Christopher Hatton
My Buccaneer life started with my Dad. His true football love was always the Tampa Bay Buccaneers! From putting that first seat deposit down as a 43-year-old in 1972, to attending EVERY BUCCANEER HOME GAME for more than 35 years!
My Dad was a Tampa Native and he loved his hometown and his hometown pro football team. He became a real force in the Tampa Bay area, helping bring the Super Bowl to Tampa as a Member and President of the Tampa Sports Authority in the 1980's.
He would have been so proud of me receiving this recognition, but it all started because of him!
In 1976, as a 10-year-old, I was already a football obsessed (you can guess who I got that from!) boy, so excited to get to go to my first Tampa Bay Buccaneers football game. Little did I know the lifelong journey that I was just beginning!
Those early years were incredibly exciting, from the first big win in New Orleans in 1977, to the first big win at home the following week vs. the Cardinals. And we were there!
And then the race to the playoffs, and almost the Super Bowl, in only our 4th year! Beating the Chiefs in the rain to end all rainstorms, and of course who could forget the "Turnover in Tampa Bay"!
Every Sunday, it was Church in the morning, and then Buccaneer football in the afternoon, for me and my Dad it began a journey that has blessed me with so many countless wonderful memories.
I'll never forget December 16, 2007. It was a home game, and we were receiving the kickoff, nothing special to see here, trust me, it had been 30+ years of nothing special for our kickoff returns. But this day was special, as Michael Spurlock took the ball and ran up the near sideline, my Dad and I both knew this was going to be something special…this was going to be "The One"! And it was! We were jumping up and down in each other's arms like little boys, but there we were, a 78-year-old dad and his 41-year-old son sharing a moment like no other! 1,865 kick returns in the making. I will never forget that moment!
My Buc Life has truly been an integral part of my family and my greatest friendships!
Upon returning from college, my closest friends and I starting tailgating at the Buccaneers games, and thus began an incredible tradition! For years and years, game days at home were something special, something to be planned, something to cherish, especially as we began our "Run to the Super Bowl". With our friends all gathered in January 2003, we watched and cheered as we finally beat the dreaded Eagles, thanks to Ronde's historic game sealing interception! This was it, the Bucs were finally going to the Super Bowl, a quarter century in the making! And guess what, so were we! We did whatever it took, but we got plane flights and tickets and we were there in San Diego to watch Tampa Bay history. Of course, one of my friends got a tattoo of the Super Bowl XXXVII emblem the night before the game, so we had to win, right?
Now with a family of five kids, Buccaneer football has become a true "Bucs Life"! Samantha, my wife, and I love rotating bringing each of our children to the games, and our main groups of friends, as the Buccaneers games are a celebration of family, friends and football, each and every week of the season!
My family and I were recognized last year as part of the "50 Year Krewe Member" special recognition…and that has been just one of the so many memories over these past 50 years! In addition to this incredible "Fan of the Year" recognition, some of the amazing memories included being selected to participate in the inaugural 2019 Buccaneers Fantasy Football League which was super cool and fun. Then, during the pandemic, the Bucs Cheerleaders and Party Krewe came to our neighborhood and had a driveway tailgate for our street and neighbors, something the neighborhood still talks about today! Making a way for fans to get to come to the games during the pandemic was also incredible, and oh what a run to that second Super Bowl championship! Earlier this year, getting to attend the premier of Ronde Barber's "Prototype" movie was truly a wonderful event, and recognition of one of the truly great Buccaneers of all-time!
In 2021, we purchased an RV, partly to fulfill a dream of mine, to tailgate in style at the Buccaneers Home Games, and boy was 2021 awesome in so many ways! At the tailgate, in the stadium, watching Chris Godwin and the Bucs make another magical run was incredible.
I want to thank the Lord for blessing me with His plan for my life, to have my family and friends celebrate, connect and grow old together while enjoying Buccaneers football and living "A Bucs Life"!