The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The club joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team, along with the Seattle Seahawks, and played its first season in the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Prior to the 1977 season, Tampa Bay switched conferences and divisions with Seattle, becoming a member of the NFC Central division. As a result of the league's realignment prior to the 2002 season, the Buccaneers joined three former NFC West teams to form the NFC South. The club is owned by the Glazer family and plays its home games at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
Raymond James Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Tampa, Florida, that opened in 1998 and is home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL) and the University of South Florida (USF) Bulls college football program. The seating capacity for most sporting events is 69,218, though it can be expanded to about 75,000 for special events with the addition of temporary seating. Raymond James Stadium was built at public expense as a replacement for Tampa Stadium and is known for the replica pirate ship located behind the seating area in the north end zone. Raymond James Financial, a financial service firm headquartered in the Tampa Bay area, has held the naming rights for the stadium for the stadium's entire existence.
Dexter Lamar Jackson is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State.
Avram A. Glazer is an American businessman. He is a member of the Glazer family, who own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL) and hold a majority ownership stake in English football club Manchester United F.C.
Lawrence Edward Foote Jr. is an American football coach and former linebacker who is the co-defensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). Foote previously served as the linebackers coach for the Arizona Cardinals from 2015 to 2018. He played college football at Michigan and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft.
Stylez G. White is a former American football defensive end. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Minnesota.
Joshua Tyler Freeman is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Kansas State University, and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. Freeman became the starter for Tampa Bay in his rookie year and went on to break numerous franchise passing records. However, he was released partway through his fifth year with the team.
The Tampa Spartans are the athletic teams that represent the University of Tampa, located in Tampa, Florida, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Spartans compete as members of the Sunshine State Conference for all sports besides beach volleyball and track and field, which compete as independents. Tampa has been a member of the conference since 1981.
The Tampa Bay area is home to many sports teams and has a substantial history of sporting activity. Most of the region's professional sports franchises use the name "Tampa Bay", which is the name of a body of water, not of any city. This is to emphasize that they represent the wider metropolitan area and not a particular municipality and was a tradition started by Tampa's first major sports team, the original Tampa Bay Rowdies, when they were founded in 1975.
Jameis Lanaed Winston is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State University, where he became the youngest player to win the Heisman Trophy and led his team to victory in the 2014 BCS National Championship Game during his freshman year. Declaring for the NFL after his sophomore season, Winston was selected first overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Michael Lynn Evans III is an American football wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). Evans played college football at Texas A&M, where he earned consensus first-team All-American honors after recording a school record of 1,394 receiving yards on 69 receptions, and was drafted by the Buccaneers in the first round with the seventh overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Damaso Munoz is a retired American gridiron football linebacker. He played college football for Rutgers. After spending 2010 training camp with the Chicago Bears,he played for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League from 2011 to 2013. He signed with the Buccaneers on February 19, 2014. He signed with the Ottawa Redblacks on September 15, 2014.
Cameron Brate is an American football tight end who is a free agent. He played college football at Harvard.
Alexander "Ali" Marpet is an American former professional football guard who played seven seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL).
Shaquil Akeem Barrett is an American football linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Nebraska Omaha before transferring to Colorado State University, and was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2014. After five seasons with the Broncos, including winning Super Bowl 50, Barrett signed with the Buccaneers. His level of play increased, making the Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams in 2019 after leading the league in sacks, and in 2021 won Super Bowl LV.
Carl Paul Nassib is a former American football outside linebacker who played in the NFL for seven seasons. He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, earning unanimous All-American honors as a senior in 2015. Nassib was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft, and has also played for the Las Vegas Raiders. In 2021, Nassib became the first active NFL player to publicly come out as gay and to play in a game.
Micah Awe is a Nigerian-born Canadian football linebacker for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Texas Tech. Awe has also been a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets, Toronto Argonauts, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Ottawa Redblacks, BC Lions, and Montreal Alouettes.
Grant Stuard is an American football linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Houston, and was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the final pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, making him that year's Mr. Irrelevant.
Andre Anthony is an American football defensive end who is a free agent. He previously played college football at LSU.
