Years of existence: 1983-1985Owner: John BassettStadium: Tampa Stadium (76,891)Colors: Red, silver, black and whiteOverall Regular Season Record: 35-19 (.648)Overall Playoff Record: 0-2
Yearly Standings and Average Home Attendances
1983: 11-7 (39,896)1984: 14-4 (46,158)1985: 10-8 (45,220)
The Tampa Bay Bandits, owned by John Bassett and actor Burt Reynolds as a partner, were on of the league's most exciting teams.
Led by coach Steve Spurrier, the Bandits were a perennial winner and outdrew the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay. Bandit Ball averaged 43,758 fans per-game in their three-year existence.
Spurrier had an exciting team with QB John Reeves throwing for 28 Touchdowns and HB Gary Anderson rushing for 19 in 1984 as the Bandits won 14 games. Tampa Bay went on to win 35 games and scored 1,266 points over the course of three USFL seasons.
The NFL Buccaneers won only 10games from during that time. Bandit Ball was a much hotter draw in Tampa than the Buccaneers were back then,” says Steve Erhart, a former USFL executive. “In the local market place, with Steve Spurrier as the coach, the Bandits were more popular and exciting in a lot of ways than the NFL team.”
Dave Lapham, who was a teammate of Reaves in Cincinnati, “Reaves and Steve Spurrier were a match made in Heaven. A couple of Florida Gators that believed in slinging it – they just clicked. It was like Spurrier was living through Reaves with that offense.”
The Bucs were becoming a running joke in the media as the rest of the NFL beat on them. ESPN studio host Chris Berman would mock the Bucs-Packers games, calling it the “Bay of Pigs,” because both teams were so dreadful.
Spurrier’s Bandit Ball was riding high, as football became fun again in the city of Tampa Bay. “We gave the fans a no-huddle offense, double reverses; we gave them something they hadn’t seen before,” says Spurrier from his University of South Carolina office in April of 2006.
The Tampa fans caught on to Bandit Ball, as Spurrier’s crew racked up points and wins -- something the inept NFL franchise couldn’t do. Attendance was 39,896 in ’83, then jumped to 46,158 in ’84 and they led the USFL in attendance in 1985, averaging 45,220 per game.
Yearly Standings and Average Home Attendances
1983: 11-7 (39,896)1984: 14-4 (46,158)1985: 10-8 (45,220)
The Tampa Bay Bandits, owned by John Bassett and actor Burt Reynolds as a partner, were on of the league's most exciting teams.
Led by coach Steve Spurrier, the Bandits were a perennial winner and outdrew the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay. Bandit Ball averaged 43,758 fans per-game in their three-year existence.
Spurrier had an exciting team with QB John Reeves throwing for 28 Touchdowns and HB Gary Anderson rushing for 19 in 1984 as the Bandits won 14 games. Tampa Bay went on to win 35 games and scored 1,266 points over the course of three USFL seasons.
The NFL Buccaneers won only 10games from during that time. Bandit Ball was a much hotter draw in Tampa than the Buccaneers were back then,” says Steve Erhart, a former USFL executive. “In the local market place, with Steve Spurrier as the coach, the Bandits were more popular and exciting in a lot of ways than the NFL team.”
Dave Lapham, who was a teammate of Reaves in Cincinnati, “Reaves and Steve Spurrier were a match made in Heaven. A couple of Florida Gators that believed in slinging it – they just clicked. It was like Spurrier was living through Reaves with that offense.”
The Bucs were becoming a running joke in the media as the rest of the NFL beat on them. ESPN studio host Chris Berman would mock the Bucs-Packers games, calling it the “Bay of Pigs,” because both teams were so dreadful.
Spurrier’s Bandit Ball was riding high, as football became fun again in the city of Tampa Bay. “We gave the fans a no-huddle offense, double reverses; we gave them something they hadn’t seen before,” says Spurrier from his University of South Carolina office in April of 2006.
The Tampa fans caught on to Bandit Ball, as Spurrier’s crew racked up points and wins -- something the inept NFL franchise couldn’t do. Attendance was 39,896 in ’83, then jumped to 46,158 in ’84 and they led the USFL in attendance in 1985, averaging 45,220 per game.
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