Who Is Tampa Bay Buccaneers Mascot Captain Fear?

Mascots for sports teams go a long way in welcoming the fans to events before the game and after the game. Not to mention during games they are usually in the thick of things cheering on their team along with the crowd. Mascots provide a different level of entertainment as they are known to do crazy things to make people laugh and enjoy their time out. Mascots are the most cheerful around the stadium and hanging around one is sure to make your day. Plus, they put on a really good show during halftime with their crazy acts and even some acrobatic stunts.

But this is all fun on the field. A mascot has a lot of work off the field as well. They are used many times for promotional events. Many mascots are busy throughout the year working somewhere around 300-500 events annually. Mascots can be seen anywhere from parties to fundraisers to charity events to educational programs in schools, and the list goes on and on.

For any team, having a mascot that fans can identify and relate to is a huge bonus for planning various events. Young kids are especially more inclined to listen and take help from a fun-loving, happy-go-lucky, cartoonish type of costumed mascot.

As a result, barring a few teams, all the others in the NFL have a mascot who entertains the crowd and fires them up for the game. That brings us to the mascot of the Florida-based Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Tampa Bay mascot Captain Fear

The Buccaneers as a franchise have been very appreciative of their fans and have taken into account their views on many occasions. Back in 1976 when the team was formed as part of a two team expansion, it is believed that the owners allowed the fans to vote for the name amongst several options giving rise to the Buccaneers.

Similarly, when the team changed their mascot, the opinion of the fans was once again sought and the mascot was eventually named Captain Fear. It is interesting to note that Captain Fear did not come into existence until June 2000 as the Pirate-themed team’s previous mascot was a parrot named Skully. It took the team one full year before they finalized the name for their new mascot. Finally, by 2001, the Buccaneers' new mascot was named Captain Fear.

Captain Fear is known to be a Caribbean pirate. He has black hair, blue eyes, thick eyebrows and a full beard. The original man inside the suit was Mike Mashke who retired in 2006.

Captain Fear backstory

According to the Tampa Bay website, Captain Fear who stands 6 feet 2 inches and weighs 250 lb. was rescued by the Clearwater Coast Guard from the choppy waters of Tampa Bay. When rescued, the unidentified man was suffering from amnesia and was unable to remember most of his details including his name, but he remembered that he was a powerful captain of a mighty pirate ship.

Slowly but steadily his memories started coming back to him and he remembered how a rough storm had thrown him overboard his ship one night. Unable to locate his ship again, he somehow stayed afloat on a raft made of wood. Since then he had been at sea while his boat reached the coast in Tampa. The wrecked ship was rebuilt and has been docked permanently in what is the Raymond James Stadium, the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

As luck would have it, the coast guard while helping Captain Fear recognized his ship from a tattoo on his arm and they immediately reunited the Captain with his ship in the stadium. Since 2000, the Captain calls the Raymond James Stadium his new home and lives on his ship.