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Posted on July 23, 2020 By Robert Payne

EverBank Stadium
The Bank
EverBank Stadium in 2024
EverBank Stadium is located in Central Jacksonville
EverBank Stadium
EverBank Stadium
Location in Jacksonville
EverBank Stadium is located in Florida
EverBank Stadium
EverBank Stadium
Location in Florida
EverBank Stadium is located in the United States
EverBank Stadium
EverBank Stadium
Location in the United States
Former namesJacksonville Municipal Stadium (1995–96, 2007–10)
Alltel Stadium (1997–2006)
EverBank Field (2010–18)
TIAA Bank Field (2018–23)
Address1 EverBank Stadium Drive
LocationJacksonville, Florida, United States
Coordinates30°19′26″N 81°38′15″W / 30.32389°N 81.63750°W / 30.32389; -81.63750
OwnerCity of Jacksonville
OperatorASM Global
Executive suites75[1]
Capacity67,814 (expandable to 82,000)[2]
Record attendance85,413 (Florida State Seminoles vs. Alabama Crimson Tide, September 29, 2007)
SurfaceTifway 419 Bermuda Grass
Construction
Broke groundJanuary 3, 1994
OpenedAugust 18, 1995; 29 years ago (1995-08-18)
Renovated2003–04, 2014, 2016
Construction costUS$121 million
($249 million in 2023 dollars[3])
ArchitectHOK Sport
Structural engineerBliss and Nyitray, Inc
Services engineerM-E Engineers, Inc.[4]
General contractorHuber, Hunt & Nichols[1]
Tenants
Jacksonville Jaguars (NFL) (1995–present)
Gator Bowl (NCAA) (1996–present)
Florida-Georgia football rivalry (NCAA)
(1996–present)
Jacksonville Armada FC (NASL) (2015)
Website
everbankstadium.com

EverBank Stadium is an American football stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It is the home facility of the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL), and the headquarters of the professional wrestling promotions All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Ring of Honor (ROH).[5]

The stadium opened in 1995 as Jacksonville Municipal Stadium on the site of the old Gator Bowl Stadium (erected 1927), and included some portions of the older stadium. Located on the St. Johns River, it sits on 10 acres (4.0 ha) of land in downtown Jacksonville. In addition to hosting the Jaguars, the stadium is regularly used for college football, concerts, and other events. It is the regular site of the annual Florida–Georgia football rivalry game, a matchup between the Florida Gators of the University of Florida and the Georgia Bulldogs of the University of Georgia. The stadium is also the home of the annual Gator Bowl, a post-season college bowl game. Additionally, the stadium hosted Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005 and is one of the venues used by the United States men's national soccer team.

From 1997 to 2006, the stadium was named Alltel Stadium after communications company Alltel purchased naming rights. The facility was renamed EverBank Field in 2010, following the approval of a five-year, naming rights deal with the financial services company EverBank. The agreement was extended in 2014 for an additional 10 years.[6] The Jaguars announced in February 2018 the stadium would be renamed TIAA Bank Field for the 2018 NFL season after EverBank was acquired by New York–based Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA).[7] In June 2023, the Jaguars announced the team's home stadium would be renamed EverBank Stadium prior to the start of the season.[8]

The stadium temporarily played host to the New Orleans Saints during the 2021 NFL season after the team was forced to relocate from Caesars Superdome owing to the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.[9]

Construction

EverBank Stadium is located in the Stadium District of downtown Jacksonville, which has been home to football fields since the early 20th century. In 1928 the first permanent football stadium, Fairfield Stadium, was constructed. In 1948 this was expanded and renamed Gator Bowl Stadium, in honor of the annual Gator Bowl game first played two years earlier.

The current structure was built using a few portions of the historic Gator Bowl Stadium. However, all of the elements included from the older stadium—the pedestrian ramp system and the more recent West Upper Deck section of the complex—dated back only to 1982. Construction started January 3, 1994, and the new stadium opened on August 18, 1995, with an exhibition game with the St. Louis Rams. Total construction time was under 20 months and total cost was US$134 million—$60 million of which was provided by the city of Jacksonville.

Planning

In January 1993, representatives from the University of Florida and University of Georgia began negotiating with Jacksonville representatives to renew the contract to host the Florida–Georgia game, the annual rivalry game between the college football teams of the two universities. The universities' five-year contract with the Gator Bowl ended after the 1994 game, and the Citrus Bowl had offered Florida and Georgia a larger sum of money than the Gator Bowl for the right to host the game.[10]

To counter the Citrus Bowl's larger monetary offer, Jacksonville mayor Ed Austin proposed a $25.5 million renovation plan to Jacksonville's aging Gator Bowl Stadium, which had been built in 1949. Both teams had expressed concerns about the condition of the aging stadium, and renovations were considered key to enticing the teams to keep returning to Jacksonville, bringing tens of millions of dollars in consumer spending with them.[11] Despite the promise of renovations, Georgia athletic director Vince Dooley was unswayed,[12] so Austin widened the scope of the renovations, increasing their price tag to $49 million, and traveled to Athens, Georgia, to talk with Dooley in person.[13] Austin's campaigning was partially successful. On March 23, 1993, the two universities announced they had signed a five-year contract with the Gator Bowl, running from 1997 to 2002. The contract was contingent on Austin successfully passing the $49 million renovation bond issue through the Jacksonville City Council and the city completing the renovations by the 1996 game.[14] On Tuesday, May 11, the Jacksonville City Council approved a $219.5 million bond issue, including the $49 million for the renovation of the Gator Bowl.[15][16]

NFL expansion

Soon after the approval of the bond issue, investors interested in attracting a new National Football League team to Jacksonville requested that another $30 million be added to the $49 million renovations in order to make the stadium more attractive for a professional team.[17] That number climbed higher throughout the summer, and eventually the city reached an agreement with the leading group of investors hoping to attract an NFL team to Jacksonville. On July 1, the city and investors reached a lease agreement contingent on the city investing $112.3 million for improving the Gator Bowl.[18] The lease agreement later collapsed when the Jacksonville City Council voted to send the lease back to a committee for further study rather than approving it.[19] One month after the proposed deal fell through, city officials and investors tried again and were successful in negotiating a deal that included a pledge to spend $121 million on renovations to the Gator Bowl.[20] Due to the expanded renovations, it was announced that the 1994 Florida-Georgia game would have to be moved out of the Gator Bowl, as had the 1995 game, in order to provide time for the newly expanded renovation plan to be completed before 1996.[21] In the end, the expanded bond issue and renovation program proved to be successful, as Jacksonville was awarded the 30th NFL franchise—the Jacksonville Jaguars—on November 30, 1993.[22]

Almost as soon as the celebration surrounding Jacksonville's new NFL team died down, a renovation contractor's plan to give 8% of the stadium work to minority-owned businesses drew criticism. The NAACP and another group said African-American businesses should have been awarded twice that amount of work.[23]

Current stadium

Super Bowl XXXIX
EverBank Stadium during 10th anniversary of 9/11
New scoreboard and party deck installed in 2014

The stadium's re-opening day was also the home debut of the Jaguars during the 1995 NFL season. It was the first time that an expansion NFL team had played its first game in a new facility; they played the Houston Oilers in the opener and lost 10–3. The Gator Bowl returned as a New Year's Day bowl game on January 1, 1996, following the 1995 NCAA season.

The stadium contains 11,200 club seats, 88 luxury suites, and a "super suite".[1]

In 1997, the stadium changed its name to Alltel Stadium after naming rights were acquired by Alltel, a telecommunications company best known as a wireless carrier. The name Alltel Stadium stopped being used by the city after January 2007 when the contract expired; by that point, most of Alltel's assets had been purchased by Verizon.

In 2005, the stadium hosted Super Bowl XXXIX in which the New England Patriots defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 24–21 in front of 78,125, the largest Super Bowl in attendance since 1994. Paul McCartney performed at halftime, performing Beatles classics "Drive My Car", "Get Back", and "Hey Jude", as well as a firework-filled "Live and Let Die". In 2003 and 2004, $47 million in improvements to the stadium were implemented to prepare for the Super Bowl. These improvements included the addition of a unique sports bar in the south end zone called the "Bud Zone", a larger and wider video and scoring display from Daktronics, escalators in the north and south end zone, and a new "terrace suite" called the "Sky Patio" right above the "Bud Zone" in the south end zone.[24]

Before the 2005 season, mainly due to low attendance figures and looming blackouts, team officials installed a series of tarps to reduce the seating capacity for Jaguars games. The covers were placed to block out seven sections in the upper north end zone and four in each upper deck section, located on the corners of each. This puts 9,703 seats out of service, leaving the stadium with 66,851 seats for the regular season. However, in the event the Jaguars make the AFC Championship Game, the stadium can easily be expanded to full capacity. Some believed that this was a sign that the city couldn't support an NFL team; the city is the second-smallest market in the league. However, the current capacity is actually very close to what Wayne Weaver included in his original proposal to bring the Gator Bowl up to NFL standards. The city council turned this plan down, mainly out of concern for not having enough seats to accommodate the annual Florida-Georgia game.

Despite the changes, however, blackouts have still occurred, including two of their first three home games in 2007 and nine of ten games in 2009. It is believed that the 2008 US financial crisis played a major part in the 2009 season blackouts,[citation needed] leading to insufficient ticket sales, with only the final home engagement of the regular season, with the Indianapolis Colts, managing to sell out. However, the Jaguars' 2010 season saw a huge turnaround in ticket sales, with no games being blacked out that year. The Jaguars avoided blackouts in all games in 2011 and 2012.

For the Super Bowl, Florida–Georgia game, and occasionally the Gator Bowl, temporary bleachers are put up in the south end zone, raising capacity to over 84,000.

The attendance record was set on September 29, 2007, when 85,413 watched Florida State defeat Alabama in what was dubbed the River City Showdown.[25] Each school received nearly 36,000 tickets, and the Gator Bowl Association added 5,800 seats.[26]

On July 26, 2010, naming rights to the stadium were bought by EverBank,[27] one of the nation's largest privately held bank holding companies. On August 10, the deal was officially approved by the Jacksonville City Council with a 14–3 vote.[28]

In November 2013, Jacksonville's City Council approved $63 million in improvements to EverBank Field. Jaguars owner Shahid Khan helped finance $20 million of the cost.[29] Renovations included two end zone video scoreboards 362-foot (110 m) long that are the largest HD LED of their kind in the world, a platform area in the north end zone with two wading pools, unique food and beverage offerings, interactive activities, and 55,000 square feet (5,100 m2) of HD video screens, which is a world record for a stadium.[30] Construction of the platform resulted in the removal of approximately 7,000 seats, though temporary seating can be installed for major events that will require a larger stadium capacity. During the construction a live webcam was set up to view the progress of the new video scoreboards.[31] The scoreboards were publicly unveiled on July 26, 2014.[32]

In the middle of 2016, the Jaguars and the city of Jacksonville announced $90 million in improvements to the stadium. Phase 1 includes the improvements to club seating, sponsored by US Assure, new walkout patios at the 50-yard-line and the creation of a new south end zone tunnel that will be the new team entrance and create two new seating environments. Phase 2 includes the construction of an amphitheater (Daily's Place) and a covered flex field; both phases were completed in May 2017.[33]

After the successful 2017 season which saw the Jaguars return to the playoffs for the first time since the 2007 season and host a playoff game for the first time since 1999, the Jaguars announced the removal of the last of the tarps on the upper levels. The removal adds 3,501 seats to the capacity of the stadium bringing total capacity to 67,814.[2]

The stadium is planned to undergo wholesale renovations around 2025 and 2026, with initial plans including a reduction in capacity to 60,000.[34] This could force the Jaguars, the Gator Bowl, and the Florida–Georgia game to temporarily play elsewhere during the reconstruction.[35][36] In June 2023, the Jaguars unveiled plans for the renovation of the stadium. Dubbed the "Stadium of the Future", the plans include a 360 degree concourse, an energy-efficient facade, and a large canopy to provide shade. Capacity will be reduced to 62,000, expandable to 71,500 for college football games.[37]

The stadium was temporarily rebranded to TrEverBank Stadium before the Jaguars' 2024 season 18–13 home opener loss against the Cleveland Browns, in an allude to Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence through a publicity stunt as part of his collaboration with EverBank.[38]

Seating capacity

The seating capacity for Jaguars games has gone as follows:

Years Capacity
1995–2001 73,000[39]
2003–2004 76,877[40]
2005–2009 67,164[41]
2010–2013 67,246[42]
2014 67,297[43]
2015 66,851[44]
2016–2017 64,428[45]
2018–present 67,814[2]

Notable events

Soccer

Date Winning Team Result Losing Team Tournament Spectators
June 17, 1997  United States 2–1  Israel Friendly 8,436
February 6, 1999  United States 3–0  Germany Friendly 17,259
May 26, 2012  United States 5–1  Scotland Friendly 44,438
February 9, 2013  United States women 4–1  Scotland women Women's friendly 18,656
June 7, 2014  United States 2–1  Nigeria Friendly 52,033
September 6, 2016  United States 4–0  Trinidad and Tobago 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification 19,410
April 5, 2018  United States women 4–1  Mexico women Women's friendly 14,360
November 10, 2019  United States women 6–0  Costa Rica women Women's friendly 12,914

Concerts

Date Artist Opening act(s) Tour / Concert name Attendance Revenue Notes
November 12, 1997 U2 Third Eye Blind PopMart Tour — —
June 4, 1999 Shania Twain Leahy Come On Over Tour — —
May 23, 2001 NSYNC BBMak
3LW
Lil' Romeo
Tony Lucca		 PopOdyssey 42,218 / 71,256 $2,030,372 Postponed from May 18.[46]
February 6, 2005 Paul McCartney — Super Bowl XXXIX
June 14, 2014 Jason Aldean Florida Georgia Line
Tyler Farr		 Burn It Down Tour — — [47]
June 13, 2015 Zac Brown Band — Jekyll and Hyde Tour — — These concerts were part of the Florida Country SuperFest.
June 14, 2015 Kenny Chesney Brantley Gilbert The Big Revival Tour — —
September 2, 2018 Lynyrd Skynyrd Kid Rock
Jason Aldean
The Charlie Daniels Band
Blackberry Smoke
the Marshall Tucker Band		 The Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour — — [48]
July 19, 2019 The Rolling Stones The Revivalists No Filter Tour 50,358 / 50,358 $10,198,392 This concert was originally scheduled to take place on April 24, 2019 but was postponed due to Mick Jagger recovering from a heart procedure.[49]
July 31, 2021 Green Day
Fall Out Boy
Weezer		 The Interrupters Hella Mega Tour - - This concert was originally scheduled to take place on August 6, 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Florida.
July 2, 2022 Def Leppard
Mötley Crüe		 Poison
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
Classless Act		 The Stadium Tour - - This concert was originally scheduled to take place on June 18, 2020 but was postponed until August 7, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Florida. It was then postponed again the following year, also due to COVID-19.[50]
May 3, 2024 Luke Combs Growin’ Up And Gettin’ Old Tour
May 4, 2024

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Everbank Field". Ballparks.com.
  2. ^ a b c "2018 Jacksonville Jaguars Media Guide" (PDF). Jacksonville Jaguars. 2018. p. 277. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  3. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  4. ^ "Sports". M-E Engineers, Inc. Archived from the original on January 15, 2002.
  5. ^ Joyner, KC (January 8, 2019). "Jaguars owners backing new All Elite Wrestling". ESPN. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  6. ^ "EverBank, Jaguars extend stadium naming rights agreement". Jacksonville Jaguars. July 25, 2014. Archived from the original on October 16, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  7. ^ Heilman, Phillip (February 16, 2018). "New name for Jaguars' stadium: TIAA Bank Field". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  8. ^ "TIAA Bank to become EverBank, a Brand Built on Legacy, Partnership and Forward-Looking Confidence". Jaguars.com. June 23, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  9. ^ "TIAA Bank Field transforms into second home of the Saints". Action News Jax. September 10, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  10. ^ Snook, Jeff. "UF-Georgia negotiations start today", The Palm Beach Post. January 12, 1993. Page C1.
  11. ^ Florida Sun-Sentinel staff reports. "College Football", South Florida Sun-Sentinel. January 22, 1993. Page C2.
  12. ^ Palm Beach Post staff reports. "Georgia may move '96 game to Athens", The Palm Beach Post. February 18, 1993. Page C8.
  13. ^ Sun-Sentinel staff and wire reports. "Sports in brief", South Florida Sun-Sentinel. March 4, 1993. Page C2.
  14. ^ Dame, Mike. "Florida-Georgia moving for '95", The Orlando Sentinel. March 23, 1993. Page D1.
  15. ^ The Associated Press. "Gator Bowl gets funds for repairs", St. Petersburg Times. May 12, 1993. Page C6.
  16. ^ Harry, Chris. "Gator Bowl plan OK'd to delight of UF, Georgia", The Tampa Tribune. May 12, 1993. Page Sports 5.
  17. ^ Tampa Tribune staff. "Pro football", Tampa Tribune. May 14, 1993. Page Sports 2.
  18. ^ Banks, Don. "NFL expansion a fleeting dream for Jacksonville", St. Petersburg Times. July 2, 1993. Page C1.
  19. ^ Tampa Tribune staff report. "TD Jax! pulls out of race", The Tampa Tribune. July 22, 1993. Page Sports 9.
  20. ^ Sun-Sentinel staff. "Jacksonville back in race", South Florida Sun-Sentinel. August 25, 1995. Page C6.
  21. ^ Snook, Jeff. "UF could host 1994 Georgia game", The Palm Beach Post. September 1, 1993. Page C9.
  22. ^ Browning, Michael. "Fantastic finish wins NFL team for Jacksonville", The Miami Herald. December 1, 1993. Page A1.
  23. ^ The Associated Press. "Groups criticize contractor's plan", South Florida Sun-Sentinel. December 25, 1993. Page A26.
  24. ^ "Daktronics Photo Gallery: Jacksonville Jaguars, Jacksonville Municipal Stadium".
  25. ^ "Lee comes off bench, rescues Florida State from Alabama". ESPN. September 29, 2007. Archived from the original on September 15, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2010.
  26. ^ "Alltel Stadium".
  27. ^ "EverBank buying naming rights to Jacksonville Municipal Stadium".
  28. ^ Mitchell, Tia (August 10, 2010). "City Council OKs EverBank Field deal". Jacksonville.com. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
  29. ^ DiRocco, Michael (July 27, 2014). "Jaguars unveil mammoth video boards". ESPN.go.com. ESPN. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  30. ^ Jaguars: 'Not everything is bigger in Texas'. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  31. ^ "Jaguars.com Live Cam".
  32. ^ Bibber, Ryan Van (July 27, 2014). "Jaguars unveil world's largest scoreboards at EverBank Field". SB Nation.
  33. ^ Jaguars and city of Jacksonville unveil totally reimagined US Assure Club at EverBank Field August 1, 2016
  34. ^ "Jacksonville Jaguars pick HOK as consultant for TIAA Bank Field design".
  35. ^ Kerr, Jeff (May 11, 2023). "Jaguars may be forced out of home stadium for two years as TIAA Bank Field undergoes renovations". CBS Sports.
  36. ^ auerlein, David (May 11, 2023). "Jaguars could play two seasons away from EverBank Stadium during stadium renovations, mayor says". The Florida Times-Union. CBS Sports.
  37. ^ Bauerlein, David. "Jaguars unveil "stadium of the future" whose cost could hit $1.4 billion". Florida Times-Union. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  38. ^ "Bank on him: Jags stadium gets Trevor makeover". ESPN.com. September 12, 2024. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  39. ^ "1995 Jacksonville Jaguars Media Guide" (PDF). Jacksonville Jaguars. 1995. p. 154. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 20, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  40. ^ "2003 Jacksonville Jaguars Media Guide" (PDF). Jacksonville Jaguars. 2003. p. 345. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 20, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  41. ^ "2005 Jacksonville Jaguars Media Guide" (PDF). Jacksonville Jaguars. 2005. p. 362. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 20, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  42. ^ "2010 Jacksonville Jaguars Media Guide" (PDF). Jacksonville Jaguars. 2010. p. 262. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 20, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  43. ^ Barrabi, Thomas (November 10, 2014). "NFL London Ticket Sales: $32M Revenue From Wembley Stadium Sellout Crowds, Report Says". International Business Times. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  44. ^ Stellino, Vito (September 2, 2015). "Jaguars Got Better TV Ratings for Two Home Preseason Games Than for Road Game". The Florida Times-Union. Jacksonville. Archived from the original on December 6, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  45. ^ Carlyon, Hays (August 1, 2016). "Jaguars Unveil Re-Imagined EverBank Field with $26.6 million US Assure Club Renovation". The Florida Times-Union. Jacksonville, Florida. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  46. ^ Moss, Corey (April 5, 2001). "'NSYNC PopOdyssey Tour Dates Change". MTV News. Archived from the original on January 4, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2009.
  47. ^ Wyland, Sarah (October 28, 2014). "Kenny Chesney and Jason Aldean Merge Tours for Stadium Shows". GAC. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
  48. ^ Szaroleta, Tom (June 4, 2018). "3 more acts added". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  49. ^ Kaufman, Gil (May 16, 2019). "Rolling Stones Announce Rescheduled North American Tour Dates". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  50. ^ "The Stadium Tour". May 17, 2021.
Events and tenants
Preceded by
Inaugural venue
 Home of the
Jacksonville Jaguars
1995 – present 		Succeeded by
Current
Preceded by Host of the
TaxSlayer Bowl
1995 – present 		Succeeded by
Current
Preceded by Host of the Super Bowl
2005 (XXXIX) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
first stadium
 Host of the
ACC Championship Game
2005–2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Host of AFC Championship Game
2000 		Succeeded by
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TIAA_Bank_Field

    by Robert Payne

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