What time is it? It's Buccaneers Trivia Time!
I'm glad your back for another round of Daily Bucs Trivia, which I will be posting here each workday in the month of April at 10:00 a.m. ET. At 4:00 p.m. ET, I'll update the story to include the answer and share it on Twitter. There's no prize, just the pride you'll get from knowing your team and its history well. And this isn't multiple choice; you'll have to figure out the answer for yourself.
Today, as we're all doing our part by staying at home, I'm thinking about all the trips the Buccaneers have taken through the years. See below for more.
Now, obviously, the answers to some of these questions will be relatively easy to look up online. See if you can challenge yourself first before resorting to that solution.
Bucs Daily Trivia Question, April 7:
Did you know that, over 44 seasons the Buccaneers have played regular-season games in 62 different venues, including their own homes of Tampa/Houlihan's Stadium and Raymond James Stadium. The very first Buccaneers regular-season game was at a place they once nicknamed the "Eighth Wonder of the World," that being the now-defunct Astrodome in Houston.
The last two games the Buccaneers played were at Raymond James Stadium to close out the 2019 campaign. Their last road contest took place at Ford Field in Detroit. That was Tampa Bay's sixth game played in that particular venue.
So here's the thing about each of those 62 stadiums in which Tampa Bay has played in the regular stadium: At some point, the Bucs made their first appearance at that venue. I happen to have a list of all those "first visits," which was most recently updated in 2017 when the Buccaneers went to the new homes of the Atlanta Falcons (Mercedes-Benz Stadium) and the Minnesota Vikings (U.S. Bank Stadium).
By the way, I'm referring to the actual physical structures with that list of 62 venues, not the different names they may have borne over the years. I think the Bucs have played the Miami Dolphins in roughly 59 differently-named places, but they all sure look the same to me. (For the record, that's currently Hard Rock Stadium.) So here's the question:
As the NFL Draft inches closer, a look at NFL Network Maurice Jones-Drew's 2020 mock draft. Photos by AP Images.
(1) QB Justin Herbert - Bengals
(2) QB Tua Tagovailoa - Chargers
(3) E Chase Young - Giants
(4) DT Derrick Brown - Lions
(5) QB Joe Burrow - Dolphins
(6) S Isaiah Simmons - Redskins
(7) CB Jeff Okudah - Jaguars
(8) OT Jedrick Wills - Cardinals
(9) DT Javon Kinlaw - Panthers
(10) OT Tristan Wirfs - Browns
(12) WR Jerry Jeudy - Raiders
(13) WR Henry Ruggs III - 49ers
(14) OT Andrew Thomas - Buccaneers
(15) WR CeeDee Lamb - Broncos
(16) CB C.J. Henderson - Falcons
(17) LB K'Lavon Chaisson - Cowboys
(18) OT Austin Jackson - Dolphins
(19) LB Patrick Queen - Raiders
(20) DT Raekwon Davis - Jaguars
(21) LB Kenneth Murray - Eagles
(22) CB Kristian Fulton - Vikings
(23) QB Jalen Hurts - Patriots
(24) CB Trevon Diggs - Saints
(25) E Yetur Gross-Matos - Vikings
(26) RB D'Andre Swift - Dolphins
(27) OL Joshua Jones - Seahawks
(28) E Terrell Lewis - Ravens
(29) RB Jonathan Taylor - Titans
(30) WR Justin Jefferson - Packers
(31) DT Ross Blacklock - 49ers
(32) RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire-Chiefs
The last season in which the Buccaneers played their first regular-season games ever in three different stadiums was in 2002, on the way to their first Super Bowl championship. What were those three stadiums?
Partial credit if you can't remember the specific stadium names but can name the three opposing home teams.
Come back at 4:00 p.m. ET for the answer!
Answer: The Buccaneers played three regular-season games in 2002 in stadiums they had never visited before, and won them all. Tampa Bay's first road trip of the season was to Baltimore, where the Ravens had begun play in what is now known as M&T Bank Stadium in 1998. The visitors celebrated that new experience with a 25-0 blanking of the Ravens.
And then the Bucs last two regular-season road trips of 2002 were to stadiums they had never visited before. The first was the aforementioned Ford Field, which had just opened that year. Tampa Bay prevailed in that new venue, 23-20. Finally, Tampa Bay's regular-season finale was a road game against the Chicago Bears, but that game was played at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois, home of the University of Illinois Fighting Illini. That was another shutout, a 15-0 decision that clinched a first-round bye for the Buccaneers. The Bears played their home games in Champaign that season because Soldier Field was being extensively renovated.
