Tampa, Florida					Monday, September 06, 2010

THE DAY TAMPA GOT FOOTBALL
Saturday, April 15, 2006
TAMPA--This is an anniversary time little remembered by many. But it is certainly worthy of a toast by those affected and those of us who have profited by that far-reaching development over 30 years ago. Thirty-three years ago, to be exact and hammer in the point even more. And landmark event that it was, only 31 people were there, and I was one of them there to report it for my old high profile platform, The Tampa Tribune. Today there would have been 500 there for such an announcement. It was the day football came to Tampa. Excuse me. It was the day football came to Tampa Bay. It was the day big-time sports came to Tampa, causing others to follow, and fine facilities for them to be built. At 5 p.m. on April 24, 1974 (Yee, Gads, It Can’t Have Been That Long!), the late wonderful commissioner of the National Football League, with entourage, walked into Suite 404 in the Drake Hotel on Park Avenue, in New York City, clearly ready to make the announcement we had awaited all day. He shook the hands of writer Jerry Isenberg of Newark, sat down and got right to it. “The National Football League voted to expand to Tampa, Florida, and at least one other city to be chosen later this year,’’ he declared, and then continued without pause, “the teams will be ready for the 1976 season. “The franchise will cost $16 million each.’’ Then he paused. During that pause, the Tampa delegation hurrahed, applauded, jumped up and down, big smiled and shook hands with each other. Chuck Smith, the perfect chairman of the Tampa Sports Authority who would die too young later of a brain tumor, shouted “Hot Damn!’’ and hugged Joe Alaska, CEO of the Authority. Bill Marcum, promoter of the events that proved through attendance that Tampa was the right place for expansion, grinning, said: “Hallelujah! It’s been a long time.’’ Oh, how he worked for this. Leonard Levy, chairman of the Tampa Task Force, gratis, grinning said, “God mighty, God mighty,’’ perhaps a hundred times, but rushing to Commissioner Roselle to thank him, but only after Roselle grabbed his hand and said, “Welcome to the N-F-L, to the N-F-L, sir!’’ Levy shook Roselle’s hand and surprised the commissioner by asking what Tampa could do now to host a Super Bowl. Roselle laughed but liked it. Soon afterwards that became a project won with a successful Super Bowl being held in Tampa in 1984, then twice more and will host a fourth soon. The award of the 27th NFL franchise to Tampa was no real surprise, Word had leaked and we had printed it that day in Tampa. But, a surprise was Seattle was not a twin entry. Seattle was admitted the following day. Hold up had been the NFL had not yet closed a lease deal for the stadium there for the Seahawks	to be, but had closed one with Tampa for us by the owner to-be of the Tampa team that would become the Buccaneers. Now, amid the jubilation in Suite 404 that day also were those of terrible disappointment. Blue were the delegations from Memphis, Phoenix and Honolulu. Phoenix got a team in time while Memphis was out hustled in time by a growing Nashville. Honolulu fell off the charts as city swaps and growth changed the landscape. But, on that April 24th these long years ago, that stroke of success proved to be of landmark contribution to the growth in pride, business, size, national respect, and well, fun, for Tampa Bay. All know and are prideful of that advance overall and individually. It got old Tampa Stadium and replaced by a new, model Raymond James Stadium, and a new home office and practice facility nearby. The history written that day in Suite 404 set in motion the arrival of the Tampa Bay Rowdies (oh, the Rowdies!), a World Cup in the USA, the Outback Bowl, The National Hockey League Lightning who became Stanley Cup Champions in 2004 and the arena (St. Petersburg Times Forum) that sold out regularly for hockey, concerts and basketball, a fine Arena Football team (Storm), two more Super Bowls for sure, and all the other good events inside and out in which we indulge and which we have come to appreciate. But, that achievement of that band of businessmen and those who supported them so long in the pursuit of NFL franchise, produced no reward greater, more unanticipated then, than the Super Bowl the upstart Buccaneers under owner Glazer and upstart Coach Jon Gruden who flat won it all when they advanced to the Super Bowl ’03 at San Diego and slammed Oakland, 48-21, around like a ragdoll in a stunning upset and a stunning achievement. And through it all know that an everlasting team owner who has been on Tampa’s side from the birth of bigtime sports at the Drake these 33 years ago is Dan Rooney of the Pittsburgh Steelers, present Super Bowl champions, whose committee said Tampa is the place, and it was, and it is. A cavalier named Hugh Culverhouse paid $16 million for the expansion Bucs, was not alive to see his family sell it for $193 million to the Malcolm Glazer family to grow its value to perhaps $700 million and be of such a mind and ability to buy the world’s great sports team, the soccer club of Manchester United. Nor was the enigmatic Culverhouse around to see the Glazers and Coach Gruden win that Super Bowl two years ago at San Diego. Neat to be reminded that it is a day worth a major celebration, for the under-30’s just finding out about it, and the over-30’s who may have forgotten. And since it is I who is reminding us, I think I’ll give two toasts. Or, hey, maybe 33, for all the missed years, but, but of course, over time between now and next April 24. ##
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