Jacksonville Jaguars
Current season
Established 1995 Play in and headquartered in EverBank Field Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville Jaguars logo Logo
League/conference affiliations
National Football League (1995–present) American Football Conference (1995–present) AFC Central (1995–2001) AFC South (2002–present)
Current uniform
275px
Team colors	Teal, Black, Gold, White
Mascot	Jaxson de Ville
Personnel
Owner(s)	Shahid Khan
President	Mark Lamping
General manager	Gene Smith
Head coach	Mike Mularkey
Team history
Jacksonville Jaguars (1995–present)
Team nicknames
Jags, Cardiac Cats
Championships
League championships (0)
Conference championships (0)
Division championships (2) AFC Central: 1998, 1999
Playoff appearances (6)
NFL: 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2005, 2007
Home fields
EverBank Field (1995–present) a.k.a. Jacksonville Municipal Stadium (1995–1996, 2007–2009) a.k.a. ALLTEL Stadium (1997–2006)

The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Jaguars, along with the Carolina Panthers, joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1995.

The club plays all of their home games at EverBank Field, located near the St. Johns River in downtown Jacksonville. The team headquarters is also located in the stadium. The Jaguars hold training camp and practice during the season in the stadium and on adjoining practice fields. They are the only team in the "big four" sports leagues to play in the city of Jacksonville. Since their inception the Jaguars have won two division championships and have made six playoff appearances.

Franchise history[link]

Pre-franchise period (before 1993)[link]

College football in Jacksonville[link]

Since 1933 Jacksonville has been the site of the annual Florida vs. Georgia Football Classic, a major college football rivalry game between the University of Florida Gators and the University of Georgia Bulldogs, and since 1946, the city has hosted the Gator Bowl, one of the oldest annual college football bowl games. Until 1994, these games were played in the Gator Bowl Stadium, a structure originally built in 1927. Over the years, the stadium was expanded several times to accommodate larger crowds.

Startup pro-leagues[link]

With a football-hungry population, Jacksonville's civic leaders craved something more than just two games a year for their large stadium. The city hosted the American Football League All Star Game in 1967 and 1968, but after the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, Jacksonville was shut out. When new professional leagues started up to challenge the NFL's post-merger monopoly on professional football, Jacksonville was ready to join. First, in the 1970s, there were the Jacksonville Sharks of the World Football League. Then, in the 1980s, the Jacksonville Bulls of the United States Football League took the field. The USFL Bulls were one of that league's more well-attended teams, benefiting from the Gator Bowl's last expansion in 1982. The success of the Bulls reinforced the belief that the city could support an NFL franchise.

Luring the NFL[link]

Jacksonville attempted to lure the Baltimore Colts in 1979; Colts owner Robert Irsay famously landed a helicopter in the stadium as thousands of Jacksonville citizens urged him to move the team there. In the late 1980s, city leaders put on a more concerted effort to convince Houston Oilers owner Bud Adams to move to Jacksonville. Jacksonville mayor Tommy Hazouri offered Adams a city-backed guarantee that the "Jacksonville Oilers" would sell out every game in the 82,000 seat Gator Bowl for the first ten years.^[1]

In 1992, the NFL announced that they planned to add two teams for the 1993 season. The league had not expanded since the 1976 addition of the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; with the sport growing in popularity the NFL felt the time was right to create two additional franchises. Five cities were ultimately chosen as finalists for the two new teams: Charlotte, St. Louis, Baltimore, Memphis, and Jacksonville. NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue noted that several owners favored expansion to one "old city" and one "new city".^[2] By "old city" he meant a city that once had an NFL franchise but lost it; the old cities were St. Louis, which had lost the Cardinals, and Baltimore, which had lost the Colts.

1995 NFL expansion[link]

From the beginning, Charlotte and St. Louis were considered the heavy favorites,^[2] Florida already had two NFL teams: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Miami Dolphins. Additionally, any expansion team would also have to compete with Florida's three major college football teams—Florida, Florida State, and Miami, plus the Georgia Bulldogs. Jacksonville was also the only television market in the running not ranked in the top 50 Nielsen markets.^[3][4]

However, the biggest potential obstacle for the Jacksonville bid was nonstop turmoil and conflict surrounding the potential ownership group. The group had formed in 1989, even before the NFL announced expansion plans. The group was called Touchdown Jacksonville! and they placed their formal application with the NFL in 1991. The original ownership group included future Governor Jeb Bush, former presidential Chief of Staff Hamilton Jordan, and Jacksonville developer and political kingmaker Tom Petway. Petway was largely regarded as the face of TD Jax, but like all of the members of the ownership group, Petway's stake was relatively small. This lack of a "big pockets" owner was a major obstacle in Jacksonville's bid. In 1991 this group announced that they would call their team the Jacksonville Jaguars.^{[citation needed]} After some defections and mutinies, the group came to be led by J. Wayne Weaver, a shoe magnate who served as the first President of Nine West from 1978 until February 2, 1993, and later founder of Shoe Carnival.

From the time Touchdown Jacksonville! came to being, they faced several challenges. In April 1993, the NFL indicated to Jacksonville officials that additional renovations to the Gator Bowl would be needed.^[5] After several weeks of negotiations, and at least one breakdown, an agreement was reached that capped the city's liability for construction and was sent to the City Council for approval. However, on July 21, 1993 the Council failed to approve the financing package, dooming the bid. Deposits on season tickets were refunded, and Touchdown Jacksonville!'s offices were shuttered.^[6]

Largely due to being underwhelmed by the remaining suitors, the NFL and others encouraged Jacksonville interests to revisit the issue and resurrect their bid. About a month later negotiations between the city and Touchdown Jacksonville! resumed, and a slightly revised aid package was approved by a solid majority of the City Council. Officially back in the race, Jacksonville officials were energized, indicated by a drive to sell club seats that resulted in over 10,000 seats being sold in 10 days. The Jaguars also gained a high-profile investor when former NFL star player Deron Cherry signed on as a limited partner.

After Charlotte was unanimously granted the 29th franchise on November 1, the NFL announced they would name the 30th franchise on or before November 30, 1993. By this time, conventional wisdom was that St. Louis would get the 30th franchise. In fact, T-shirts of the "St. Louis Stallions" (the proposed new team name) briefly went on sale at some St. Louis area sporting goods shops. However, it was not to be.

At 4:12 p.m. (EST) on the afternoon of November 30, Jacksonville was announced as the winning franchise.^[5] The next evening, 25,000 fans celebrated at the Gator Bowl as season ticket sales were kicked off. Within ten days, the Florida Times-Union announced sales had passed the 55,000 seat mark.

Wayne Weaver ownership (1993–2012)[link]

After the Gator Bowl game on December 31, 1993 the old stadium was essentially demolished and replaced with a reinforced concrete superstructure. All that remained of the old stadium was the west upper concourse and a portion of the ramping system. To accommodate construction, the 1994 and 1995 games of "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" were split between the home fields of Florida and Georgia, and the 1994 Gator Bowl was played at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville. The new stadium (renamed Jacksonville Municipal Stadium) opened on August 18, 1995 with a preseason game against the St. Louis Rams.

New owner Wayne Weaver originally announced that he and team president David Seldin would look for a general manager and a head coach simultaneously. Much speculation centered on Jimmy Johnson, then the coach of the Dallas Cowboys, who was rumored to be feuding with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. There were reports that Weaver and/or Seldin had met secretly with Johnson in South Florida (one report placing the meeting on a boat in the Everglades), and the NFL officially warned the Jaguars front office^[7] that contact with Johnson would be forbidden without Jerry Jones' permission, which Jones refused to give.

Weaver ultimately narrowed his choices down to three:^[8] Mike Shanahan, an assistant coach for the San Francisco 49ers, Tony Dungy, defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings, and Tom Coughlin, head coach for Boston College. All three men would go on to be Super Bowl-winning head coaches, but not for Jacksonville.

Tom Coughlin era (1994–2002)[link]

Ultimately, Weaver made his choice based upon the "intensity" of the candidates,^[8] and in January 1994, Tom Coughlin was hired as the first ever head coach of the Jaguars.^[9] While he had previously had great success with Boston College, many at the time believed his hiring was a risky move. Coughlin had worked in the NFL as a position coach, but he had been neither a head coach nor a coordinator in the NFL.

The Jaguars' hiring of Coughlin contrasted with the hiring moves made by their fellow expansion team. The same month that Weaver hired Coughlin as his head coach, Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson went a more conventional route and hired a general manager, Bill Polian (the Panthers' head coach, Dom Capers, would not be hired until a full year after Coughlin). As it emerged that Weaver had no intention of hiring a general manager, it became apparent that Coughlin would have most of the authority regarding hiring decisions. Coughlin spent his year as "head coach without a team"^[9] preparing for the personnel moves that would come from the expansion draft, free agency, and the rookie draft in the spring of 1995.

1995: A year of firsts[link]

Along with the Carolina Panthers, the Jacksonville Jaguars entered the NFL as the first expansion teams in almost 20 years. Both teams participated in the 1995 NFL Expansion Draft, with the Jaguars taking Steve Beuerlein with the first pick. Beuerlein quickly lost his starting job to former Green Bay Packer backup Mark Brunell. The Jaguars finished their inaugural season with a record of 4–12. Both the Jaguars and the Panthers (7–9) broke the previous record for most wins by an expansion team (3) set by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1968. The inaugural season featured many of the players who would lead Jacksonville into the playoffs in the team's next four seasons, including quarterback Mark Brunell (acquired in a draft day trade from Green Bay), offensive lineman Tony Boselli (drafted with the 2nd pick overall in the 1995 NFL Draft) running back James Stewart (also drafted in 1995), and wide receiver Jimmy Smith (signed as a free agent).

Tom Coughlin was Jacksonville's head coach for its first eight seasons

The team played its first regular season game at home before a crowd of 72,363^[10] on September 3, 1995, a 10–3 loss against the Houston Oilers. The team picked up its first win in Week 4 as the Jaguars defeated the Oilers 17–16 on October 1 in Houston. The next week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Jaguars earned their first home win by defeating the eventual AFC Champions 20–16. The team's other two wins came in a season sweep of the Cleveland Browns including a Week 17 24–21 victory sealed by a Mike Hollis 34-yard field goal^[11] in the Browns' final game before the team relocated to Baltimore and was renamed the Ravens.

1996: Miracle season[link]

Jacksonville's 1996 season was a marked success as they won six of their last seven games of the season and finished with a record of 9–7. The credit for this midseason turnaround probably lies in the demotion of wide receiver Andre Rison in favor of Jimmy Smith^{[citation needed]} after a game against the St. Louis Rams in which Brunell threw 5 interceptions. The interceptions were blamed on Rison and he was benched. In the team's final game of the regular season against the Atlanta Falcons, needing a win to earn a playoff berth, the Jaguars caught a bit of luck when Morten Andersen missed a 30 yard field goal with less than a minute remaining that would have given the Falcons the lead.^[12] The Jaguars clinched the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs.

Their first playoff game was against the Buffalo Bills at Buffalo. While many probably expected the Jaguars to just be happy to be there, the Jaguars won 30–27, and knocked Buffalo QB Jim Kelly out of what would turn out to be the last game of his career. Their next game was on the road against the Denver Broncos, who had earned the AFC's top seed with a 13–3 record and were widely regarded as the best team in the AFC, if not the NFL. While the Broncos scored two touchdowns early in the game, after the first quarter, the Jaguars largely dominated. In what often regarded as one of the three biggest upset in NFL playoff history,^[13][14][15] the Jaguars defeated the Broncos, 30-27. Upon their return home, the Jags were greeted by an estimated 40,000 fans at the stadium. Many of these fans had watched the game on the stadium JumboTron displays and had stayed into the early hours of the morning when the team arrived. In the AFC Championship Game, the Jaguars miracle season came to an end, as they lost 20-6 to the New England Patriots, in Foxboro. Their fellow second-year NFC expansion team, the Carolina Panthers, also got to their conference championship game, where they lost 30–13 to the eventual Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers.

1997–99: An age of excellence[link]

Fred Taylor was the heart of the Jaguars running game for more than 10 years.

In 1997, the franchise's third season, the Jaguars and the Steelers both finished the season with an 11–5 record, tops in the AFC Central Division. Pittsburgh won the division in a tiebreaker as a result of having higher net in division games than Jacksonville.^[16] As a result, the Jaguars settled for 2nd place in the division, a Wild Card berth and the 5th seed in the AFC playoffs. The Jags postseason would end quickly as they fell in their first game, a 42–17 defeat against the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium. The Broncos, led by Terrell Davis, ran at will against the Jaguars, rushing for 5 touchdowns and over 300 yards.^[17]

In 1998, the Jaguars again finished 11–5 and won their first AFC Central Division title. The team became the first NFL expansion team to make the playoffs three times in its first four seasons of play. In the wild card round, the Jaguars hosted their first home playoff game, a 25–10 win over the New England Patriots. The team's season ended the next week in the Divisional Round as the New York Jets defeated the Jaguars 34–24.

In 1999, the Jaguars compiled a league best 14–2 regular season record, the best record in franchise history. The team's two losses were to the Tennessee Titans. The Jaguars won the AFC Central Division for the second straight year and clinched the #1 seed in the AFC. The Jaguars hosted the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Divisional playoffs, a 62–7 victory in what would be Dan Marino and Jimmy Johnson's last NFL game. Jacksonville's 62 points and 55-point margin are the second most ever in NFL playoff history, and Fred Taylor's 90-yard run in the first quarter is the longest ever in an NFL playoff game.^[18] The Jaguars' bid for a Super Bowl title came to an end the next week in the AFC championship game. The Jags fell at home to the Titans 33–14 in a game that the Jaguars led 14–10 at halftime, before allowing 23 unanswered points in the 2nd half. The Jaguars finished the 1999 season 15–3, with all three of their losses coming against the Titans (the only time in NFL history that a 3-loss team had all of its losses to one team). The loss marked the end of an era that saw the Jaguars make the playoffs in four of the team's first five years and would be the team's last playoff appearance until the 2005 season.

2000–02: Slipping out of contention[link]

These were the most disappointing years for the new franchise, due primarily to salary cap problems. In the 2000 season, veteran quarterback Mark Brunell and young running back Fred Taylor led the squad through a painful 7–9 season. The only highlights of the 2000 season were two wins over their division rival, the Cleveland Browns. The next two seasons in Jacksonville had worse records of 6–10 through the 2001 and 2002 seasons. This was mainly due to salary cap problems, meaning the team could not afford to keep a lot of talent. Coach Coughlin admitted that the team actually had more talent in its first year (1995) when it only won 4 games. This would be the last season he would coach the team. At the end of his tenure, he took out a full page ad in the Florida Times Union thanking the city of Jacksonville for "eight great seasons". He drafted great talent such as Tony Boselli, Tony Brackens, Fred Taylor, Donovin Darius, John Henderson, Marcus Stroud, and David Garrard. 2002 marked the last full season for Jaguars legend Mark Brunell, who was benched in the third game of 2003 in favor of Byron Leftwich. Brunell piled up over 25,000 yards as a Jaguar and earned three trips to the Pro Bowl.

In 2002 the NFL split up the two conferences into four divisions, sending the Jacksonville Jaguars to the AFC South. This put them in the same division as Indianapolis, Tennessee and Houston.

Jack Del Rio era (2003–2011)[link]

In each of his first five seasons, Del Rio's defense ranked in the top 10 in yards allowed.

Everbank Field today. The top tier on the left side is all that remains of the Gator Bowl Stadium from pre-Jaguar days.

2003–05: Return to the playoffs[link]

In 2003, the Jaguars hired Jack Del Rio as head coach. Del Rio was a linebacker during the late 80s and early 90s before retiring. He was formerly the Carolina Panthers' defensive coordinator, bringing the team's defensive ranking from 30th to second. Prior to that, Del Rio was the Baltimore Ravens linebackers coach, participating in that capacity on the Ravens' record setting championship 2000 defense. The Jaguars selected quarterback Byron Leftwich with the seventh pick of the NFL draft. The Jaguars had high hopes for their new quarterback. The team had many failures and heatbreaking moments, ending the 2003 season at 5–11 and missing the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. Despite resolving their salary cap problems, the team's rebuilding was clearly taking longer than expected.

The 2004 season, the tenth season of the Jaguars franchise, resulted in a winning record of 9–7 with road victories against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field and the Indianapolis Colts at the RCA Dome. The Jaguars' defense was a strong suit, as it included two Pro Bowl players, defensive tackles Marcus Stroud and John Henderson. Byron Leftwich enjoyed a solid year in 2004, helped by strong performances from holdovers Fred Taylor and Jimmy Smith. Unfortunately, Taylor sustained a season-ending injury at Green Bay. The very next week the Jaguars fell to the Houston Texans, which would ultimately eliminate them from playoff contention. This denied them an opportunity to play the Super Bowl at their home stadium. In 2004, the Jaguars became the first NFL team to have three African-American quarterbacks on their roster. The quarterbacks were Byron Leftwich, David Garrard, and Quinn Gray.

The 2005 Jaguars hoped to challenge the Colts for the division title. However, due to their scintillating 13–0 start, including two victories against the Jaguars, the Colts easily clinched the AFC South title. With a 12–4 record, the Jaguars earned a wild card and their first playoff appearance since 1999. Among these 12 wins were a 23–20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on October 9, 2005 and a 23–17 overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on October 16. While the Jaguars managed to win key games in 2005, nine of their final ten games were against opponents with losing records. Though these games were wins, key players Byron Leftwich, Mike Peterson, Akin Ayodele, Paul Spicer, and Rashean Mathis were hurt during this stretch. The Jaguars ended the season losing 28–3 to the two-time defending champion New England Patriots on January 7, 2006 in the AFC wild card playoff round.

2006: Rookie running back becomes a star[link]

Washington Redskins vs Jacksonville Jaguars in October 2006.

Maurice Jones-Drew, one of the league's smallest running backs turned out to be a second round steal for the Jags

Jacksonville looked like a team on the rise coming off of their 12–4 season, and was considered a playoff contender entering the season. But injuries plagued the team. Reggie Hayward, Greg Jones, Donovin Darius, Byron Leftwich, and Mike Peterson all suffered season-ending injuries. Marcus Stroud, Matt Jones, Paul Spicer, and Fred Taylor also faced injuries during the season. The team started off 2–0, defeating the Dallas Cowboys earning the NFL's highest winning percentage on opening days at .750 with a record of 9–3), and shutting out the defending champs Pittsburgh Steelers. But the team lost its next two games, and suffered embarrassing losses to the Houston Texans over the course of the season (Jacksonville has struggled against the Texans since Houston entered the league in 2002). They missed the playoffs with an 8–8 record, but there were some positives.

Maurice Jones-Drew, the Jaguars' second round draft pick, was one of the most surprising rookie sensations. He averaged 5.7 yards a carry, the highest in the league, and tied for 3rd in the NFL with 16 touchdowns. This season was also the first year the team played without their standout wide receiver Jimmy Smith as he decided to retire. His production was the wide receiver position is still missed as the Jaguars struggle to find an adequate replacement.

2007: Quarterback change leads to playoff run[link]

On April 28, 2007, the Jaguars used their first-round pick (21st overall) to select Florida safety Reggie Nelson. On June 15, 2007, the Jaguars released longtime strong safety Donovin Darius, who had seen diminished playing time in recent years due to mounting injuries. On August 31, 2007, the Jaguars announced that long time back-up quarterback David Garrard would start for the team, ahead of former 1st round draft pick, Byron Leftwich who was released in the team's final roster cuts. Garrard led the Jaguars to an 11–5 record and the playoffs. On January 5, 2008, the Jaguars defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31–29 to win their first playoff game in almost 8 years and their first road playoff win since 1997. It was also the first time in the 50+ year history of the Steelers that they had been beaten twice at home by the same team in the same season. However, in the divisional round, the Jaguars fell to the as of then undefeated New England Patriots; the teams were tied at halftime, but the Patriots pulled ahead and won 31–20. Tom Brady completed 22 of 24 passes in this game, being pressured by the Jaguars' defense only once, on the first play. This game, more than any other, gave the Jaguars' front office a strong desire to upgrade the pass rush during the offseason.

The team's offense in 2007 was largely a run-first offense, with Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor each putting up a lot of yards. David Garrard, however showed to be an accurate passer in 2007, throwing only 3 interceptions.

2008: Continued decline[link]

The 2008 season began with high expectations for the Jaguars. The team acquired free agent wide receiver Jerry Porter and rookie defensive ends Quentin Groves of Auburn and Derrick Harvey of Florida to address the team's most glaring needs. (Porter was released the following year and Groves was traded to Oakland in 2010.) Journalists including ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert predicted the Jaguars were poised to make a Super Bowl run.^[19]

However, the Jaguars failed to live up to those expectations, struggling to a 5–11 finish, the franchise's worst record since 2003. The team's struggles were in part, the result of a rash of injuries to the team's offensive line. The Jaguars lost starting guards Vince Manuwai and Maurice Williams for the season within the first quarter of the opening game. Tackle Richard Collier's career ended in early September when he was brutally attacked and shot 14 times.^[20] Center Brad Meester missed the first two months of the season and guard Chris Naeole, signed to the roster mid-season in response to these injuries, was injured in pregame warmups before playing a single snap. Against teams with smaller defensive linemen, the 2008 Jaguars offense resembled the 2007 offense, because the line was able to dominate. An example is the 23–21 victory in Indianapolis against the Colts that saw David Garrard drive the Jaguars into field goal range in the final minute and Josh Scobee boot the game winning 51-yard field goal. However, the Jaguars struggled mostly, especially in the second half of the season as evidenced by a 19–21 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals who entered the game with an 0–8 record.

2008 marked the end of running back Fred Taylor's 11 year career as a Jaguar. Taylor, who is considered to be one of the greatest Jaguars in the history of the franchise, rushed for over 10,000 yards in his time with Jacksonville and earned one trip to the Pro Bowl. In 2009, he signed with the New England Patriots. Taylor's departure opened up the door for Maurice Jones-Drew to become the team's feature running back. In 2011, Taylor signed a one-day contract so he could retire as a Jaguar.^[21]

2009–2010: New GM begins rebuilding phase[link]

The Jaguars hoped to begin a new era in 2009 under general manager Gene Smith. Smith made his mark early on in the 2009 NFL Draft by acquiring talent such as Eugene Monroe, Terrence Knighton, Derek Cox, Eben Britton and Mike Thomas, who all made significant contributions in their rookie years. The Jaguars finished off this season 7–9 and did not manage to make the playoffs. In the offseason, the Jaguars parted ways with veteran players John Henderson and Reggie Hayward as part of the team's "youth movement".

However, 2009 also saw the team's attendance numbers plummet, leading to television blackouts and speculation that the team could eventually be moved or sold.^[22] 2009 marked a low point, with the team's attendance averaging around 50,000,^[23] causing seven of the eight home games to be blacked out, and leading NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to address the issue with owner Wayne Weaver.^[22][24] Contributing to this decline in ticket sales is the fact that Jacksonville is one of the league's smallest markets, though its stadium is relatively large; since 2005 the team has covered nearly 10,000 of the stadium's 73,000 total seats with tarp in order to lower the stadium's official capacity to a more typical size and reduce blackouts.^[25] 73,000 total seats still ranks as one of the largest in the NFL. From 2008 the team further suffered from the late-2000s recession, which hit Florida particularly hard, and structural changes within the NFL that disadvantage teams in smaller markets.^[22] As such, various commentators speculated that the team may relocate in the future, perhaps to Los Angeles, California, or even London.^[22]

To address this issue, in 2010 the team and the City of Jacksonville undertook several measures aimed at ensuring the franchise's continued viability in Jacksonville. Supporters began the "Team Teal" drive to drum up ticket sales.^[26][27] The city negotiated a five-year, $16.6 million naming rights deal with Jacksonville-based EverBank to rename the stadium EverBank Field.^[22][28] As a result the Jaguars' attendance increased dramatically in 2010. While attendance figures were stagnant for most of the NFL, Jacksonville saw an increase of 36.5%, by far the highest in the league, and had none of their home games blacked out.^[29][30]

The 2010 season proved a big year for the Jaguars on the field as well. Running back Maurice Jones-Drew emerged as second in the league in rushing yards and David Garrard threw for 23 touchdowns, a franchise record. Marcedes Lewis went to his first pro bowl and the Jags had one of the best young defensive tackle duo with Terrance Knighton and rookie Tyson Alualu.^[31] Heading into December, Jacksonville was at the top of the AFC South and in playoff contention. In Week 15, they lost to Indianapolis, 34–24, which placed the Colts back atop the AFC South. The Jaguars lost their last two games, placing themselves out of playoff contention. They finished the season with disappointing record of 8–8.

2011: A year of major changes[link]

David Garrard was released just days before the start of the 2011 season

The 2011 season began on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

In the 2011 NFL draft, the Jaguars traded a first and a second round pick in order to move up to the 10th pick and select Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert. They also selected offensive lineman Will Rackley and wide receiver Cecil Shorts III in the 3rd and 4th round.^[32]

On September 6, 2011, David Garrard was cut from the team just days before the start of the season; Luke McCown was named starter. The move was similar to the one that named Garrard himself the starter over Byron Leftwich in 2007. McCown started two games until he threw four interceptions in a 32–3 loss to the Jets and Blaine Gabbert was named the starter the following week. The Jaguars offense would continue to struggle under the rookie quarterback, losing the next 4 games in a row, until a miraculous upset against the Baltimore Ravens at home on Monday Night Football.

On November 29, 2011, owner Wayne Weaver announced the firing of head coach Jack Del Rio, whose record had been 3–8 through the first twelve weeks of the season and 68–71 over his nine year tenure. Del Rio was succeeded by defensive coordinator Mel Tucker on an interim basis. Weaver also announced that General Manager Gene Smith had been given a three year extension of his contract.

Shahid Khan ownership (2012–present)[link]

Immediately following the announcement of Del Rio being fired, Weaver also announced that the team would be sold to Illinois businessman Shahid Khan.^[33][34] Khan's assumption of ownership was approved a couple of weeks later by the NFL owners, and Khan took over full ownership on January 4, 2012. He immediately began the team's search for head coaching candidates.^[35]

Mike Mularkey era (2012–present)[link]

On January 10, 2012, former Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey was named head coach of the Jaguars. On January 13, it was announced that interim head coach Mel Tucker would remain on the staff as defensive coordinator/assistant head coach and that former Falcons quarterbacks coach Bob Bratkowski would become offensive coordinator.^[36] On January 20, 2012, hired John Bonamego, as special teams coordinator. They also hired running backs coach, Sylvester Croom, tight ends coach, Bobby Johnson, and wide receivers coach, Jerry Sullivan, to the coaching staff.^[37]

Team colors and logos[link]

Logos[link]

The day after the NFL awarded the expansion team to Jacksonville, a triumphant Wayne Weaver held up the Jaguars' proposed silver helmet and teal jersey at the NFL owners' meeting in Chicago. The team's colors were to be teal, gold, and silver with black accents. However, this jersey and helmet design, with a gold leaping jaguar, created controversy. Ford Motor Company, then-parent of the automaker Jaguar, believed that the Jaguars' logo bore too much resemblance to the automaker's logo. Though no lawsuit was brought to trial, lawyers from the team and the auto maker negotiated an ultimately amicable agreement whereby Jaguar would be named the official car of the Jaguars, and the Jaguars would redesign their uniforms.

The new logo was a snarling jaguar head with a teal tongue, which Weaver said was his wife's touch. He also claimed that the teal tongue came from "feeding Panthers to our Jaguars" — an obvious jab at their expansion brethren. During the Jaguars' first ever preseason game teal-colored candies were handed out to all the fans who attended, turning their tongues a teal color just like on the logo. Additionally, raspberry lollipops were handed out by the "Candy Man" in section 142 to also turn the home fans' tongues teal.

In 2009, Weaver announced that he wanted to 'clean up' the team's image. This meant the elimination of the full-body crawling Jaguar logo, the clawing Jaguar, and the two previous wordmarks which bent the text around these logos.

• JaguarsOldLogo.svg

  Unused Logo (1993–94)

• JaguarsAlternateLogo1.svg

  Alternate logo (1995–2008)

• JaguarsAlternateLogo2.gif

  Script logo (1995–2008)

• Jags-logo.gif

  Script logo (2009–present)

Uniforms[link]

1995–2003[link]

Following the logo change, the redesigned uniforms feature an all-black helmet, white pants with teal, black, and gold stripes, and numbers with gold inner trim and black outer trim. The home jersey was teal with white numbers and the away jersey was white with teal numbers. Both jerseys had a black collar but no sleeve stripes.

A prowling jaguar on each sleeve replaced the leaping jaguar going across both shoulders in the original design. The Jaguars in 1995 were the first NFL team to have 2-tone borders on their numbers and lettering, and the first NFL team to show a complex logo (the crawling Jaguar) on the sleeve. Teams such as the Ravens, Bucs, and Eagles copied these innovations in the late 90s, driving up the cost of their jerseys. An authentic Jaguars jersey had been among the most expensive in the league for fans to buy.

Minor modifications were introduced to the Jaguars uniform during this time, most notably the font of the jersey numbers, replacing the original block numbers with a unique font. Two stripes were also added to the end of the sleeves below the prowling jaguar.

Until 2004, the Jaguars would always wear their white jerseys for afternoon games at home during the first half of the season.

2003–08[link]

During this period, the Jaguars made minor changes to their uniform, each time adding more black to the look.

The team introduced an alternate black jersey in 2002. During that same year, the team also started to wear black pants, with either the white or the teal jersey. After the black pants were introduced, the white pants would only be seen for the first few games of the year, presumably due to the heat. The black pants originally included two teal stripes down each side. The fan reaction to the extra black in the alternate jersey and alternate pants was positive, so in 2004 the Jaguars went through a formal uniform change, which teams are only allowed to do once every 5 years.

These changes were mostly to the away look. Before 2004, the white away jerseys had teal numbers with black and gold trim, but after, the white jerseys had black numbers with teal and gold trim. The black pants were also changed, the teal stripes replaced with the Jaguar logo on each hip. Teal almost disappeared from the road look.

The stripes on the white pants were altered in 2008 so that the center, thickest stripe was black, and its accents were teal. The black jersey was not used in 2008. In the 2008 year, the gold in the uniforms noticeably shifted from a bright yellow metallic appearance to more beige.

For most of their short history, the Jaguars did what many other NFL teams located in subtropical climates traditionally practice: wear their white jerseys at home during the first half of the season — forcing opponents to wear their dark ones under the sweltering autumns in Jacksonville. But in 2004 the Jaguars wore their colored uniforms for all home games. The Jaguars again wore their colored jerseys (all in teal) for all home games in 2008. Until 2004 (in 2005–2007 the Jaguars went back to wearing white at home for early season games) and then 2008, the Jaguars would always wear their white jerseys for afternoon games at home during the first half of the season. In the preseason, the Jaguars wear teal at home since these games are played at night when there is very little advantage with the heat. However, there have been games through the years where the Jaguars wore white at home in the preseason. Jacksonville last wore white at home for early season games in 2007. From 2008 until 2010 the Jaguars wore teal for all home games. The Jaguars wore white at home again in 2011. Jacksonville most recently wore white in their 2011 regular season game against the Cincinnati Bengals, and for the 2011 regular season home opener wore all white against the Tennessee Titans.

2009–present[link]

The Jaguars uniform underwent many changes for the 2009 season.^[38][39] Team owner Wayne Weaver reportedly wanted to "clean up" the look, feeling that the team had too many uniform styles.^[39] The new uniforms were introduced in a press conference on April 22.^[40] At this press conference, Weaver elaborated that different people had taken different liberties with the Jaguars' image over the years, singling out the 'All Black' look which the team wore for every prime-time home game from 2003 to 2007 as a point of regret. He also said that the team will continue to wear teal jerseys at home even on hot days, saying that the practice of choosing to wear white on hot days which ended in 2008 had also diluted the team's image.

Overall, the new jerseys have fewer features than the old ones. The collar and sleeve ends are now the same color as the rest of the jersey. The crawling jaguar is gone. The only feature on the sleeves that will remain is two standard Reebok logos. The numbers on the jerseys are now a simpler, block font with a thicker, single color border. After all of these subtractions, two features were added. The first is a "JAGUARS" wordmark underneath the NFL insignia on the chest; this mimics the Titans' and Eagles' uniforms, for instance. The second is two thin 'stripes' of off-color fabric which were added to each midseam of the jersey, curling up to the neckline on the front and below the number on the back. The stripe on the home jersey is a white line next to a black line, matching the color of the numbers, and the stripe on the away jersey is a black line next to a teal line, again matching the numbers. The pants have similar stripes, both for the home and away uniform. The away uniforms are still basically black pants and numbers on a white jersey, but they now have a little more teal overall; it is the only accent color. Before, gold was more prominent than teal on the away uniform.

The Jaguars' identity, in terms of colors, as of 2009 is exclusively teal and black, with gold only being used in the logo; just as the Steelers identity is gold and black, with red and blue only being used in the logo.

The final change made to the Jaguars' uniforms in 2009 was to the helmet. The new helmet and facemask are black just like the old ones, but when light hits the new ones a certain way, both the helmet and face mask will sparkle with a shiny teal appearance. These are the first helmets in professional football which change color with different angles of light. The logo and number decals also incorporate this effect.

Mascot[link]

Jaxson de Ville with American Idol finalist Phil Stacey.

Since his introduction in 1996, Jaxson de Ville has served as the Jaguars' mascot. Jaxson entertains the crowd before and during games with his antics. The mascot has established a reputation for making dramatic entrances including bungee jumping off the stadium lights, sliding down a rope from the scoreboard and parachuting into the stadium.

Jaxson's antics got him into trouble in 1998 and stemmed the changing of the NFL's mascot rules, and also caused him to calm down.^[41] However, Jaxson was still seen, by some, as a mascot that gets in the way during the game. After the October 22, 2007 game against Indianapolis, Colts President Bill Polian complained to the NFL, and Jaxson was reprimanded again.^[42][43]

Jaxson's first appearance was on August 18, 1996^[44] and has been played by Curtis Dvorak since his inception.^[45]

Cheerleaders[link]

The Jacksonville ROAR is the professional cheerleading squad of the Jaguars. The group was established in 1995, the team's inaugural year, and regularly performs choreographed routines during the team's home contests.^[46]

In addition of performing at games and pep rallies, members function as goodwill ambassadors of the team, participating in corporate, community and charitable events in the Jacksonville metropolitan area^[47] where they sign autographs and pose for pictures. They also join NFL tours to entertain American servicemen and women around the world.^[47][48]

Stadium[link]

EverBank Field

EverBank Field (formerly known as Jacksonville Municipal Stadium and Alltel Stadium) is located on the north bank of the St. Johns River, and has been the home of the Jaguars since the team's first season in 1995. The stadium has a capacity of 67,246, with additional seating added during Florida-Georgia Game and the Gator Bowl.^[49]

The stadium served as the site of Super Bowl XXXIX in addition to three Jaguar playoff games including the 1999 AFC Championship Game. It also hosted the ACC Championship Game from 2005–2007 and the River City Showdown from 2007–2008.

From 1995–1997 and again from 2006–2009, the stadium was named Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. From 1997–2006, the stadium was referred to as Alltel Stadium.^[50] The naming rights were purchased by EverBank prior to the 2010 season.^[51]

Rivals[link]

The Jacksonville Jaguars have three primary rivals: their divisional rivals (Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, and Houston Texans).^[52] They have geographic rivalries with the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccanneers. The Jaguars also have a rivalry with their 1995 expansion brethren, the Carolina Panthers. The Jaguars also have rivalries with other teams that arose from the AFC Central days, most notably with the Pittsburgh Steelers.^[53]

Statistics and records[link]

Season-by-season results[link]

Note: The Finish, Wins, Losses, and Ties columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play.

* Season currently in progress

Players of note[link]

Current roster[link]

Retired numbers[link]

Although not officially retired, the number 71 worn by offensive tackle Tony Boselli, the Jaguars' first-ever draft pick, has not been worn since his retirement in 2002. According to team officials the number has been "taken out of service."^[54]

Pride of the Jaguars[link]

A contest was held in July 2006 to name the club's ring of honor and "Pride of the Jaguars" was chosen with 36% of the vote.^[55] It was unveiled during the 2006 season during a game against the New York Jets on October 8. Former left tackle Tony Boselli was the first player inducted. On January 1, 2012, team owner Wayne Weaver and his wife Delores were added the Pride of the Jaguars in their final game before the sale of the team to Shahid Khan.

All-time first-round draft picks[link]

Head coaches and coordinators[link]

Head coaches[link]

Note: Statistics are correct through the end of the 2011 NFL season.

Offensive coordinators[link]

• Kevin Gilbride (1995–1996)
• Chris Palmer (1997–1998)
• (none) (1999–2000)
• Bobby Petrino (2001)
• (none) (2002)
• Bill Musgrave (2003–2004)
• Carl Smith (2005–2006)
• Dirk Koetter (2007–2011)
• Bob Bratkowski (2012–present)

Defensive coordinators[link]

• Dick Jauron (1995–1998)
• Dom Capers (1999–2000)
• Gary Moeller (2001)
• John Pease (2002)
• Mike Smith (2003–2007)
• Gregg Williams (2008)
• Mel Tucker (2009–present)

Current coaching staff[link]

Work in the community[link]

The Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation was established in 1995, when the franchise deal was first announced. Since then, the Foundation has given over $20 million to area efforts in community improvement.^[58] In recent years, there has been increasing emphasis on youth programs, such as Honor Rows and Fresh Futures. The Jaguars also have a program called Playbooks, which is designed to help stop illiteracy. Delores Barr Weaver, wife of majority owner Wayne Weaver, is Chairperson and CEO of the foundation, which grants over $1 million annually to organizations that assist "economically and socially disadvantaged youth and families", according to their mission statement.^[59]

The Jaguar's first head coach, Tom Coughlin, established the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation in 1996 to help young cancer victims and their families with emotional and financial assistance. The charity remained in Jacksonville after Coughlin left to coach the New York Giants.^[60]

Radio and television[link]

Since their inaugural 1995 season, the Jaguars' flagship radio station has been WOKV.

Since 2007, WOKV simulcasts on both AM 690 and on 106.5 FM. Brian Sexton, Sports Director for WAWS & WTEV-TV, and a past contestant on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, is the play-by-play announcer, Jeff Lageman is the color analyst, and Cole Pepper serves as the pre-game and post-game show host with former NFL star and Georgia Tech stand out Marco Coleman serving as post-game analyst. During preseason games, telecasts not seen nationwide are on WTEV channel 47, the CBS affiliate. Since 2007, the announcers were Paul Burmeister and former Jaguars Left Tackle Tony Boselli.

Radio affiliates[link]

Jaguars Radio Affiliates

Florida[link]

Georgia[link]

See also[link]

American football portal

• Jacksonville ROAR
• List of Jacksonville Jaguars seasons

Notes and references[link]