Lamar Sparkman
Lamar Sparkman (July 11, 1921 – January 6, 2010) was an American cartoonist. He worked for the Tampa Tribune and created Bucco Bruce for the then new Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Early life and education
[edit]Sparkman was a third generation Tampa native and attended Plant High School.[1] He attended the University of Florida and served in the Army before becoming a sports cartoonist at the Tampa Times.[2]
Career
[edit]Sparkman worked for the Tampa Bay Times and Tampa Tribune during his career. He designed the first logo for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Bucco Bruce.[3][4][5]
Sparkman did football cartoon depicting thr Florida Gators and Florida State Seminoles.[6] He later worked for the Tampa Tribune until 1987 when he retired to focus on his paintings.[2]
His swashbuckling pirate design for the Bucs was dropped in 1997.[7]
He has painted various professional athletes and gold courses. His paintings have adorned the walls of Augusta National and the cover of its menu.[citation needed] In 2010 his family donated more than 200 of his drawings to the Tampa Bay History Center.[8] In 2011, his work was displayed as part of an exhibit on sports history at the museum.[9] In 1980, 30 of his portraits were displayed at the Moorehead Planetarium.[10]
Personal life
[edit]Sparkman was married to Gloria and they had two daughters.[11] He lived at the Canterbury Tower on Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa and had a weekend house in Boca Grande.[2] In 1960 he had a brain aneurism, he lost his left eye in 1987 to cancerous melanoma, he had a quadruple bypass in 2001, and he had a stroke and partial paralysis in October 2001.[2]
Publishings
[edit]- The Cartoon World of Lamar Sparkman His 40 Year History of Sports 1947-1987
- The Gasparilla Cookbook: the junior league, illustrator
See also
[edit]- Hugh Culverhouse, owner of the Bucs who commissioned his work for the team
References
[edit]- ^ "FROM HIS MIND, BUCCO BRUCE AROSE". Tampa Bay Times.
- ^ a b c d "Relearning a lost art". Tampa Bay Times.
- ^ "Tampa Bay Buccaneers 'Creamsicle Day' is the latest chapter in 'Bucco Bruce' lore". WUSF. August 11, 2023.
- ^ "Bucco Bruce is in mourning - Page 2 - ESPN". ESPN.com.
- ^ "Football 2016: a sideline full of 10 new books". Christian Science Monitor – via Christian Science Monitor.
- ^ "Tampa cartoonist Lamar Sparkman passes at age 88". The Daily Cartoonist. January 7, 2010.
- ^ "BUCS PUSH BUCCO BRUCE OVERBOARD". April 8, 1997.
- ^ "Sports in Tampa Bay: Through the Eyes of Lamar Sparkman". Tampa Bay History Center.
- ^ "History Center Exhibit Honors Sparkman, Local Sports". www.buccaneers.com.
- ^ "UNC – A View to Hugh". 19 February 2023.
- ^ "Lamar Sparkman Obituary (2010) - Tampa, FL - Tampa Bay Times". Legacy.com.