Tampa Stadium

Tampa Stadium (later known as Houlihan's Stadium) was a stadium located at 4201 North Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa, Florida, which opened in 1967. Tampa Stadium is most closely associated with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers National Football League franchise, which played all of their home games there from 1976 through 1997. The facility was also 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.

Tampa Stadium was demolished in 1999 following the construction of its replacement, Raymond James Stadium.

Origin and design

Pre-history and construction

The land on which Tampa Stadium was situated had been the perimeter of Drew Field, a World War II-era airfield which was the precursor to Tampa International Airport. In 1949, the city of Tampa bought a 720-acre grassy parcel between the airport and West Tampa from the federal government with the idea of eventually building a community sports complex.Al Lopez Field was the first phase of the project, opening in 1955.