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, Silver, Black, White

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

The Tampa Bay Bandits were a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. They were members of the United States Football League (USFL). 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 F. Bassett (who was still in litigation against the NFL over his previous Memphis Southmen franchise from the World Football League in the mid-1970s) and Miami attorney Steve Arky. 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 Reynolds' 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. At 37, he was the youngest head coach in professional football at the time.[1]

[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 second in attendance in 1983 and leading the league in that category in 1984 and 1985 with over 40,000 fans per game.[2] 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 Reynolds' friend Jerry Reed[3]) was one factor, and the Bucs' futility during the period (they went 10–38 from 1983 to 1985) also helped the Bandits' success. Another key factor in the Bandits' success was the fact that there was no Major League Baseball team in Tampa at the time (the Devil Rays would not debut for another decade), meaning that unlike other USFL teams, it did not have to compete with other baseball teams for spectators. 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.[4] 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 league been better run.[5] The Philadelphia Stars played Tampa Bay at Wembley Stadium in an exhibition game on July 21, 1984.

[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.[6] 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.[7]

[edit] Prominent Tampa Bay Bandits

[edit] Single season leaders

Rushing Yards: 1206 (1985), Gary Anderson

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] 1983 season

[edit] Results

(11-7-0), 3rd in Central Division

  • Sun. Mar. 6 - (W) BANDITS 21 vs. BOSTON BREAKERS 17 (Att. 42,437)
  • Sat. Mar. 12 - (W) BANDITS 19 vs. MICHIGAN PANTHERS 7 (Att. 38,789)
  • Sun. Mar. 20 - (W) BANDITS 32 @ New Jersey Generals 9 (Att. 53,307) abc
  • Sun. Mar. 27 - (W) BANDITS 27 @ Philadelphia Stars 22 (Att. 18,718) abc
  • Sat. Apr. 2 - (L) BANDITS 3 vs. CHICAGO BLITZ 42 (Att. 46,585) ESPN
  • Sat. Apr. 9 - (W) BANDITS 22 @ Denver Gold 16 (OT) (Att. 46,848) ESPN
  • Mon. Apr. 18 - (L) BANDITS 13 vs. LOS ANGELES EXPRESS 18 (Att. 32,223) ESPN
  • Sun. Apr. 24 - (W) BANDITS 30 @ Washington Federals 23 (Att. 9,070)
  • Sat. Apr. 30 - (L) BANDITS 10 vs. PHILADELPHIA STARS 24 (Att. 41,559) ESPN
  • Sun. May. 8 - (W) BANDITS 17 @ Oakland Invaders 10 (Att. 26,989)
  • Sun. May. 15 - (W) BANDITS 20 vs. ARIZONA WRANGLERS 14 (Att. 32,327)
  • Sat. May. 21 - (W) BANDITS 29 vs. OAKLAND INVADERS 9 (Att. 43,389) ESPN
  • Mon. May. 30 - (L) BANDITS 7 @ Michigan Panthers 43 (Att. 23,976) ESPN
  • Sun. June 5 - (W) BANDITS 45 vs. BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS 17 (Att. 35,623)
  • Sun. June 12 - (L) BANDITS 8 @ Chicago Blitz 31 (Att. 21,249) abc
  • Sun. June 19 - (L) BANDITS 17 @ Boston Breakers 24 (Att. 15,530)
  • Mon. June 27 - (W) BANDITS 26 vs. DENVER GOLD 23 (Att. 46,128) ESPN
  • Sat. July 2 - (L) BANDITS 17 @ Birmingham Stallions 29 (Att. 20,300)

[edit] Roster

1983 Tampa Bay Bandits roster
Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers

Tight Ends

 Offensive Linemen

Defensive Linemen

 Linebackers56 Keith Clark 58 Alonzo Johnson 57 Russell Washington 54 Tony Hayes 55 Kelly Kirchbaum

Defensive Backs

Special Teams

 Reserve Lists
  • Vacant

Rookies in italics

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ss8lAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NPMFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5903,2175082&dq=tampa-bay-bandits&hl=en
  2. ^ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=eO8vAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gfsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6737,4041887&dq=tampa-bay-bandits+bucs+attendance+tampa-stadium&hl=en
  3. ^ http://www.usfl.info/bandits/trivia.html Tampa Bay Bandits trivia
  4. ^ Rebels with a good cause from Sports Illustrated
  5. ^ http://www.tboblogs.com/index.php/sports/story/happy-anniversary-bandits-you-were-fun/
  6. ^ Rebels with a good cause from Sports Illustrated
  7. ^ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1SYhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bmkEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2051,6584864&dq=tampa-bay-bandits+bucs+attendance+tampa-stadium&hl=en

[edit] External links
Teams
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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