Raiders fans proud, loud, in the neighborhood

Their numbers around Florida may be small, but their devotion is limitless, they say.

By FRANK PASTOR
© St. Petersburg Times
published January 25, 2003

Cathy Williams is not sure what's worse, the greeting or the garb.

"Welcome, Raiders fan," Tim Goldman tells her each morning as he arrives for his job at Tampa Tent and Rental Company.

Williams, 40, works in the business office. A Tampa native, she has been a Bucs fan since the team arrived in 1976. She owns Bucs jerseys, beads, hats and flags.

If there is one thing she is not, it's a Raiders fan.

But Goldman, 43, of Tampa, is. He has worn a silver and black beaded pirate necklace to work every day since the start of the season.

"That man lives and breathes Raiders," Williams said.

Goldman is not alone.

Tampa's Raider Nation does not move in large groups, as in Oakland. But make no mistake, it exists.

Its members aren't shy about showing their colors. And they are vocal.

"The one thing we can say is we have more Bucs fans than Raiders fans," Williams said. "But (Goldman's) mouth is equivalent to 100 people."

South of Tampa, Goldman's people have organized.

The South West Florida Silver and Black Attack in Fort Myers and the South Florida Raiders Booster Club in Sunrise are the only two officially recognized Raiders booster clubs in the state.

In seven years, the Fort Myers club has grown from a group of 12 to about 40 members.

Raiders fans from as far as Tampa and Sarasota and snowbirds from places such as Toronto have trekked to Fort Myers to join the group for games.

"If they're in town and here during football season, they find us," said Mary Degler, the club's membership director and wife of the president.

Mary Degler, who is retired, and her husband, Gary, an insurance salesman, spend between six and 10 hours a week shopping for memorabilia for raffles and organizing club activities.

Their living room is devoted to the Raiders, right down to the silver and black throws that cover the couches and recliners.

Most club members have tattoos of Raiders helmets, shields or skulls and crossbones. Gary Degler has one. His wife is considering it.

"There's no fans like the Raiders fans," Mary Degler said. "It's Halloween for us every day."

Goldman moved to Tampa four years ago. A former Los Angeles resident, he was raised a Rams fan but switched to the Raiders after the Rams left the city.

He watches most games at home but occasionally visits a bar, such as Monty's Sports Bar or Skipper's Smokehouse in north Tampa. Usually the only Raiders fan in the place, Goldman screams or pumps his fist after a touchdown or big defensive play by his team.

Bar patrons might glance at him, but otherwise pay little attention. It's just Tim, they figure, cheering for his team.

"I usually go to friendly environments," Goldman said. "I don't know if I'll find any this week."

Until recently, Goldman had an ally at work. Bobby Phillips, 35, of Tampa worked at Tampa Tent before taking a job with a local stucco company.

An Oakland native, Phillips moved to Tampa about five years ago. It wasn't easy to find other Raiders supporters at first.

"It was very different," Phillips said. "Man, I felt so alone."

Even his wife turned on him. An Oakland native, she became a Bucs fan shortly after moving to Tampa.

"I don't know what made her switch," Phillips said. "I guess just being in the area and going along with local customs."

Phillips, a Raiders fan for 30 years, remains staunch in his support. "I'm not giving up my home team," he said.

Dan Hoyler, 37, of Tampa has never lived in California but he'll be rooting for the silver and black. He became a Raiders fan in sixth grade, when he got a team jacket.

"There was just something about that jacket and the old-style Raiders," Hoyler said. "It was the style of play, the old-fashioned hard hitting for intimidation. The brashness, I guess."

He displays a Raiders helmet and caps in his office at MacDill Air Force Base, where he assists with scheduling training for the air crew.

"There's no animosity whatsoever I think, because in the military, people understand that we come from all over," Hoyler said.

And while local Raiders fans will be hoping for a Tampa Bay loss, they don't really have problems with Bucs fans.

"We do a lot of work around Raymond James (Stadium), so I see the Bucs fans," Goldman said. "I've been to a lot of Raider tailgate parties, and they get a little rowdy. Bucs fans are a little bit nicer than Raiders fans on the whole."