Team Tampa Bay’s take By: Ernest Hooper Director of Communications, American Cancer Society’s SW FL Chapter @hoop4you // @AmericanCancer
Teaming up to make an impact The scenes will live on in perpetuity. Unforgettable. Indelible. Remarkable. It’s Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes, outdueling three defenders in the corner of the end zone to snare a game-winning touchdown pass in Super Bowl XLIII. It’s Trent Dilfer, the erstwhile Bucs quarterback, returning to his first professional home to help the Baltimore Ravens to victory in Super Bowl XXXV. It’s Whitney Houston, in the wake of Operation Desert Storm, uniting the nation with the most stirring National Anthem performance in Super Bowl history before the New York Giants stunned the Buffalo Bills. It’s the Raiders’ Marcus Allen, reversing field and “running with the night,” as famed NFL Films announcer John Facenda once intoned, to help the Los Angeles Raiders win Super Bowl XVIII. It’s the glorious history of Tampa Bay’s role as Super Bowl host, and in each instance, the determination, diligence, and dedication of this community set the stage for those memorable performances. Civic leaders, elected officials, devoted staff, and an army of volunteers all produced the behind-the-scenes work that elevated Tampa Bay and created opportunities for those stars to etch their names in sports history. Now, as the nation grapples with a once-in-100-year global pandemic, we look to this community to replicate Allen’s greatness, reverse the field against a swarm of challenges, and once again lay the groundwork for these incredible performers to shine before the world. Tampa Bay will score in 2021, just as Allen did in that 1984 Super Bowl, Tampa Bay’s first as a host city. Back then, this community clamored for the opportunity, pleading with the NFL to give it a chance to show off its scenic vistas, historic sites, and attractive lifestyle. It longed to wrap the world in its unique brand of hospitality and prove it was indeed America’s Next Great City.
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