Any fan over 25 or 30 should remember this familiar sound upon walking up to a stadium: “Programs!! Getcha Programs Here!! Programs!!”
You were greeted as SOON as you walked into the stadium, before you had a chance to put your wallet way with your ticket stub, and certainly before you had a chance to spend your money on Soda and a snack!
With the 2014 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season fast approaching, and almost 2/3 of the offense new from last year, these things picked the worst time to make a departure from “cool”. A program was a game day magazine you purchased for a few Bucks that was published by the NFL and had the lineups for both teams playing, articles about both teams playing, as well as articles about the NFL itself.
With the IN GAME experience dwindling to the Stay at home version, perhaps a digital program can be made available via all these new super fast WiFi signals at stadiums that are either already in effect or being planned. This weekend at the Miami vs Bucs game, check out your Bucs app in the stadium, look for a WiFi signal from Raymond James, and hook up to it.
Im reminded of these magazines as Mark Fisher, Bucs fan extraordinaire, has graciously donated the scanned images from his ultra rare programs for use on this website. To find a program from the 70s is rare enough, to fine ten, well I probably have a better shot at the winning bet on SuperBowlBets.com for February’s game than finding all those programs from the early years of Bucs football!
You can find more photos of his other programs, plus some of my own, as well as rare ticket stubs in the Hobby drop down menu of this site. Choose programs, although you may get lost visiting the players cards and the other sections!!
The Caricatures come from within the magazines, which are from the very first playoff games the Bucs ever had. The NFC Championship game, the 1981 and 1982 (strike shortened year) playoff games are represented here!
The program was more than just a magazine, it was something you looked over with your dad before the game, to talk about your favorite player, it was an available roster to know the names on your team’s players, as well as the other guys.
Best yet, as was in this case, it was something you brought home and cherished. It was a momento, something to bring home and save for a long time, and in this case, save a really REALLY long time!
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