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Happy birthday Jacksonville Jaguars

Wayne Weaver poses with helmet moments after Jacksonville was awarded the franchise. (photo courtesy Florida Times-Union)

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.

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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

 STORIES FROM WJXT DOCUMENTARY
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The Weavers | Tom Coughlin | 1993 WJXT special