FORT MYERS, Fla. — At The Preserve, an assisted living facility in Fort Myers, Room 3108 belongs to Bill Marcum.
What You Need To Know
Bill Marcum was a businessman who believed Tampa could be home to an NFL team
To prove the area would support football, he staged exhibition games at Tampa Stadium
The games were a success, often drawing 40,000 fans
After Tampa was awarded a franchise, the Bucs made Marcum the team’s first employee
SEE ALSO: Bucs at 50: Top 10 Memorable Moments over five decades
Before entering Marcum’s room, you’ll find a square display cubby built into the wall just outside the door. Inside Marcum’s display, you’ll see the name “BILL” and a Tampa Bay Buccaneers logo.
As you pass the cubby and into the doorway, you might think you’re merely entering the room of a Bucs fan. But you’d be wrong.
(Spectrum News/Jeff Butera)
In truth, you’d be about to meet the very first employee the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ever had. You’re also about to meet a man without whom the franchise might not exist.
“I try not to get a swelled head about it. But I do realize at times, ‘Hot dog! That wouldn’t have happened without me,’” Marcum told Spectrum Bay News 9.
Here’s how Marcum played a role in dreaming the Bucs into existence:
In the late 1960s, Marcum was a mid-level businessman who was also a member of the Tampa Jaycees, a group of young professionals looking to serve the community.
(Associated Press file photo)
Marcum believed the best way he could serve Tampa Bay was delivering an NFL franchise to the area. So he started calling league officials, asking what it would take for Tampa to be awarded an NFL franchise.
Marcum said the league told him three things:
A stadium that could seat 50,000 people (Tampa had it. Tampa Stadium had recently been built)
A large market (Tampa Bay wasn’t as big as it is now, but it was a large region)
Proven interest in football
Marcum focused on the third requirement.
Over a half-dozen years, Marcum staged more than a dozen exhibition games at Tampa Stadium, luring NFL teams to play there as proof the area cared about football. Using his skills as a born promoter, Marcum drew 40,000 fans to most of the games.
“There’s no bigger thrill than making something happen,” Marcum said. “If you have a party and 40,000 people show up, that’s really a thrill.”
He was even more thrilled in 1974, when the NFL awarded Tampa an expansion franchise. “Bill Marcum’s Dream Come True” read the headline in the local newspaper.
(Spectrum News/Jeff Butera)
He beamed even more when the NFL Commissioner, Pete Rozelle, confirmed that the exhibition games at Tampa Stadium influenced the decision to award Tampa a franchise.
After Hugh Culverhouse became the team’s first owner, he made Marcum his first hire. For two years, Marcum served as head of marketing and public relations. He played a role in choosing the name “Buccaneers” — he had suggested “Florida Buccaneers” to the “Miami Herald” — and was involved in picking the team colors too.
Earlier this year, as part of the Buccaneers 50th Season Celebration, the team sent Marcum a personalized Bucs throwback jersey. He’ll turn 91 years this November and displays the jersey with pride, knowing his involvement in the creation of the Bucs will be his lasting legacy.
“Oh, sure,” he jokes, “I haven’t done anything else.”
(The Preserve/Fort Myers)