In a surprise move, the NFL owners have awarded Super Bowl 43 to Tampa.
The owners eliminated Houston first and Miami second with Tampa beating out Atlanta for the winning bid.Atlanta and Houston had been considered the favorites, with Tampa a longshot.
"In terms of timing, (the owners') feeling was that Houston had just had a Super Bowl and that seemed to override everything else," Texans owner Bob McNair said in reaction to why Houston was eliminated first.
Miami was voted out because it is hosting the Super Bowl in 2007.
"It's a surprise, but that's life, " McNair said of the winning bid. "Our bid team was great. I'm proud of the effort given by a lot of people."
"This was the most highly contested bid process anybody has seen," he said. "I'm not shocked by anything anymore, but I'm surprised which city was selected."