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The year in Tampa Bay sports

 
Marty St. Louis returned to Tampa last month with his new team, the Rangers — the only team he would accept a trade to in the spring.
Marty St. Louis returned to Tampa last month with his new team, the Rangers — the only team he would accept a trade to in the spring.
Published Dec. 21, 2014

If we lived in San Francisco or San Antonio, we would be talking about Giants and Spurs and dynasties. If we were in Los Angeles, we would be talking about the Kings winning the Stanley Cup. If we were in Seattle, we would be talking Super Bowl. But here in Tampa Bay, our sports stories are more about what happened away from the arena than in it. Firings, departures, hirings and trades. That's the focus for our look back at the local year in sports, including the loss of some of our most beloved sports figures.

1. Joe Maddon leaves Rays

He wore cool glasses. He drank wine. He listened to Springsteen. And, oh yeah, he took a ragtag franchise and turned it into one of the best teams in baseball. And then poof, he was gone. Shortly after team architect Andrew Friedman left the Rays for the big money of Los Angeles, the Rays manager used a little-known clause in his contract to explore other options. He then broke the hearts of Tampa Bay by exercising that option to become the manager of the Cubs. You could argue that he was the best coach/manager ever in Tampa Bay. And now he is gone.

2. Lightning trades Marty St. Louis

He was the captain, the heart and soul of the Lightning. Because of his small frame and never-say-quit work ethic, St. Louis might have been the most beloved athlete in Tampa Bay history. With two scoring titles, an MVP award and a Stanley Cup ring, he might also have been its greatest. Today? He's among the most loathed. Having had hard feelings from being left off the Canadian Olympic team by Lightning GM Steve Yzerman, as well as family reasons, St. Louis demanded a trade to one team — the Rangers. Somehow Yzerman pulled off a good deal and St. Louis went to New York where, after the sudden death of his mother, he led the Rangers to the Stanley Cup final.

3. Bucs hire Lovie Smith

Just a day into the new year, the Bucs turned to an old friend to revive their train wreck of a franchise. They hired former Bucs assistant and former Bears head coach Lovie Smith to replace the fired Greg Schiano. But the hiring has not, as of yet, worked out. A team that won four games last season has won two going into today's game. Smith's homecoming has been anything but sweet.

4. Derrick Brooks inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame You can make a case that Derrick Brooks is the greatest athlete in Tampa Bay sports history. Over the summer, the Pro Football Hall of Fame recognized him as one of the best players ever. The FSU product was the key piece in one of the NFL's best-ever defenses that led the Bucs to their Super Bowl championship during the 2002 season. Brooks, a first-ballot inductee, joined Lee Roy Selmon and teammate Warren Sapp as the only Bucs Hall of Famers.

5. Seminoles win national championship

Off the field, it was a season of turmoil because of dark allegations against QB and Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston. On the field, Winston and his Seminoles went into the BCS title game against Auburn with a perfect record. That record stayed perfect as Winston led FSU to its third national championship with a 34-31 victory. Meantime, the streak continues. For the second straight season, FSU is undefeated heading into the Jan. 1 national semifinal in the Rose Bowl against Oregon.

6. Gators fire Will Muschamp

"Upon evaluation of our football program, we are not where the program needs to be and should be." And with that statement, University of Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley dismissed football coach Will Muschamp nearly four years after hiring him. The first-time head coach guided the Gators through one of the worst stretches in recent school history. Muschamp's Gators went 27-21, including 17-15 in the SEC. Over the final two seasons, Muschamp's Gators went 10-13, including a loss to Georgia Southern. Colorado State coach Jim McElwain was hired to replace Muschamp, who is now Auburn's defensive coordinator.

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7. The Lightning makes the playoffs

Under the leadership of Jon Cooper and the gutsy play of Steven Stamkos, who fought his way back from a broken leg, the Lightning made the playoffs without traded star Marty St. Louis. But that playoff run didn't last long. Without injured goalie Ben Bishop, who went down just before the playoffs with a wrist injury, the Lightning was swept in four games by the Canadians.

8. Gators reach Final Four

What a season for Billy Donovan's basketball team. Again proving he is among the best coaches in the country, Donovan guided the Gators to a 36-3 record, the most wins in school history, including a perfect 18-0 mark in the SEC. With the help of Tampa native Michael Frazier, the Gators beat Albany, Pittsburgh, UCLA and Dayton to reach the Final Four for the fourth time under Donovan. However, dreams of a national title came up short with a 63-53 loss to UConn in the semifinals.

9. Bucs owner Malcolm Glazer dies

After not having been seen publicly in several years, Glazer, who bought the Bucs in 1995, passed away in May at age 85. During Glazer's ownership, the Bucs built Raymond James Stadium and managed to turn a sad-sack franchise into a Super Bowl champ.

10. USF fires basketball coach Stan Heath

Firing Heath was no surprise. The Bulls went 97-129 in seven seasons under him . It's what happened next that turned zany. USF tried to hire Manhattan coach Steve Masiello, but then backed off when they learned that Masiello didn't have a college degree as he had stated. The Bulls then turned to Kentucky assistant and former Harlem Globetrotter Orlando Antigua.

Honorable mentions:

Jason Licht named Bucs GM. Doug Woolard steps down as USF AD. USF hires Mark Harlan as AD. Tampa's Declan Farmer leads U.S. Paralympic sled hockey team to gold medal in Russia. Bucs change uniforms. Bucs bring in Josh McCown to be quarterback. Rays special adviser Don Zimmer dies at 83. Rays pitcher Matt Moore goes down in April and is lost for season with Tommy John surgery. Bucs select Mike Evans with seventh overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft. Tampa's Aric Almirola wins the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona. Tampa is awarded 2017 college football national championship game. Rays trade Wil Myers. Several local high schools win state championships, including Canterbury softball, Clearwater Central Catholic volleyball, Tampa Jesuit baseball, Brandon wrestling and East Lake girls swimming.