Happy birthday Jacksonville Jaguars

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Getting an NFL team off the ground is almost as tough as connecting a Hail Mary pass. But where there's a will, there's a way.

This sleepy northeast Florida town that sports reporters once laughed off proved its gridiron grit after a years-long quest to land an NFL team culminated in the NFL awarding its 30th franchise to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Nov. 30, 1993.

Earlier this year, former Jaguars owners Wayne and Delores Weaver told News4Jax why they almost ended the quest to get an NFL team, and that in the angst-ridden moments after they won the team that he thought he had been mistaken.

Three-time Super Bowl winning coach Tom Coughlin remembered his nerve-wracking first impressions of working for a brand new franchise and two-time Super Bowl winner and five-time Pro Bowler Jimmy Smith and other NFL players explained why they playing for the inaugural Jaguars team, despite the low expectations, was a high point in their careers.

WATCH: WJXT Films' 60-minute documentary on how Jacksonville landed an NFL team

• Destiny: How Jacksonville won the Jaguars
• The Weavers join the team
• NFL hopes survive City Council fight
• Dream comes true for Cinderella city

The Weavers | Tom Coughlin | 1993 WJXT special