The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are urging their fans to “stay safe” as Hurricane Milton, a powerful Category 5 storm, barrels into Florida’s Gulf Coast. The team shared the message on Thursday via social media platform X, as fans responded with thoughts, prayers, and well-wishes amid the dangerous storm.
Both the Buccaneers and the Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida’s NHL team, have evacuated the state to continue practicing ahead of their upcoming games. The Buccaneers relocated to New Orleans on Tuesday, preparing for their Sunday matchup against the New Orleans Saints. Meanwhile, the Lightning headed to Raleigh, North Carolina, on Monday night to continue their preparations for Friday’s season opener against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Hurricane Milton made landfall on Wednesday night, bringing catastrophic winds, flooding, and storm surges to the region. The Buccaneers and other local sports teams have taken proactive steps to ensure the safety of their players, staff, and families.
This is not the first time the Buccaneers have had to shift operations due to severe weather. In 2020, the team temporarily moved to South Florida to practice at the Miami Dolphins’ training facility in advance of Hurricane Ian, before returning to play the Kansas City Chiefs. In 2017, after Hurricane Irma postponed Tampa Bay’s season opener, the team chartered several planes to move players, coaches, and their families to Charlotte, North Carolina.
This time around, the Buccaneers ownership, the Glazer family, arranged two planes to transport approximately 350 people and 31 pets to New Orleans. The traveling party included players, coaches, staff, and their immediate family members. The organization also booked over 200 hotel rooms in Orlando and Gainesville for employees and their families seeking refuge from the storm.
On the college football front, the American Athletic Conference announced the rescheduling of the South Florida Bulls’ home game against Memphis, which was initially set for Friday night at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. The game has been moved to Saturday, though the conference is closely monitoring the weather and may make further adjustments depending on the storm’s impact.
Meanwhile, UCF’s Big 12 home football game against Cincinnati remains scheduled for a Saturday afternoon kickoff in Orlando. However, several other UCF events have been rescheduled due to Hurricane Milton, including moving the women’s volleyball match against Colorado to Sunday.
Additionally, UCF’s women’s soccer match against Arizona, originally slated for Thursday in Orlando, was relocated to Houston. UCF’s men’s soccer game against Marshall, initially scheduled for Friday night, has been moved to Sunday.
Other universities in Florida are also making adjustments. Florida Atlantic University postponed their women’s soccer match against Rice, originally scheduled for Thursday in Boca Raton, to October 17. As flooding and damage from Hurricane Milton continue to unfold, further delays and postponements of NCAA events across the state are expected.
In the world of professional golf, the LPGA Tour postponed the qualifying stage of its LPGA Q-Series, which was set to take place from October 13-18 at Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, Florida. The tour plans to provide updates once the storm passes.
Even the NBA has been affected by the storm. Although Miami is not expected to bear the full brunt of the hurricane, the Miami Heat’s preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks, originally scheduled for Thursday, has been postponed to October 16 due to anticipated strong wind gusts and heavy rain.
High school sports across Florida have also been disrupted, with numerous events canceled. Many counties are still waiting to assess the full impact of the storm before making decisions about football games scheduled for Thursday and Friday.
As the entire state braces for the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, the Buccaneers, along with other Florida-based teams and organizations, are focusing on safety first.
The Buccaneers, Lightning, and UCF’s athletic departments, along with many other sports entities, have taken steps to protect their players, staff, and families from the historic storm.
