History
Raymond James Stadium was built to replace Tampa Stadium at the demand of new Bucs owner Malcolm Glazer. It is located adjacent to the site of the old stadium on the former location of Al Lopez Field, a minor league baseball stadium that had been demolished in 1989. Once completed, the final cost of the new stadium was $168.5 million, with the entire cost publicly financed. It was known as Tampa Community Stadium during construction, but the naming rights were bought for $32.5 million for a thirteen–year deal by St. Petersburg-based Raymond James Financial in June 1998. On April 27, 2006 an extension was signed to maintain naming rights through 2015.
The stadium officially opened on September 20, 1998, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Chicago Bears, 27–15. The stadium hosted its first soccer game on March 20, 1999, when the Tampa Bay Mutiny lost to D.C. United, 5–2.
The stadium was selected to host the ACC Championship Game in 2008 and 2009.
On September 28, 2007, the (then ranked #18) University of South Florida Bulls set a record at Raymond James Stadium with a crowd of 67,018 when they played (then ranked #5) West Virginia. This record remained the largest non-Super Bowl crowd in the stadium's history until September 29, 2012 when the University of South Florida Bulls played the Florida State University Seminoles before a crowd of 69,383.
The largest crowd ever recorded in Raymond James Stadium came on October 9, 2009, with U2’s 360° Tour. More than 72,000 people were in attendance.
Until 2010, every Buccaneers game at Raymond James Stadium sold out. In 2010, all home games failed to sell out and could not be broadcast on local television. The streak carried over until week 4 of the 2011 season when it sold enough tickets for its Monday Night game with the Indianapolis Colts on October 3rd to avoid a local blackout.
The stadium was also home to the former Tampa Bay Mutiny of Major League Soccer and continues to periodically host soccer matches due to its accommodating field dimensions. For example, on June 8, 2012, it hosted the United States men's national soccer team's opening qualifying match against Antigua and Barbuda for the 2014 World Cup where the US won 3-1.
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