Inside The Huskies

Tampa Parties Once More and Vita Vea Is Smack in the Middle of It

The former Husky defensive tackle is living the life of one championship celebration after another.

Dan Raley

Tampa Parties Once More and Vita Vea Is Smack in the Middle of It
Tampa Parties Once More and Vita Vea Is Smack in the Middle of It /

When it comes to celebrating, no one seems to be having more fun these days than Vita Vea.

Who knew that Tampa would become a nonstop city of champions for him.

The party that never ends.

A perpetual hangover.

Five months ago, the former University of Washington defensive tackle and acknowledged gregarious human being and extra-large athlete was everywhere when his Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat Kansas City 31-9 to capture Super Bowl LV — in Tampa.

Pouring Gatorade on coach Bruce Arians at the game.

Pouring water on Arians at the private party.

Riding around on a yacht in the local waterways.

Smoking a cigar and caressing the Super Bowl trophy.

Vita Vea, cigar and all, cradles the Super Bowl trophy.
Vita Vea held the Super Bowl trophy like a baby / USA TODAY Sports

Well, Tampa and Vea aren't content with just chalking up landmark football success for the Florida metropolis.

On Wednesday night, the hard-to-miss 6-foot-4, 346-pound footballer shared in the city's second consecutive Stanley Cup championship, turning fun-loving ice hockey fan.

The cameras quickly shifted to Vea in the stands as the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning shut out Montreal 1-0 to take the final series 4-1.

Vea shared himself once more in life-of-the-party fashion, downing or "shotgunning" a beer while wearing half of it as the hockey title was secured. Check out the joyous Vita moment in this video.

You can't miss him.

Huge guy. Huge smile. Enjoying the good times. Feeling like a winner month after month.

Vea is one of those guys who's naturally going to bond with his pro city because he has that larger-than-life personality that comes through at all times. 

Championships, for him and his Tampa sporting brethren, are becoming habit-forming.

Vita Vea wets down Bruce Arians at the Super Bowl private party.
Bruce Arians was never safe with Vita Vea around / USA TODAY Sports

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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