From December 1, 1993

[Wacca Pilatka]

Tim McDonald's column in the T-U, quoted in full...



I am in absolute, unbelievable, total and complete shock.

I am in a shocked state of shockness.

I am benumbed with numbness.

My syntax may be shot, my grammar may be garbled.  This one's from the heart.

There's no better way to say it than the first, brief Associated Press report.

Jacksonville gets new National Football League franchise.

Say that simple, elegant beautiful phrase out loud.

Now repeat it.

Now try to believe it.

Some people will buy T-shirts.  Some will buy caps.  Me, I'm going to save that one sentence.  Maybe have it blown up and framed.

I might need medical attention.

This is so sweet.  This is so incredibly, amazingly sweet.

Anybody got any other words for me?  Calling all adjectives...

I take back everything bad I ever said about the NFL owners.  What a swell group of fellas.  Smart, straight-talking pillars of society.  God bless them.

I take back everything bad I ever said about Charlotte.  What a swell city.  i'm sorry we blew them off the map.  The Carolina Panthers will be great, worthy rivals for the Jaguars.

It's an eerie, almost surreal feeling.  The NFL is coming to town.

And staying.

No more August exhibition games between the Falcons and Bucs.

The fact that it was unexpected makes it so much sweeter.  There will be those who will tell you they knew it all along.  Don't call them liars.  Slap them on the back and buy them a round.  We're above pettiness now.  We're an NFL city.

What a monumental upset.  Let's gloat a little; we beat out big-time cities like St. Louis, Baltimore, and Memphis.

But, let's also remember how we felt for 14 years.  THat's the way those three cities are feeling now.  I truly feel for them.

There - that's enough commiseration.  We've earned the right to euphoria.

And that's what was happening at the celebration at the Landing.  It was so much better than those other, contrived affairs because this time it was genuine and spontaneous.

People walked around in simultaneous dazes.  It was interesting to hear their snatches of conversation.

"I really want to stay in this area, especially now."

"I still don't believe it..."

"People won't be bad-mouthing Jacksonville anymore..."

I saw people smiling and I saw people crying.  They chanted the Jaguars name loudly and passionately.  They lined up for the special newspaper edition, holding it aloft and screaming.  They went crazy with the craziness reserved for the spectacularly happy.

The whole time I was listening and talking to these people, I couldn't help but think back to when I was growing up in Jacksonville.

I was born and raised here and I remember when this city was as backwater burg.  I can remember when there was no Regency Square and when you could drive to the beach and go through uncharted territory.

You drove down Atlantic or Beach Blvd. and saw literally nothing but pine trees and raccoons.

What a long, strange trip it's been.

I've just come from the Gator Bowl.  It was nearly deserted, just a few employee cars in the parking lot.

I thought about the old days and I thought about yesterday's announcement, the past and the present.

Then I tried to imagine the future.  I tried to imagine the Gator Bowl, all spruced up and sparkling, and all those thousands of people who have lived so long with second-class status pouring into the parking lots.  I tried to imagine them barbecuing and tossing a football around.  I tried to imagine all those people tailgating before a Jacksonville Jaguars game.

And you know what?

It was easy.

What a long, strange trip it promises to be.

[jbroadglide]

I was but a cub reporter for WOKV on that fateful night back in 93. I remember attending the city council meeting which was expected to be a rubber stamp approval of everything the Jaguars wanted, only to watch a dejected and visibly angry Wayne Weaver and his entourage storm out of the council chambers 5 hours later following hours of debate by a certain few council members who, to this day, hate anything to do with progress in this city.. I headed back to the studio and within a half hour the newsroom phone rang and it was their pr guy, can't remember his name, saying Weaver would be hold a press confernece at 1:30AM..like in 30 minutes. Grabbed the recorder and some fresh batteries and hauled it down to the Sheraton St Johns where Weaver announced that was it, the effort to bring an NFL team to Jax was over. They were pulling up stakes.

So what a total shock one saturday morning to open the paper and see the huge headline that a deal was in the works and Touchdown Jacksonville was going to work with Weaver and the city to make this dream a reality.
Those were some roller coaster days and weeks and months up until that big announcement from Paul Tagliabue..
Its been 17 years so some of the details are now fuzzy..But I'm glad I was a part of that.
Thanks for letting me share.

[heights unknown]

Yeah, lived in Jax back then and was in the Navy and there were numerous highs and lows, edge of the seat type things associated with us getting the Jags.  As I remember, most times we thought that Jax was not going to get a football team but I think the turning point was when Jax citizens got on the radio talk shows and other news media and gave the City Council, City Government, and leaders a tongue lashing; that put a fire and intense pressure on Weaver and his entourage, Touchdown Jacksonville, and the City Council to get the deal done.

Heights Unknown

[Shwaz]

Great find! I was in 7th grade at the time. I grew up a Broncos fan (born in Denver) and Giants fan (lived in NJ as a kid) but from that forward it was Jaguars only. My folks bought season tix in the upper deck. We sat with a huge group of family friends. 4 Years ago after my family had to give up their tix, I bought a seat for me and my dad. We have a bond and memories from game day that I'll keep forever.


I would like nothing more than to see the city embrace and fall back in love with NFL football and the Jags. I think "Vic" summed it up weel in his column today.

Alex from Jacksonville Beach, FL
While I understand that the population of Jacksonville is inferior to most other cities with NFL teams, there is no denying that tickets to games are much cheaper here than they are in almost every one of those other cities. Is the ratio of Jacksonville's population to season ticket holders really a valid excuse for the lack of local support and all the blackouts we experience here in Jacksonville?

Vic: You don’t need to come to me for absolution, and excuses aren’t necessary, nor will they solve anything. I think we’ve all reached the point of acceptance and I think that’s a good thing. We’ve gone through the denial stage, using attendance and population figures to distort the truth. We’ve gone through the anger stage, lashing out at the media and anyone who dares express a negative thought on Jaguars attendance problems. We’ve expressed fear and worry and avoidance and any other mechanism that would allow us to avoid acceptance that a problem exists. Blaming others, of course, has been the primary mechanism of avoidance, but I sense that has run its course, too. I know this is going to be a hot topic all year, but I won’t be offended if “Ask Vic” readers elect to ignore it. Folks, there’s not much more that can be said. Here’s my suggestion: Let’s all give this young football team a chance to grow on us. This is a critical season in Jaguars history because the Jaguars need their fan base to fall in love with the team. That’s what sells.

[Wacca Pilatka]

Shwaz, I also grew up a Broncos fan (I'm not sure why since I grew up in Maryland).  I also grew up loving the city of Jacksonville equally, and though I was still a Broncos fan first for a few years after 1993 before my loyalties to the city I love overrode that, I'll never forget my elation on finding out Jacksonville finally got a team.  I'll save that McDonald column forever. 

I know the per capita interest in the team is there--we just have to find a way to get the tickets sold.

[BridgeTroll]

I'm a Packer fan but was elated when we got the Jags... I still have the newspaper from that day.