JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Most people are casual fans of sports teams, but then you have a small group of people — the diehards, the passionate ones. Some may call them crazy but others call them superfans. Now, Jacksonville native Stephen DeAngelo is part of the special group of Jaguars superfans after he went viral on social media for his reaction during the Colts home victory thanks to a “Good Morning Football” segment.
Will you ever love anything as much as @HappyJagsFan904 loves the @Jaguars? 😂#DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/2F8tqbamVu
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) October 11, 2024
“A diehard fan for sure,” DeAngelo said. “A very passionate fan, but a superfan? Didn’t think I had that title.”
Now, like it or not, DeAngelo is one of the notable Jaguars fans. During the Jaguars home game against the Packers, people recognized him from the viral social media post.
“The people behind me who have season tickets as well, they did,” DeAngelo said. “So they were very happy to see me; like ‘hey we saw you on TV’. A few people here and there at work, a handful of people came up to me and said they saw the segment.”
The moment that brought so much joy to DeAngelo: Tank Bigsby’s 65-yard touchdown run that put the Jaguars up 34-20 over Indianapolis in the fourth quarter.
“That was the happiest I’ve been since the playoff win against the Chargers in 2022,” DeAngelo said. “That was the same feeling I had. We’re finally getting a win. Again, we hadn’t got that many in a while. It’s the first win of the season. I get to wear my victory polo on Monday. Just pure happiness. That’s why you go to the games. That’s why you’re a fan.”
DeAngelo’s been a fan since the franchise arrived in Jacksonville when he was 5 years old. Now at 33, he still remembers his first memory as a Jaguars fan.
“It was a night game going with my father,” DeAngelo said. “My father got season tickets Day 1. We parked 13 miles away. Walking for an hour and a half and then getting to the corridor and walking and seeing the field and the lights and hearing the crowd roar and seeing the players run out on the field. That moment is what hooked me.”
He says he still feels that moment to this day.
“Every time,” DeAngelo said. “Walking out, seeing the field, hearing the noise, hearing the anthem.”
DeAngelo likes to share the joy he feels every Sunday in the fall with his friends and family.
“It’s much more than a game,” DeAngelo said. “There’s so much to be taken away from it. I try to focus on the positives and the experiences and the memories that are made when you’re there.”
Each home game can start either the best day of the week for DeAngelo, or the worst day of the week depending on the outcome of the game.
“I tell my coworkers jokingly on Mondays, if we happen to lose, morning meeting on Monday I don’t say anything,” DeAngelo said. “I just come in pouty face, don’t say anything. But when we win I’m the first one there, I’m the loudest one in the office.”
But just like every sports fan learns eventually, you can’t let the wins or losses affect you too much.
“I’m very, very passionate, but my mother taught me at a young age you cannot let the Jaguars control your mood,” DeAngelo said. “I was 9 years old. The Jaguars had lost. I was doing the dishwasher and crying. My mom said ‘Stephen they’re going to lose more games. You can’t cry every single time’. I don’t take it personally. I don’t let it truly affect my mood. I mean it hurts, but I still move forward.”
If being a superfan was a job, the description would read: need tons of clothing and memorabilia. DeAngelo has that box checked.
“First jersey I ever got, little Tony Boselli,” DeAngelo said. “Signed on the back. Despite it being a children’s extra large, still fits. So I still get to wear this to the games every now and then.”
DeAngelo’s favorite Jaguars player ever: Fred Taylor. His favorite current Jaguars player is Trevor Lawrence. His favorite head coach: Tom Coughlin. DeAngelo never ventured far from his roots. The Mandarin grad went to the University of Florida and then returned home once he graduated. He says being a Jaguars longtime fan helped him grow into the man he is today.
“It gives me something to truly care about,” DeAngelo said. “It gives me something to talk with anybody. Sports brings people together. It is always fun when I am out and about or if I am not in Jacksonville and people say what team do you follow? ‘Oh I’m a Jags fan’. They typically go ‘why?’ I go ‘I’m born and raised’. It’s my team through and through.”
One more thing — DeAngelo’s ecstatic reaction wasn’t the only thing brought up in the “Good Morning Football” clip. He was also asked about the woman he was joyfully hugging. Now, a few weeks later, we needed an update on his relationship status with Katie.
“I’ll do it for you and I’ll do it for you guys. We’re official. I’m going to break it on TV for you guys.”