nearby history
La Teresita
Fort Homer W. Hesterly Armory
The Big Orange Drive-In
Palladium Ballroom
Valencia Garden
Goody Goody
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