Tampa Bay Bandits

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Tampa Bay Bandits
Tampa Bay Bandits logo

Founded 1983
Folded 1986
Based in Tampa, Florida, United States
Home field Tampa Stadium
League USFL
Conference Eastern
Division Central (1983)
Southern (1984)
Team History 35-19 overall record
Team Colors Red, Black, Silver, White

                   

Head coaches Steve Spurrier
Owner(s) John Bassett
Stephen Arky
Burt Reynolds
Mascot(s) Smokey
Fan Website http://www.usfl.info/bandits/

The Tampa Bay Bandits were a franchise in the United States Football League. They were a charter member of the USFL and folded along with the league after the 1985 season.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Preparing to play

The Tampa Bay Bandits' majority owner were Canadian businessman John Bassett and Miami attorney Steve Arky, and minority owners included Hollywood mainstay Burt Reynolds, at that time one of the most popular motion picture actors in the world. The team was named the Bandits due to Reynold's then-recent appearance in the hit Smokey and the Bandit movies, and his connection helped build local interest. Also building interest was the hiring of former Florida Gator and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Steve Spurrier to be the team coach. Spurrier had been serving as the offensive coordinator at Duke University before coming to Tampa to take his first head coaching job.

[edit] Bandit Ball

The Bandits began play in 1983 in Tampa Stadium, and were immediately more successful than the area's NFL franchise, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with whom they shared a home field (though the Bucs played in the fall and early winter while the Bandits played in the spring and early summer). The Bandits narrowly missed the playoffs in their first season and made the postseason the next two years. While their offense under Spurrier was usually one of the best in the league, an average defense kept them from serious championship contention.

The Bandits were also successful off the field. They drew the highest average attendance over the three-year history of the USFL, coming in 2nd in attendance in 1983 and leading the league in that category in 1984 and 1985 with over 40,000 fans per game. Also, their memorabilia outsold that of the Buccaneers in the Tampa Bay area during the time of the team's existence. A fan-friendly atmosphere (including a theme song, "Bandit Ball", penned and sung by Reynold's friend Jerry Reed[1]) was one factor, and the Buc's futility during the period (they went 10-38 from 1983 to 1985) also helped the Bandits' success. Due to broad local support, the Bandits were one of a very few USFL teams with a stable home and steady finances - they were the only USFL franchise to have the same coach, owner, and home city throughout the league's three year existence[2]. Due to these factors, the Bandits are considered one of the few USFL teams that had the potential to be a viable venture had the USFL been better run.

[edit] The end of the USFL

Bassett was a strong proponent of the spring football concept. When the USFL decided to switch to fall play for the 1986 season, he declared his intention to organize a new spring football league that would include the Bandits [3]. However, failing health forced Bassett to cancel his plans and sell the team (he died from cancer in May 1986), and neither the Bandits nor the USFL would take the field again.

[edit] Prominent Tampa Bay Bandits

[edit] Single season leaders

Rushing Yards: 1206 (1985), Gary Anderson (running back)

Receiving Yards: 1146 (1983), Danny Buggs

Passing Yards: 4183 (1985), John Reaves

[edit] Season-by-season

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties

Season W L T Finish Playoff results
1983 11 7 0 3rd Central --
1984 14 4 0 2nd EC Southern Lost Quarterfinal (Birmingham)
1985 10 8 0 5th EC Lost Quarterfinal (Oakland)
Totals 35 21 0 (including playoffs)

[edit] References


[edit] External links

United States Football League
Coaches | Players (All-Time Team) | Radio coverage | Seasons: 1983, 1984, 1985 | Television coverage | Venues | New USFL
Arizona Wranglers (1983-84) | Birmingham Stallions (1983-85) | Boston/New Orleans/Portland Breakers (1983-85) | Chicago Blitz (1983-84) | Denver Gold (1983-85) | Los Angeles Express (1983-85) | Michigan Panthers (1983-84) | New Jersey Generals (1983-85) | Oakland Invaders (1983-85) | Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars (1983-85) | Tampa Bay Bandits (1983-85) | Washington Federals/Orlando Renegades (1983-85) | Houston Gamblers (1984-85) | Jacksonville Bulls (1984-85) | Memphis Showboats (1984-85) | Oklahoma/Arizona Outlaws (1984-85) | Pittsburgh Maulers (1984) | San Antonio Gunslingers (1984-85)
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