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Gator Bowl 1961
EverBank Field
The final member of the JSC is its oldest and largest. EverBank Field (originally Fairfield Stadium and formerly Alltel Stadium) is the home stadium facility of the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). The stadium was built on the former grounds of the old Gator Bowl Stadium, which dated back to 1927. The stadium had been notable for hosting the Gator Bowl, a post-season college football bowl game now known as the Taxslayer Bowl. It also hosted the Florida–Georgia game, an annual college football rivalry game between the University of Florida and the University of Georgia, both of which are now played annually at Everbank. The Gator Bowl Stadium was also home to several professional sports teams, including the original Jacksonville Sharks of the World Football League (WFL), from January of 1975 to that October and the Jacksonville Bulls of the United States Football League from 1984 to 1985.
In 1995, the former Gator Bowl was nearly completely demolished with the exception of the concrete west upper deck and ramps which were integrated into EverBank Field. The Jaguars have played three playoff games there, including the AFC Championship game (1999). EverBank Field has also played host Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005 as well as the ACC Championship Games from 2005–2007 as well as the River City Showdown games of 2007 and 2008, all under its previous title as Alltell Stadium. EverBank Field received a substantial upgrade in 2014 with the addition of new scoreboards, pools, cabana seating and premium seating that includes 180 field-level seats. The new scoreboards are now the world’s largest video boards, which measure 60 feet high by 362 feet long and have more than 21,700 square feet of digital canvas.
Without a doubt the Northbank JSC is the prime locale for every level of sports fan and is representative of this city’s commitment to providing its people with a variety of high level sports entertainment, all located within walking distance of one another. So come on down to the new ballpark with the old school feel, or the state of the art Arena where championship banners are still crisp and rapidly multiplying or bring your swimsuit over to the only NFL stadium with swimming pools!
Article by Woody Powell
Article provided by EU Jacksonville
EU Jacksonville supports local art, culture and entertainment in Northeast Florida. From local artist interviews, restaurant reviews to in-depth neighborhood coverage, EU Jacksonville has informed the music, theatre, and art communities for over 30 years.
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