DNA of Sports invites you to (re)discover the history of each franchise from the angle of branding and brand image. From the logo to the colors, including the jerseys and the origin of the names, the entire visual identity of the Jacksonville Jaguars is dissected and explained in this article.
The name of the Jacksonville Jaguars
The history of the Jacksonville Jaguars nickname dates back to when the team was first introduced into the NFL. In 1993, the NFL revealed plans to expand to two new cities: the first would be Charlotte, North Carolina, and the second would be St. Louis, Jacksonville, Baltimore or Memphis. It was therefore in November 1993, after a four-year campaign, that the Jacksonville Jaguars become like this the 30th NFL franchise.
Two years before the city officially received an NFL team, a fan contest was held to choose the nickname for the future Jacksonville team. Names such as “Sharks” and “Stingrays” were considered before finally settling on “Jaguars”. Although jaguars were not endemic to this region, at the time, the oldest living jaguar in North America was housed at the Jacksonville Zoo. Certainly a reason for choosing this name over another.
The visual identity of the Jacksonville Jaguars
THE first Jaguars logo is therefore logically became a golden and black spotted jaguarmouth open, pouncing on its prey. It was decided by Wayne Weaver, the first owner. This first logo, however, gave rise to controversy with the automobile company Ford, of which Jaguar was one of the brands until 1999. Ford criticized the Jaguars logo for being too similar to the brand's emblem. An amicable agreement was then reached and Jaguar eventually became the official car and one of the sponsors of the franchise. But the logo was never used.
It was therefore redesigned in 1995. The blue tongue of the second Jaguar was a choice by Dolores Weaver. According to the owner, this tongue color is a direct nod to the Carolina Panthers, created at the same time as them. A way of “feeding panthers to our jaguars”. The visual identity of the Jacksonville Jaguars has been present since the beginning of the franchise: gold, black and teal.
Shahid Khan, the new owner, had the logo redesigned in 2013 to make it more fierce and realistic. The golden color is in the spotlight as is the turquoise which extends to the jaguar's eye and nose in addition to its tongue. The new jaguar design is much more realistic and detailed than its predecessor, which adds a certain aggressiveness to the logo we all know today.
Jaguars Secondary Logos and Wordmark
The secondary version of the Jacksonville Jaguars logo, created in 1995, had a complex composition. The jaguar's head was placed at the bottom of the banner on a navy blue background and accompanied by two-tiered black and white lettering. The “Jacksonville” portion of the wordmark was made up of small black capital letters, while the word “Jaguars” was enlarged and made up of bold white letters with black outline and shading.
The 1998 redesign retained the club's color scheme and main symbol, the jaguar head. But it was placed on a sleek triangular crest, with the same navy blue background. The lettering has been placed above the shield, and the gold “Jacksonville” in small capitals has been written along a narrow black arched ribbon, while the white “Jaguars” is in a stylized font affixed to the blue body of the badge.
In 2009, the logo alternative of the Jacksonville Jaguars has been redesigned again. The jaguar image was placed directly on a transparent background with just a delicate black outline, and accompanied by two-tiered lettering, executed in the same shade of blue used in previous versions.
Finally, the current version of the secondary logo dates from 2013. The team nickname “Jags” is simply written within a black shield. A way to pay tribute to the city's military community.
Jacksonville Jaguars outfits
The Jaguars' first uniforms during the first 14 seasons of the franchise are blue and white with golden touches. A tip to force visitors to wear a dark color, more disabling in the humid heat of the subtropical climate floridian. The white jerseys had teal numbers with gold and black outlines. While the teal jerseys had white numbers with gold and black outlines.
THE pwhite pants was with gold, teal and black stripes. Allhe white and teal jerseys featured a jaguar on LSleeves lined with black and gold. An alternate version of the franchise's first logo.
There were some variations in details during this era in the design and shape of the numbers. The Jaguars introduce in 2002 black jerseys and black pants, the jerseys comprising SO white numbers lined with teal and gold. Some versions of the black pants featured teal, gold and black stripes with a Jaguars logo on the hip, while others had no stripes.
From white to black
From 2009, the blue and white jerseys have “Jacksonville Jaguars” written on the front. The pants are white with a thin teal and black stripe and feature the Jaguars logo on the hip. While the black pants with their thin white and teal stripe also feature the logo in the same place.
This uniform model saw the arrival of a black alternative jersey in the visual identity of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2012. The new owner gave his preference to this black jersey and the white was therefore gradually put aside. Blue remains the alternate jersey used.
A visual identity that spans the years
From 2013 to 2017, L'uniform main East SO A black jersey with teal sleeves to white numbers outlined in teal/gold and a JAGS badge near the left shoulder. The teal jersey with black sleeves with black numbers outlined in gold/white has a JAGS patch near the left shoulder. Finally, the white jersey with black sleeves and teal numbers outlined in black/gold also has a JAGS patch near the left shoulder. The pants are either black or white with a blue or black stripe topped with a gold stripe and a logo on the hip.
Note that at the time the helmet was black in front and gold in the back. Finally, the gold “color rush” uniforms were only worn in 2015 and 2016. Since 2018, the uniform consists of a black white or blue jersey with the Jaguars logo visible on the left shoulder. The pants are black, blue or white.
The redesign of the Jacksonville Jaguars' visual identity
The Jaguars announced in 2024 that they would wear their “Prowler Throwbacks” uniforms during that season. You may have seen them in this uniform during Week 5 against the Indianapolis Colts.
THE Prowler Throwbacks (return of the prowlers) take their name fromu Jaguar embroidered on the sleeves of the jerseys. The jerseys also feature a vintage tricolor number. The pants feature a gold teal and black stripe running the length of the pants. Finally, the helmets bear the original Jaguars logo used by the team during the inaugural season of 1995. Note that this is the first time that the Jaguars have worn a white helmet!
The Jaguars wore the original version of the Prowling Jaguar uniform from 1995 to 1997 and a similar version with detailed modifications from 1998 to 2008. According to Jaguars equipment manager George Pellicer, the Prowler Throwbacks that will be worn this season are based on the uniform from 1998 to 2008.
“Everywhere I go and from every comment I read, it’s obvious that our fans can’t wait to see Jaguars players in throwback uniforms,” Jaguars President Mark Lamping said in a statement.
The Jacksonville Jaguars mascot
Jaxson de Ville is the name of the mascot of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Why this strange name? Well quite simply as Jacksonville, Florida is often shortened to “Jax”. Jaxson's first appearance was on August 18, 1996 and was played by Curtis Dvorak until his retirement in June 2015.
It is a yellow anthropomorphic jaguar with teal spots. Jaxson wears sunglasses, Jaguars jersey, long shorts and black and teal sneakers. At back of his jersey we can read “Jaxson” with his number 00, while the front door only a paw print.
During some occasions he wears other outfits, like For example a military uniform (in November, the month dedicated to the military with the Salute to Service) or a swimsuit. It is sometimes brought to the field in a military jeep, usinga zip line or even jump to theelastic from the heights of the stadium. Occasionally it can be seen on his motorized scooter or in a golf cart. Jaxson also often throws a head in the pool at EverBank Stadium Jaguars.
Jaxson is known for his antics and its controversies. He often makes fun of and jokes with the other team's mascot, if present. These actions got him into trouble in 1998 and exchange NFL mascot rules. Despite thisJaxson was still considered a mascot by some annoying during A match.
Jaxson, like all mysNFL shirts, appears at numerous events in the Jacksonville community to support various causes. He also participates in the mascot convention And to the Jaguars newspaper.
“For 29 years, I myuis self-proclaimed the greatest mascot in the world to ever breathe air. This is science and you can't argue with that. »
When theswag East pushed to its maximum this gives Jaxson de Ville…
