JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Jaguars announced today that mascot and local legend Jaxson de Ville has been named a finalist for the National Mascot Hall of Fame. This honor marks Jaxson de Ville's fifth time on the ballot, including five of the last six years. Online voting will begin Sunday, May 12 and will continue through Saturday, May 25 at https://www.mascothalloffame.com/. Fans can vote using their email address once every 24 hours.
Jaxson de Ville is entering his 29th season as the Jaguars mascot after originally being discovered as a stray during construction of EverBank Stadium in the mid-1990s. He made his mascot debut on Aug. 18, 1996, and now weighs in at a very slim and sleek 403 pounds and 8.5 paws tall. He has never seen action in an NFL-sanctioned game, despite multiple attempts to enter the field of play, but has appeared in several halftime games and has become a social media star.
Jaxson de Ville ranks No. 1 in NFL history in career bungee jumps and zip lines, records that will undoubtedly go untouched forever (until another team tries to copy him). He's been invited to multiple Pro Bowls and has taken his fame internationally with appearances at Wembley Stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, as part of the NFL International Series. His career achievements include thousands of charity appearances, highlighted by global military tours, to the countries of Greenland, Egypt, Kuwait and Bahrain.
"No mascot is more worthy of Hall of Fame selection than Jaxson de Ville. His commitment to the team and the Northeast Florida community is unparalleled," said Christy Stechman-Zynda, director of entertainment groups for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Earlier this month, the Mascot Hall of Fame Executive Committee selected 19 mascots for consideration for induction. Ballots cast by the public, annual members of the Mascot Hall of Fame and an eight-member Executive Committee will be aggregated and scored. Any mascots who appear on 60 percent or higher of the aggregate total of the final ballots cast will be elected to the Class of 2024. The winners will be announced in June, with an Induction Ceremony to follow on Aug. 10, taking place at the MHOF in Whiting, Ind.
The finalists for the 2024 class of the National Mascot Hall of Fame include:
| MASCOT | TEAM |
|---|---|
| Big Al | University of Alabama (NCAA) |
| Big Joe | Ottawa REDBLACKS (CFL) |
| Big Lug | Lansing Lugnuts (MiLB) |
| NJ Devils | New Jersey Devils (NHL) |
| Orbit | Houston Astros (MLB) |
| Purdue Pete | Purdue University (NCAA) |
| Rosie Red | Cincinnati Reds (MLB) |
| Sebastian the Ibis | University of Miami (NCAA) |
| Talon | DC United (MLS) |
| The Leprechaun | University of Notre Dame (NCAA) |
| Monte | University of Montana (NCAA) |
| Mrs. Met | New York Mets (MLB) |
| Louie | St. Louis Blues (NHL) |
| Biscuit the Bulldog | Allen Americans (ECHL) |
| Blitz | Seattle Seahawks (NFL) |
| Burnie | Miami Heat (NBA) |
| DIBS | DePaul University (NCAA) |
| Jaxson de Ville | Jacksonville Jaguars (NFL) |
| Lou Seal | San Francisco Giants (MLB) |
