Sticking it out pays off for this super fan

Tim Young drives eight hours from Georgia for every Bucs game - in a custom Bucs trailer. Now he's in the Visa Hall of Fans.

By ANTONYA ENGLISH, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published January 24, 2003

SAN DIEGO -- Back in the old days, when the Tampa Bay Bucs were so horrible that people gave away more tickets than they purchased, Tim Young's tailgating consisted of cooking hot dogs and hamburgers on tin foil and charcoal.

"That's all we could afford back then," he said.

Today, Young drives eight hours from Alpharetta, Ga. to every home game with a custom-built Buccaneer trailer.

"Remember when we weren't good? We'd kick back and cook hot dogs on a stick and people would come by and give us tickets," Young said Thursday. "Now I have a Bucs trailer and we have about 150-200 people at every game with a tailgate party."

On Thursday, Young was on a whirlwind media tour in San Diego after being selected as one of two inductees into the Visa Hall of Fans. He will soon be a part of the Visa Hall of Fans exhibit at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the only exhibit in pro sports that honors specific fans for dedication to the sport.

The ultimate fan donned his Buccaneers' attire, complete with his face painted pewter and red and sporting a pirate hat, and spent the day telling of his love for the Bucs.

At one time, his devotion was so strong Young purchased season tickets in four different sections of the stadium so he could fire up the crowd in different areas each quarter.

Young moved to Tampa from Minnesota in 1979 and his father took him to Bucs games as a youngster. Even before becoming a resident, he attended games from the inception of the franchise during visits to his grandparents.

He has been a Bucs fan from the start, he said, through good times and bad.

So with all that love and devotion for the Bucs, did Young ever think he'd live to see his beloved team in the Super Bowl?

"Never," he said. "Chills just went down my spine just talking about it. I was walking down the street and saw a sign that says Super Bowl XXXVII and it's got a Bucs flag on it and I'm saying, "I just don't get it.' It's crazy. I am definitely in shock. Visa and the NFL brought me out here and it's just great."