Super Bowl XLIII Event Guide - (Page 6) TAMPA BAY’S SUPER BOWL HISTORY In April of 1974, Florida’s Tampa Bay area was awarded the NFL’s 27th franchise – the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With the awarding of an NFL franchise to an eager new marketplace, Tampa Bay was now poised to pursue a Super Bowl. Thus began Tampa Bay’s journey through more than three decades of gridiron drama and passion. SuPER BowL XVIII On June 3, 1981, NFL owners voted to award Super Bowl XVIII to Tampa Bay, only the second Florida city to host the championship game. The AFC Champion Los Angeles Raiders took the field at Tampa Stadium as underdogs to the favored NFC Champion Washington Redskins, but soon found themselves controlling all aspects of the game, scoring in the first half on offense, defense and special teams. The Raiders' team colors and their dominating 29-point margin of victory over the Redskins led January 22, 1984 to become known in football lore as Black Sunday. SuPER BowL XXV Whitney Houston’s rousing rendition of the national anthem on January 27, 1991, provided the first of many highlights in Super Bowl XXV, Tampa Bay’s second chance to host the NFL’s marquee game. Played under the backdrop of the first Gulf War, the spirit of patriotism was on full display. 6
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