The Tampa Bay Bandits was a franchise in the United States Football League and competed in all three of the seasons of that league's existence: 1983, 1984, and 1985. They played their home games at Tampa Stadium. They were coached by former Heisman Trophy winner and National Football League punter and quarterback, Steve Spurrier. Image File history File links TampaBayBandits. ... The United States Football League was a professional American football league that played three seasons between 1983 and 1985, in the process presenting the rival National Football League with its greatest competitor since the 1960s version of the American Football League. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... Houlihans Stadium in Tampa opened in 1967 as Tampa Stadium (later changed when the Glazers acquired the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and renamed the stadium after a family-owned restaurant), and saw a number of major sporting teams and events grace its fields over the years. ... The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award, named after former college football player and coach John W. Heisman, is considered the most prestigious award in American college football and is given annually to the top player in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). ... The National Football League (NFL) is the largest professional American football league, consisting of thirty-two teams from American cities and regions. ... Steven Orr Spurrier (born April 20, 1945 in Miami Beach, Florida) is a former American football player and current head coach at the University of South Carolina. ...

The team was owned in part by Hollywood mainstay Burt Reynolds, at that time one of the most popular motion picture actors in the world; the team's majority owner was Canadian businessman John Bassett. On the field, the Bandits were far more successful than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the NFL team that Spurrier had once quarterbacked, and with whom they shared their stadium. In addition, their memorabilia outsold that of the Buccaneers in the Tampa Bay area during the time of the team's existence. The 1987 Buccaneers featured no fewer than seventeen former Bandits on their roster. ... Burt Reynolds in a promotional photo from Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. ... The examples and perspective in this article do not represent a worldwide view. ... City Tampa, Florida Other nicknames {{{nicknames}}} Team colors Buccaneer Red, Pewter, Black, and Orange Head Coach Jon Gruden Owner Malcolm Glazer Fight song {{{song}}} Mascot Captain Fear Local radio Flagship stations: WDAE (620 AM), WQYK (1010 AM & 99. ... Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and estuary on the western coast of Florida. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Bandits seemed to be one of the USFL teams that would have had a realistic chance for long-term success if the league overall had been more soundly and realistically managed.

Prominent Tampa Bay Bandits

• Lex Luger
• Nate Newton
• John Reaves

Lawrence Wendell (Larry) Pfohl (born June 2, 1958 in Buffalo, New York, now resides in Atlanta, Georgia), better known as Lex Luger, is an American professional wrestler and former professional football player. ... Nate Newton (born December 20, 1961) is a former American Football offensive lineman who played for the Dallas Cowboys (1986-1998) and the Carolina Panthers (1999). ...

Single Season Leaders

Rushing Yards: 1206 (1985), Gary Anderson (running back) Gary Anderson was an American football player who played in the National Football League and the United States Football League. ...

Receiving Yards: 1146 (1983), Danny Buggs Daniel Danny Buggs (born April 22, 1953, at Duluth, Georgia) was a professional wide receiver for the New York Giants, Washington Redskins, Edmonton Eskimos and Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League, and the Tampa Bay Bandits and San Antonio Gunslingers of the USFL. Buggs was a 1973 Kodak first...

Passing Yards: 4183 (1985), John Reaves

External links

• "USFL Site" Tampa Bay Bandits page
• http://www.remembertheusfl.8m.com/teams/tampa.html