JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Long before Jacksonville had an NFL team to call its own, the city's football history was dominated by the Florida-Georgia game and the annual Gator Bowl game.
The stadium that used to be named the Gator Bowl has certainly come a long way since it was first built in 1927 and then rebuilt for the Jaguars in 1993.
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This season, fans have enjoyed the newest stadium improvements to EverBank Field made by first-year owner Shad Khan.
"The sound system's a lot better, my phone's connecting, and they've done some upgrades with the booth as well," Jaguars fan Don Guite said.
By mid-season, fans were noticing improvements at EverBank that are expected in top-of-the-line NFL stadiums.
The most noticeable blares in every corner of the stadium. The sound system now circles the stadium instead of sitting in a singular end zone.
"More professional, starting from the outside, working our way up to players," Jaguars fan Issa Odeh said.
Essentially, Khan wanted to improve the fan experience. That's why there are more flat-screen TVs all over the stadium and cellphones work better with enhanced Wi-Fi, meaning fans can track other games around the league while they watch the Jaguars on the field.
"Khan has a lot to do with it, trying to get fans involved with the team and the team involved with fans," Guite said.
In the guts of the stadium, there are the things the fans don't see, but are just as important. The top-of-the-line remodeled locker room and improved practice fields are key in keeping free agents and new recruits happy to put a winning franchise on the field.
"The locker room is amazing, the clubs, you see a big difference," Odeh said.
"To be honest, I think it all comes down to winning games," Jaguars fan Clifton Collins said. "I think it does matter, getting Wi-Fi and things like that, but I think if we win we'll get more people."