TAMPA - The UConn Huskies and South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball teams are looking to etch their names into the "Champa Bay" history.
While that play on words, signifying the number of championships that Tampa Bay sports teams have won – namely in 2021, when the Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers claimed the Super Bowl and the Tampa Bay Rowdies nearly won the USL Championship Final – the city itself has provided plenty of championship opportunities for just about every sport.
The city, and immediate surrounding area, has seen five Super Bowl champions, three Stanley Cups, an Isobel Cup, three ArenaBowls, a USL Championship Final and six college national championships since 1984.
Its most recently championship was in 2023, when the Quinnipiac men's hockey team won the Division I title over Minnesota at Amalie Arena – the same place that UConn and South Carolina will duke it out on Sunday at 2 p.m. EST.
Here's a list of every championship physically won in Tampa Bay, whether it was a local team or not.
1984: Los Angeles Raiders win Super Bowl XVIII
"The Big Sombrero," officially known as Tampa Stadium, hosted the city of Tampa's first Super Bowl in 1984. And it was the Los Angeles Raiders' third title in franchise history, defeating the Washington Redskins in the process, 38-9. It, at the time, was the largest margin of victory in a Super Bowl.
Washington was a three-point favorite. Los Angeles had other ideas.
Super Bowl MVP Marcus Allen ran for 191 yards and two touchdowns.
And, before you Google it, the Halftime Show was "Salute to Superstars of the Silver Screen" from Disney.
1991: New York Giants win Super Bowl XXV
"Wide right!" anyone?
Tampa Stadium was host to the New York Giants' second Super Bowl in franchise history, defeating the Buffalo Bills, 20-19, after Scott Norwood missed a last-second field goal attempt that, as implied, went wide right of the uprights.
That started a rough era for the Buffalo Bills, who went on to lose three more Super Bowls in a row. Super Bowl MVP Ottis Anderson ran for 102 yards and a touchdown and caught a reception for 7 yards.
New Kids on the Block, who were in their prime, was the halftime show.
1995: Tampa Bay Storm win ArenaBowl IX at ThunderDome
From the NFL to the AFL, the Tampa Bay Storm won their third league championship in franchise history, beating the Orlando Predators in the first ArenaBowl to have the "War on I-4" rivalry tag.
The game was won at the ThunderDome, which is now known as Tropicana Field, which was most recently home of the Tampa Bay Rays. There's hope for stadium renovations in 2026 after the roof of the Trop was destroyed by Hurricane Milton in October 2024.
