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Tampa Bay Bandits

American football team in the USFL

Summary

American football team in the USFL

FieldValue
nameTampa Bay Bandits
logoTampaBayBandits.png
founded1982
folded1986
cityTampa Stadium
in Tampa, Florida
colorsRed, Silver, Black, White
coachSteve Spurrier
ownerJohn F. Bassett (managing general partner)
Stephen Arky (general partner)
Burt Reynolds (general partner)
Stan Gelt (general partner)
26 other partners
mascotSmokey
no_league_champs0
no_conf_champs0
no_div_champs0
playoff_appearances1984, 1985
no_playoff_appearances2

the first edition of the USFL

in Tampa, Florida

Stephen Arky (general partner) Burt Reynolds (general partner) Stan Gelt (general partner) 26 other partners United States Football League (1983–1985)

  • Eastern Conference (1984–1985)
    • Central Division (1983)
    • Southern Division (1984)
  • Tampa Bay Bandits (1983–1985)
  • Tampa Stadium (1983–1985)

The Tampa Bay Bandits were a professional American football team in the United States Football League (USFL) which was based in Tampa, Florida. The Bandits were a charter member of the USFL and was the only franchise to have the same principal owner (John F. Bassett), head coach (Steve Spurrier), and home field (Tampa Stadium) during the league's three seasons of play (1983–1985). The Bandits were one of the most successful teams in the short-lived spring football league both on the field and at the ticket booth. Spurrier's "Bandit Ball" offense led them to three winning seasons and two playoff appearances, and their exciting brand of play combined with innovative local marketing helped the Bandits lead the league in attendance. However, the franchise folded along with the rest of the USFL when the league suspended play after the 1985 season.

Prominent alumni from the Bandits include future NFL Pro Bowlers Nate Newton and Gary Anderson and coach Steve Spurrier, who spent 25 years coaching college football after his successful first stint as a head coach with the Bandits and was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.

History

Preparing to play

Origins

The Tampa Bay Bandits' primary founder was 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. Bassett was initially skeptical about getting into another football venture. However, he soon warmed up to the USFL after discovering that he was nowhere as well off as the other owners. While he had been by far the richest owner in the WFL, he realized that he would be one of the poorest owners in the USFL. Believing that the USFL was on far stronger financial ground than the WFL ever had been, he agreed to sign on. Bassett had a part-time home in the Tampa Bay Area, and when the USFL announced its twelve charter franchises in May 1982, Bassett was introduced as the majority owner of the as-yet unnamed team in Tampa along with Miami attorney Steve Arky.

Establishment in Tampa

After it was decided that the franchise would play in Tampa, several minority owners bought stakes, among them Hollywood star Burt Reynolds, a former college football player at Florida State who was one of the most popular motion picture actors in the world. The team was soon dubbed the "Bandits", and although it was widely assumed that the name referenced Reynolds' role in the hit Smokey and the Bandit movies, Bassett said that the mascot had been chosen before Reynolds joined the ownership group and instead came from the name of Bassett's daughter's German Shepherd. Reynolds was prominently involved in the Bandits' early marketing campaigns, and the cover of the team's first media guide featured a photo of the actor wearing a Bandits jacket and trucker hat.

Also building interest was the hiring of Steve Spurrier as head coach and offensive coordinator in November 1982. Spurrier was well known in the area as a Heisman Trophy-winning college star for the University of Florida Gators and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' first starting quarterback, and had most recently spent three seasons as a record-setting offensive coordinator at Duke University before accepting his first head coaching job with the Bandits. Though Bassett had also considered several established coaches with NFL experience, he chose Spurrier due to his deep connections to the state of Florida and his reputation as an innovative young offensive coach; Spurrier was 37 when hired, making him the youngest head coach in professional football at the time. At Spurrier's introductory press conference, Bassett joked that he knew that he'd found the right coach when he discovered that the Spurrier family also had a dog named Bandit.

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. Spurrier's aggressive offense was usually one of the best in the league; Bandits players are among the USFL career leaders in touchdown passes (John Reaves, 4th), touchdown receptions (Eric Truvillion, 2nd), and rushing touchdowns (Gary Anderson, 3rd). However, an average defense and Bassett's insistence on adhering to the USFL's original financial plan while other franchises spent millions on free agent signings kept the team 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. Also, their memorabilia outsold that of the Buccaneers in the Tampa Bay area. A fan-friendly atmosphere (including a theme song, "Bandit Ball", penned and sung by Reynolds' friend Jerry Reed) was one factor. Another was the Bucs' futility during the period; they went 10–38 from 1983 to 1985—the start of a 12-year stretch of 10-loss seasons. Indeed, the Bandits were one of the few USFL teams that could have potentially driven their NFL counterparts out of town. Another key factor in the Bandits' success was the fact that there was no Major League Baseball team in Tampa at the time (the Tampa Bay Devil Rays would not debut for another decade), meaning that unlike other USFL teams, they did not have to compete with a baseball team 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 franchise to have the same coach, owner, and home city throughout the league's three-year existence. 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. The Philadelphia Stars played Tampa Bay at Wembley Stadium in an exhibition game on July 21, 1984.

1984 season

In week three of the 1984 season, the Bandits faced their inter-state rivals, the Jacksonville Bulls for the first time. Jacksonville was 1-1, after soundly defeating the Washington Federals and nearly beating the New Jersey Generals. Jacksonville, led by former Jets and Broncos quarterback Matt Robinson, raced out to a 12–0 lead. The Bandits stormed back to take a 25–18 lead. The Bulls came back to tie the game, but the Bandits won when Zenon Andrusyshyn kicked a field goal to give Tampa Bay a 28–25 lead.

When the season was over, quarterback John Reaves was the leading passer on the squad. Running backs Greg Boone and Gary Anderson ran for 1,009 and 1,008 yards respectively. Eric Truvillion lead the receivers with 1,044 yards on 70 catches and nine touchdowns.

1984 schedule and results

Tampa Bay Banditsyear=1984border=2}}"WeekTampa Bay Banditsyear=1984border=2}}"DateTampa Bay Banditsyear=1984border=2}}"OpponentTampa Bay Banditsyear=1984border=2}}"ResultTampa Bay Banditsyear=1984border=2}}"RecordTampa Bay Banditsyear=1984border=2}}"VenueTampa Bay Banditsyear=1984border=2}}"Attendance1234123456789101112131415161718Divisional
PlayoffExhibition
Bye
vs. Washington FederalsW 28–91–0Fort Lauderdale, Florida17,225
Oklahoma OutlawsW 15–62–0Tampa Stadium42,247
vs. Philadelphia StarsW 22–173–0Orlando, Florida
February 26Houston GamblersW 20–171–0Tampa Stadium42,915
at Arizona WranglersW 20–172–0Sun Devil Stadium31,264
Jacksonville BullsW 28–253–0Tampa Stadium51,274
March 18at Denver GoldL 30–363–1Mile High Stadium19,173
Birmingham StallionsL 9–273–2Tampa Stadium37,899
April 1at Philadelphia StarsL 24–383–3Veterans Stadium30,270
April 7Oakland InvadersW 24–04–3Tampa Stadium58,777
at New Orleans BreakersW 35–135–3Louisiana Superdome35,634
at Michigan PanthersW 20–76–3Pontiac Silverdome31,433
Washington FederalsW 37–197–3Tampa Stadium42,810
at Jacksonville BullsW 31–138–3Gator Bowl Stadium71,174
Oklahoma OutlawsW 28–219–3Tampa Stadium45,116
May 20New Orleans BreakersW 31–2010–3Tampa Stadium42,592
at Memphis ShowboatsL 21–3110–4Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium27,422
June 3New Jersey GeneralsW 30–1411–4Tampa Stadium45,255
Memphis ShowboatsW 42–2412–4Tampa Stadium48,785
at Pittsburgh MaulersW 21–913–4Three Rivers Stadium16,832
June 24at Birmingham StallionsW 17–1614–4Legion Field24,500
July 1at Birmingham StallionsL 17–360–1Legion Field32,000
vs. Philadelphia StarsL 21–24–Wembley Stadium
London, England21,000

Sources

1985 season

1985 schedule and results

Tampa Bay Banditsyear=1985border=2}}"WeekTampa Bay Banditsyear=1985border=2}}"DateTampa Bay Banditsyear=1985border=2}}"OpponentTampa Bay Banditsyear=1985border=2}}"ResultTampa Bay Banditsyear=1985border=2}}"RecordTampa Bay Banditsyear=1985border=2}}"VenueTampa Bay Banditsyear=1985border=2}}"Attendance123123456789101112131415161718Quarterfinal
Bye
New Jersey GeneralsW 21–71–0Tampa Stadium32,370
vs. Baltimore StarsW 28–262–0Charlotte, North Carolina20,000
Orlando RenegadesW 35–71–0Tampa Stadium45,095
March 3Houston GamblersL 28–501–1Tampa Stadium42,291
March 10at San Antonio GunslingersW 31–182–1Alamo Stadium21,822
Arizona OutlawsW 23–133–1Tampa Stadium41,381
March 24at New Jersey GeneralsL 24–283–2Giants Stadium41,079
at Memphis ShowboatsW 28–204–2Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium23,952
Jacksonville BullsW 31–175–2Tampa Stadium51,286
Denver GoldW 33–176–2Tampa Stadium54,267
April 21at Birmingham StallionsL 3–306–3Legion Field28,900
April 28Baltimore StarsW 28–147–3Tampa Stadium41,226
at Los Angeles ExpressW 24–148–3Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum4,912
May 12at Jacksonville BullsW 21–109–3Gator Bowl Stadium58,928
Memphis ShowboatsL 14–389–4Tampa Stadium44,818
May 26New Jersey GeneralsL 24–30 (OT)9–5Tampa Stadium44,539
at Orlando RenegadesL 7–379–6Florida Citrus Bowl26,847
at Portland BreakersL 24–279–7Civic Stadium15,521
Birmingham StallionsW 17–1410–7Tampa Stadium42,131
June 23at Baltimore StarsL 10–3810–8Byrd Stadium12,647
June 30at Oakland InvadersL 27–300–1Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum19,346

Sources

The end of the Bandits and of the USFL

Bandits' majority owner John Bassett was a strong proponent of the "Dixon Plan", which was a plan formulated by the USFL's founding owners that sought to build a sustainable league with budgetary restraint and a commitment to spring football. However, to gain a competitive advantage and draw attention to their teams, some owners attempted to sign more high-profile players to free agent contracts, sometimes engaging in bidding wars against more financially powerful NFL teams. This led to USFL teams losing substantial amounts of money, causing much instability throughout the league. The Bandits did not overspend on player contracts, keeping the franchise stable but making it difficult to compete with the USFL's higher-spending teams, despite making a very good account of themselves on the field.

In April 1985, the USFL (led by New Jersey Generals owner Donald Trump) voted 12–2 to switch to a fall schedule for 1986, hoping to compete directly with the NFL and possibly force the more established league to accept a merger. Bassett, who had registered one of the two "nay" votes, immediately declared his intention to pull the Bandits out of the USFL and organize a new spring football league.

However, by mid-1985, the Bandits' ownership group was in disarray. Bassett was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, and staffers suspected that his illness was impairing his judgment. At the same time, co-owner Steve Arky's wealth was raided by the Securities and Exchange Commission on fraud charges, triggering the savings and loan crisis; Arky committed suicide not long after. The team began signing mediocre players, most infamously defensive back Bret Clark, to large contracts, and plans for a new spring football league were abandoned. The size of the contracts, particularly Clark's contract, along with Bassett's bizarre proposal for his spin-off league to be a multi-sport league, led Spurrier and other team officials to question whether Bassett was acting or thinking rationally. Before his death, he unsuccessfully tried to merge the Bandits organization with the Orlando Renegades (whose owner Donald Dizney had previously held a stake in the Bandits, but rejected the merger out of loyalty to Orlando) and Jacksonville Bulls (whose owner Fred Bullard expressed interest, but only if the Bandits owners stayed on as investors in the merged team).

In August 1985, minority owner Lee Scarfone, a local architect, agreed to purchase Bassett's and Arky's stakes and field a team in the USFL for the fall 1986 season, with Tony Cunningham coming on as an additional partner. In March 1986, Bret Clark took the Bandits to arbitration for $159,980 in back pay owed under his contract. He won the case on May 29, but the Bandits did not have any funds available to pay the judgement, as Scarfone and Cunningham had gone into considerable debt to buy the team and had already depleted most of their assets.

Prominent Tampa Bay Bandits

  • Gary Anderson
  • Zenon Andrusyshyn
  • Danny Buggs
  • Martin Cox
  • Jim Fitzpatrick
  • Zac Henderson
  • Lex Luger
  • Nate Newton
  • Chuck Pitcock
  • Sam Platt
  • John Reaves
  • Ron Simmons
  • Steve Spurrier, head coach

Single-season leaders

Rushing Yards: 1206 (1985), Gary Anderson

Receiving Yards: 1146 (1983), Danny Buggs

Passing Yards: 4183 (1985), John Reaves

Season-by-season 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

Proposed revivals

  • In February 2014, the A-11 Football League (A11FL) announced its intention to revive the Tampa Bay Bandits name and logos as one of the eight charter franchises for a new spring league. The A11FL also announced plans to feature the revived Bandits in a "showcase game" to be held at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium in May 2014. However, these plans did not come to fruition, as the A11FL never took the field. The showcase game was cancelled in March 2014, and the league went on permanent "hiatus" in July 2014.
  • The Spring League acquired the trademarks of the Bandits in 2021 as part of a planned relaunch of the USFL and included a Bandits squad in its 2022 USFL season. The 2022 Bandits are based in Tampa Bay in name only, as the entire league plays all of its games in Birmingham, Alabama.

References

References

  1. Reeths, Paul. (2017). "The United States Football League, 1982-1986". [[McFarland & Company]].
  2. (May 11, 1982). "Tampa in New Pro Football League". St. Petersburg Times.
  3. Pearlman, Jeff. (2018). "Football for a Buck".
  4. (Nov 23, 1982). "It's Spurrier: Bandits Hand over the Reins". St. Petersburg Times.
  5. (7 September 2018). "From Bandits to Seminoles, Burt Reynolds left a rich Tampa sports legacy". Tampa Bay Times.
  6. (Sep 6, 2018). "Famed actor Burt Reynolds had many football, sports connections". USA TODAY.
  7. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ss8lAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NPMFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5903,2175082&dq=tampa-bay-bandits&hl=en The Miami News - Google News Archive Search]
  8. (Nov 23, 1982). "Bandits Tabbed Spurrier for Plenty of Reasons". The Tampa Tribune.
  9. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=eO8vAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gfsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6737,4041887&dq=tampa-bay-bandits+bucs+attendance+tampa-stadium&hl=en Lakeland Ledger - Google News Archive Search]
  10. http://www.usfl.info/bandits/trivia.html Tampa Bay Bandits trivia
  11. [https://archive.today/20130102054158/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1119528/index.htm Rebels with a good cause] from [[Sports Illustrated]]
  12. [http://www.tboblogs.com/index.php/sports/story/happy-anniversary-bandits-you-were-fun/ Breakfast Bonus - Tom McEwen- from TBO.com Sports] {{Webarchive. link. (2011-07-16)
  13. "Tampa Bay Bandits - USFL (United States Football League)".
  14. "1984 Tampa Bay Bandits Statistics - USFL (United States Football League)".
  15. [https://www.statscrew.com/football/results/t-USFLTBB/y-1984 statscrew.com 1984 Tampa Bay Bandits Game-by-Game Results Retrieved December 31, 2018]
  16. [http://www.usflsite.com/1984season.php usflsite.com 1984 USFL Season Retrieved December 31, 2018]
  17. [https://www.profootballarchives.com/1984usfltb.html profootballarchives.com 1984 Tampa Bay Bandits (USFL) Retrieved December 31, 2018]
  18. [https://www.statscrew.com/football/results/t-USFLTBB/y-1985 statscrew.com 1985 Tampa Bay Bandits Game-by-Game Results Retrieved December 31, 2018]
  19. [http://www.usflsite.com/1985season.php usflsite.com 1985 USFL Season Retrieved December 31, 2018]
  20. [https://www.profootballarchives.com/1985usfltb.html profootballarchives.com 1985 Tampa Bay Bandits (USFL) Retrieved December 30, 2018]
  21. (July 7, 2014). "5 things to know about Donald Trump's foray into doomed USFL". ESPN.
  22. (May 5, 2014). "Donald Trump defends USFL past". New York Daily News.
  23. Mizell, Hubert. (30 April 1985). "By its own hand, USFL will fall into oblivion". St. Petersburg Times.
  24. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4R5RAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RmYDAAAAIBAJ&dq=john-bassett%20bandits&pg=6235%2C6592417 "Bassett will pull Bandits out of USFL" - St. Pete Times: April 30, 1985]
  25. Cosco, Joseph. (July 24, 1985). "Miami lawyer kills himself in wake of ESM". South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
  26. As his condition worsened, Bassett decided to sell the team. He died in May 1986.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1SYhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bmkEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2051,6584864&dq=tampa-bay-bandits+bucs+attendance+tampa-stadium&hl=en Sarasota Herald-Tribune - Google News Archive Search]
  27. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=JY5PAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YAYEAAAAIBAJ&dq=john-bassett%20bandits%20cancer&pg=2873%2C5800286 Ocala Star-Banner - Google News Archive Search]
  28. [https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/07/06/A-merger-of-USFL-teams-in-Jacksonville-Orlando-and/8973489470400/ Anonymous, "A merger of USFL teams in Jacksonville, Orlando and...," upi.com, July 6, 1985. Retrieved December 15, 2018]
  29. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=nbxOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zvsDAAAAIBAJ&dq=bassett%20bandits%20scarfone&pg=2874%2C161217 Lakeland Ledger - Google News Archive Search]
  30. St. Petersburg Times]], 1986-08-05.
  31. The Ledger]], 1986-08-05.
  32. [https://www.tampabay.com/sports/football/bucs/proposed-new-football-league-plans-game-in-tampa/2164662/ Proposed new football league plans game in Tampa. Tampa Bay Times]
  33. Auman, Greg. (25 April 2014). "Spring pro league scraps showcase game at Ray-Jay". Tampa Bay Times.
  34. (4 June 2021). "Based on Trademarks Which USFL Teams Could We See Return In 2022".
Wikipedia Source

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