Awarded to the City of Jacksonville on Nov. 30, 1993, the Jacksonville Jaguars are one of the youngest franchises in the National Football League. The team started play in 1995 and is currently celebrating its 20th season. For those unfamiliar with the franchise, here are some great things to know:
- Duval: Jacksonville, the largest city by area in the continental United States, is spread across several counties. Duval County makes up the majority of Jacksonville. At Jaguars games, the team's fans have a Duval chant in which they yell "Duuuuvvvallll." When Blake Bortles was drafted in 2014, he thought fans were booing him when in actuality they were chanting "Duuuvvvalll." In the 2013 offseason, the fans voted via Twitter to be referred to as Duval. A popular hashtag used by Jaguars supporters is #DTWD, which stands for Duval 'Til We Die.
- The 'Bank: Another important term to know is "The 'Bank." The Jaguars' stadium in Jacksonville has been named EverBank Field since July 27, 2010. Fans refer to it as The 'Bank for simplicity. Rallying cries often used are "Protect the 'Bank" and "Lockdown the 'Bank." EverBank Field is home to two spas and the world's largest video boards.
- Youth: Entering the 2014 season, the Jaguars had the second youngest roster in the NFL, with an average age of 25.2 years old. In several games, five of the team's 11 starters on offense were rookies.
- Leadership: The team's young players have been brought in by its relatively new leadership group. Owner Shad Khan purchased the team from Founder Wayne Weaver in 2012. Shortly thereafter, he named Mark Lamping team president. In January of 2013, Khan hired General Manager Dave Caldwell and Head Coach Gus Bradley. This is the first time each man has held their current job in the NFL. Only 11 players on the current roster were on the team when Caldwell took control.
- Pride of the Jaguars: Leadership has made a point to honor the club's alumni. Tony Boselli, who will be at a number of the Jaguars' events in London, became the first member of the Pride of the Jaguars in 2006. Since Khan has taken ownership of the team, two additional players have joined the Pride. The franchise's all-time leading rusher, Fred Taylor, was inducted into the Pride in 2012. A longtime teammate of Boselli and Taylor and the possessor of a majority of Jacksonville's passing records, Mark Brunell joined the elite fraternity in 2013.
- History: The three gentlemen listed above were a part of numerous great moments in the franchise's history. In the playoffs following the 1996 season, Brunell and Boselli were on the team that engineered one of the biggest upsets in the history of the NFL playoffs by defeating the heavily favored Denver Broncos. That moment was just the beginning of a dominant era for the Jaguars. Taylor was drafted in 1998. The Jaguars finished the 1999-00 season with a franchise-best record of 14-2 and reached the AFC Championship.
- Military ties: While the franchise goes to great lengths in remembering its roots, it also puts an emphasis on connecting with the military. Jacksonville boasts one of the largest populations of active duty military personnel in the United States. Service members are honored at every home game. The team's secondary logo and jerseys are a salute to the troops.
- Celebrations: Just as the franchise celebrates the military, it also rejoices on big plays. Two players on defense are known for their celebrations. Both guys are defensive ends. Ryan Davis takes a selfie after sacking the quarterback. Andre Branch does the windmill after taking down the passer.
- The ROAR of the Jaguars and Jaxson De Ville: The ROAR of the Jaguars are the team's cheerleaders. They perform at all of the Jaguars' home games and make appearances across the globe year-round. Jaxson De Ville is the team's beloved mascot. Known for his crazy stunts, Jaxson was voted as the top mascot in the world during the 2014 offseason.
- Nicknames: When cheering on the Jaguars, it will be helpful to know some of the players' nicknames. A few to remember are Storm Warning, Bortles Kombat, Cyp and Shoelace. Bortles, who is referred to as Bortles Kombat by some, and Storm Johnson, known as Storm Warning, got their nicknames as college teammates at the University of Central Florida. Johnathan Cyprien goes by Cyp for short. His fans are known as the Cyp Squad. Running back Denard Robinson never ties his cleats and thus got the nickname shoelace. So if you see the Jaguars' Twitter handle say Storm Warning, it is in reference to Storm Johnson, so there will be no need for an umbrella.
- International team: In 2012, the Jaguars committed to play four home games in London. This will be the second of their four games at Wembley Stadium. With the Jaguars' first game in London during the 2013 season, the franchise established an official fan club in the United Kingdom known as Union Jax.
This article is presented by VisitFlorida.com.
