"It's just the most wonderful day of my life,'' said Tampa resident Kevin Meles, 30, as he watched his team beat the Oakland Raiders 48-21 at Qualcomm Stadium. "I'm at a loss for words.''

"We've played for this our whole lives. People have booed us, people have laughed at us...'' said Bill Shepherd, 31, a Tampa fan who spent a month-and-a-half's salary on his game ticket. "It's the best money I've ever spent.''

Meanwhile, members of the Raider Nation, the colorful and enthusiastic followers of the Raiders, couldn't believe their team's performance.

"Ouch,'' said Michelle Dalessio, 34, from Phoenix. "It was Tampa Bay's day. I think we got out-coached.''

Buccaneer coach Jon Gruden led the Raiders for four years before taking over at Tampa this season. Subdued Raider fans said that put their team at a distinct disadvantage Sunday.

"They have our old coach. That's why they beat us,'' said John Theis, 31, of Oceanside, who attended the Super Bowl with his wife, Michelle.

San Diego police made four arrests for minor offenses at Qualcomm Stadium but said fans at the game and elsewhere in the city were generally well-behaved.

"Overall so far it's going very smoothly,'' police spokesman Jim Johnson said. "Hopefully it will continue this way.''

In Oakland, many fans heeded police warnings and avoided the city's historic Jack London Square, near downtown.

After the game, police broke up crowds of Raider fans who gathered in the streets, in some cases firing tear gas. They had vowed to avoid a repeat of the damage caused by fans after the Raiders' win in the AFC championship game the previous weekend.

"I think people stayed away because of the potential for havoc,'' server Monifa Milon said.

In Tampa, elated fans spilled out of bars, hugging, hitting high-fives and lighting cigars.

"It was due,'' said Kim Long, 31, a Bucs season ticket holder who recalled years when people left game tickets on car windshields outside the stadium because they didn't want to go to the games. "It was our time.''

During the game, police were everywhere around Qualcomm Stadium -- on motorcycle, on foot, on horseback. National Guard troops in camouflage fatigues stood guard at a 60-acre fuel-tank complex next to the stadium.

The Goodyear Blimp made a morning flight, but steered away from the stadium as a no-fly-zone went into effect. The ban kept all commercial and private aircraft at least seven miles away.

San Diego police, in charge of Super Bowl security, required all patrol officers to be on duty Sunday. The city was spending about $2 million on security, including $400,000 for a system of 52 cameras capable of monitoring every corner of the stadium, where 67,500 ticket holders were expected.

There were some problems, however, for a group from Hawaii. About 20 people who said they'd purchased or won a Super Bowl package through a Honolulu radio station found themselves without tickets.

Brian Chun, a 29-year-old carpenter, said he paid $2,000 for a package that was supposed to include air tickets, a hotel room and Super Bowl tickets. But as the big game began, he and the others were left watching the game on a television with poor reception at a San Diego hotel.

"They told us the tickets were supposed to have been delivered Friday, then Saturday and then today,'' he said. "We haven't gotten them, and I don't think we're getting them.''

Chun said he tried to file a police report in San Diego but was told he had to contact law enforcement in Hawaii. He said he would file a report when he returned to Honolulu on Tuesday.

"We don't even have a rental car,'' he said. "It's been a horrible trip, really horrible.''