Tampa Bay wins bid for 2009 Super Bowl

Thursday, May 26, 2005

Raymond James Stadium last hosted the Super Bowl in 2001.

Tampa Bay was awarded the 2009 Super Bowl by the NFL on Wednesday.

The Bay area earned the bid in a fierce competition with Houston, Miami-Fort Lauderdale and Atlanta.

This will be the fourth Super Bowl for the area, which hosted previous Super Bowls in 1984 and 1991 at Tampa Stadium, and the 2001 championship game at Raymond James Stadium.

Super Bowl Facts

Super Bowl host cities: New Orleans (9 times: Tulane Stadium 3, Louisiana Superdome 6); Miami (8 times: Orange Bowl 5, Pro Player Stadium [formerly Joe Robbie Stadium] 3); Los Angeles (7: Los Angeles Coliseum 2, Rose Bowl 5); Tampa Bay (3); San Diego (3); Atlanta (2); Houston (2); Arizona (1); Detroit (1); Jacksonville (1); Minneapolis (1); Stanford (1).

Host city economic impact: Super Bowl XXXVII generated a total economic impact on San Diego County of $367 million, according to a study by Marketing Information Masters, Inc.

Future Super Bowl Sites
2006 (SB XL) - Detroit
2007 (SB XLI) - Miami
2008 (SB XLII)- Arizona
2009 (SB XLIII) Tampa Bay

The game and festivities accompanying it are expected to have an economic impact of as much as $300 to $400 million on the Tampa Bay area.

The Bay area's winning pitch focused
on weather, the array of outdoor activities available in early February and the reputation of Raymond James Stadium as a world-class facility.

The Tampa Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau also made last-minute concessions to the NFL such as $1 million in game-day expenses.

A five-minute video presentation by golf legend Arnold Palmer helped seal the deal for Tampa.

Tampa was represented by Mayor Pam Iorio, Hillsborough County Commissioner Jim Norman and Super Bowl Task Force Chairman Dick Beard, in addition to Bucs Executive Vice President Bryan Glazer.