Tampa Bay Bandits | |
Current: | 2022 Tampa Bay Bandits season |
Founded: | 2021 |
Folded: | 2022 |
City: | Protective Stadium/ Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama |
Stadium Years: |
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Owner: | National Spring Football League Enterprises Co, LLC, (Fox Sports) |
Coach: | Todd Haley |
League: | United States Football League (2022)
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Team History: |
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No League Champs: | 0 |
No Conf Champs: | 0 |
No Div Champs: | 0 |
No Playoff Appearances: | 0 |
Misc: | https://twitter.com/USFLBandits |
Mascot: | The Bayside Bandit |
Colors: | Red, silver, black, white |
The Tampa Bay Bandits were a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida, The Bandits competed in the United States Football League (USFL) as a member club of the league's South division, prior to going on hiatus after the season. The team played their 2022 home games at Protective Stadium and Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, which also hosts the University of Alabama at Birmingham Blazers.
The Tampa Bay Bandits were one of eight teams that were officially announced as a USFL franchise on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on November 22, 2021.[1]
On January 6, 2022, it was announced on The Herd with Colin Cowherd that former Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley was named the head coach and general manager for the Bandits.[2]
On November 15, 2022, it was announced that the Tampa Bay Bandits would not play during the 2023 season. This came with the announcement of the creation of the Memphis Showboats.[3] The players and coaches on the existing Bandits team were transferred to the Showboats.[4] In June 2023, league president Daryl Johnston acknowledged that the change was not a "temporary hiatus" as it was portrayed at the time, stating "It was a very difficult decision to move away from Tampa Bay and to bring the franchise here to Memphis, but it was the right decision and if we have an opportunity to go back and engage with Tampa Bay, we can."[5]
Initially, each team carried a 38-man active roster and a 7-man practice squad, but the rosters were increased to 40 active players and 50 total in May, 2022.[6] [7]
All-time Bandits leaders | ||||
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Leader | Player | Record | Years with Bandits | |
Passing Yards | 2,014 passing yards | 2022 | ||
Passing Touchdowns | Jordan Ta'amu | 14 passing touchdowns | 2022 | |
Rushing Yards | 365 rushing yards | 2022 | ||
Rushing Touchdowns | Juwan Washington | 3 rushing touchdowns | 2022 | |
Receiving Yards | 386 receiving yards | 2022 | ||
Receiving Touchdowns | Derrick Dillon | 4 receiving touchdowns | 2022 | |
Receptions | Cheyenne O'Grady | 32 receptions | 2022 | |
Tackles | Christian Sam | 52 tackles | 2022 | |
Sacks | 4.5 sacks | 2022 | ||
Interceptions | 2 interceptions | 2022 | ||
Coaching wins | Todd Haley | 4 wins | 2022 |
Note: The Finish, Wins, Losses, and Ties columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play.
USFL champions | Division champions | Wild Card berth |