![]() The inaugural logo of the Jacksonville Jaguars.Īlong with the Carolina Panthers, the Jacksonville Jaguars entered the NFL as the first expansion teams in almost 20 years. Coughlin spent his year as "head coach without a team" preparing for the personnel moves that would come from the expansion draft, free agency, and the rookie draft in the spring of 1995. 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. The same month that Weaver hired Coughlin as his head coach, Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson went a more conventional route and hired former Buffalo Bills general manager Bill Polian as the Panthers' first GM (the Panthers' head coach, Dom Capers, would not be hired until a full year after Coughlin). ![]() The Jaguars' hiring of Coughlin contrasted with the hiring moves made by their fellow expansion team. Coughlin had worked in the NFL as a position coach, but he had been neither a head coach nor a coordinator in the NFL. While he had previously had great success with Boston College, many at the time believed his hiring was a risky move. In January 1994 Wayne Weaver chose Tom Coughlin as the first-ever head coach of the Jaguars. Tom Coughlin was Jacksonville's head coach for its first eight seasons However, in a surprising move, the NFL owners voted 26–2 in favor of awarding the 30th franchise to Jacksonville. Louis was considered the favorite for the second franchise, with Baltimore's three bids also considered strong. Most pundits speculated that the delay was made to allow St. Surprisingly, the naming of the second expansion city was delayed a month. Ĭharlotte was awarded the first franchise – the Carolina Panthers – in October 1993. The troubled negotiations over the Gator Bowl lease led the ownership group to withdraw from the NFL expansion bidding in July 1993. Additionally, the Gator Bowl was outdated, and the ownership group struggled to negotiate a lease with the city. There were 635,000 people in Jacksonville proper according to the 1990 census, but only 900,000 people in the metropolitan area. Although Jacksonville was the 15th largest city in the nation at the time (It has since grown to become the 11th-largest), it has always been a medium-sized market because the surrounding suburbs and rural areas are far smaller than the city itself. The Jacksonville metropolitan area and television market were smaller than those of nearly every team in the league. Jacksonville was considered the least likely expansion candidate for several reasons. Touchdown Jacksonville! announced its bid for a team, and Jacksonville was ultimately chosen as one of five finalists, along with Charlotte, St. In 1991, the NFL announced plans to add two expansion teams in 1994 (later delayed until 1995), its first expansion since the 1976 addition of the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The group initially included future Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Jacksonville developer Tom Petway, and came to be led by shoe magnate Wayne Weaver, founder of Nine West. In 1989, the prospective ownership group Touchdown Jacksonville! was organized. Main article: History of the Jacksonville Jaguars Jacksonville and the NFL (1989–1994) 1.5.1 2014–2015: Bortles era begins, stadium upgrades.1.4 Ownership change and the NFL International Series (2012). ![]()
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