Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. Located along I-4 east of Tampa and west of Orlando, it is the most populous city in Polk County. As of the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau release, the city had a population of 112,641. Lakeland is a principal city of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area. Lakeland is situated among several lakes including Lake Morton downtown and is sometimes locally referred to by the nickname "Swan City" due to its sizeable population of swans, all of whom are descendants of two mute swans given to Lakeland by Queen Elizabeth II in 1957. Lakeland is home to several colleges and universities. Lakeland Linder International Airport is in Lakeland as is the corporate headquarters of Publix, a supermarket chain.
The RP Funding Center is a multipurpose entertainment complex in Lakeland, Florida, comprising a convention center, arena and theater. Formerly, it was the home of the Lakeland Magic, the Orlando Magic's affiliate in the NBA G League and the Florida Tropics SC of the Major Arena Soccer League.
Ken Herock is a former American college and professional football player who played tight end. He played collegiately at West Virginia and professionally in the American Football League (AFL), where he played for the AFL Champion Oakland Raiders in the second AFL-NFL World Championship Game, held after the 1967 season. He attended Munhall High School in Pittsburgh. His six-year pro career was spent with the Oakland Raiders, who he helped win the AFL title, the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Boston Patriots.
John Harvey McKay was an American football coach. He was the head coach at the University of Southern California (USC) from 1960 to 1975 and of the National Football League's Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1976 to 1984. In sixteen seasons at USC, McKay compiled a record of 127–40–8 (.749) and won nine AAWU/Pac-8 conference titles. His teams made eight appearances in the Rose Bowl, with five wins. Four of his squads captured national titles.
Lakeland Senior High School, opened in 1902, is the oldest public high school in Lakeland, Florida, United States. The school was originally located on North Florida Avenue and was destroyed by fire in 1927. It is part of Polk County Public Schools. Lakeland Senior High School was the original high school in the city. It also shares its campus with Lois Cowles Harrison Center for the Visual and Performing Arts. Harrison students attend academic classes at Lakeland Senior High School.
Ronnie Bernard Smith is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, the San Diego Chargers, and the Philadelphia Eagles.
The 1986 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 11th season in the National Football League playing their home games at Tampa Stadium and their second under head coach Leeman Bennett. The team matched their 2–14 season from 1985, for one of the worst seasons in franchise history, and according to statistics site Football Outsiders, the sixth-worst team in the NFL since 1950. There is some sentiment that the 1986 team was even worse than the winless team of 1976, and the 473 points conceded was not beaten by any NFL team until the 2001 Indianapolis Colts gave up 486. The Buccaneers selected Bo Jackson with the top pick in the draft, but were unable to convince him to join the team. Three weeks after the draft, Jackson signed a three-year baseball contract with the Kansas City Royals. Despite holding four of the first forty selections in the draft, and the presence of a great influx of fresh talent from defunct USFL teams, the Buccaneers were unable to find any impact players in either the draft or free agency. They entered the season with a roster nearly identical to the previous season's 2–14 team.
Ronnie Jerome Ghent is a former American football fullback and former head coach of the Central Florida Jaguars of American Indoor Football (AIF). He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football at Louisville.
Hugh Lee McKinnis Jr. is a former professional American and Canadian football player who played three Canadian Football League (CFL) seasons from 1970 to 1972 for the Calgary Stampeders and four National Football League (NFL) seasons from 1973 to 1976 for the Cleveland Browns and the Seattle Seahawks.
Dedrick Allen Dodge is a former American football safety and currently the safeties coach at Grambling State University. He played college football at Florida State University and in eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL), from 1991 to 1998. He is a two-time Super Bowl champion. He played in Super Bowl XXIX for the San Francisco 49ers and in Super Bowl XXXII for the Denver Broncos. He also played for the London Monarchs in the inaugural season of the World League of American Football (WLAF); London won the first World Bowl that year, meaning that Dodge has three pro football championship rings.
Parnell Dickinson is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for one season. Over the course of his career, he played in eight games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, completed 15 of 39 passes for 210 yards, threw one touchdown and five interceptions, and finished his career with a passer rating of 25.5.
Dennis Craig Johnson is a former professional American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played six seasons for the Minnesota Vikings (1980–1985) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1985).
Tracey Perkins is a former American football defensive back in the Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football at Lamar. Perkins was the 1997 Arena Football League Defensive Player of the Year Award winner.
John Kenneth McKay is a former American football player, trial attorney, and executive with positions at the Alliance of American Football (AAF) and the University of Southern California. As a professional athlete, McKay played wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1976 to 1978.
The Florida Marine Raiders were a professional indoor football team; though they began play in 2012 as a member of the Ultimate Indoor Football League, for 2014 they became a charter member of the X-League Indoor Football (X-League). The Raiders were based in Lakeland, Florida, with home games played at the Lakeland Center. The Lakeland Raiders were founded by Michael Mink in his mother's vision of helping players get a second chance.
Collin Drafts is a former American football quarterback who played in the Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football at Charleston Southern University. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Tri-Cities Fever in 2007.
Dean Sparks Sensanbaugher was a professional American football halfback and defensive back who played two seasons for the Cleveland Browns and New York Bulldogs in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and National Football League (NFL) in the late 1940s.
Oteman Sampson is a former American football quarterback who played three seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the Calgary Stampeders, Toronto Argonauts and Ottawa Renegades. He first enrolled at Albany State University before transferring to Florida A&M University. He attended Miami Edison High School in Little Haiti, Miami, Florida. He was also a member of the San Francisco Demons of the XFL.
The Central Florida Jaguars, commonly known as the Jags, were a professional indoor football team based in Lakeland, Florida.
Jeffrey Tonja Hurd is an American former professional football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He also was a member of the Dallas Texans in the Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football at the Kansas State University.
