by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Long before Bob Downey took over as general manager of SMG, the group in charge of putting events in Jacksonville’s sports venues, he helped a parallel company orchestrate events in RFK Stadium just outside Washington, D.C. One of those annual events — before the untimely death of Jerry Garcia — was a two-day Grateful Dead concert.
Downey remembers the concerts vividly.
“It was always the hottest two days of the summer,” said Downey. “There would be 85,000 to 90,000 people with another 20,000 outside. They would show up early in the week and party all week. Every year, 2-3,000 would charge the gate trying to get in. All the other events paled in comparison.”
Until Downey got to Jacksonville and experienced his first Georgia-Florida game. The crowd and atmosphere may be different from a Dead show, but the theme’s the same: tens of thousands of people in one area, in altered states. And, it doesn’t bother Downey a bit because he knows that after this year’s game, everything will get easier.
This year’s “Cocktail Party” will be Downey’s seventh and things will be a little different from years past. Obviously, the night game will present Downey and his crew unique challenges. The late start may mean more time to prepare the stadium, but also it was also make for a much longer day. The stadium itself, which SMG must focus on more than anything, is also an issue. Improvements have been made in conjunction with the Jacksonville Jaguars — there are cup holders on every seat, colder water in the fountains, better ventilation in the bathrooms and a better selection of concessionaires — but Alltel Stadium is also undergoing some major renovations that fans will have to deal with this weekend.
“I think we are having a good year so far,” said Downey. “There are some minor problems with the stadium. Obviously, the late start makes it a long day, but that’s the least of our problems.”
Two things fans will notice immediately are the work in the south end zone and the construction at Gates 2 and 3. The City and the Jaguars are currently renovating the south end zone into what will eventually become a concrete pavilion with luxury seats and a massive sports bar. This year, the 10,000 temporary seats installed for the game are on scaffolding that reaches ground level. Next year, that will be different.
“This time next year the deck will be in place and the temporary seats will sit on a permanent deck,” said Downey. “Fans will not look down 70 feet from the top of the bleachers.”
Gates 2 and 3 are also under construction. Plans are to install escalators are both entrances to help alleviate fan congestion before and after games.
“We will get as much debris removed from those areas as possible,” said Downey, adding that the exposed dirt and gravel in the south end zone has been paved over.
One thing that has not been decided yet is where ESPN’s “Gameday” crew will set up. For the first time in several years, Chris Fowler, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit will be in town for the game. The weekly college football pregame show travels around the country and sets up shop at each week’s best game. The show traditionally draws big, early crowds who lustily cheer and jeer throughout the show’s hour and a half.
“We are still working on that,” said Downey. “At one point we were going to put them close to where Wolfson Park was. It’s still being discussed.”
One item not up for debate is the field itself. Although it has been over seeded with winter rye grass, SMG hasn’t replaced the sod yet this football season — an event that tends to happen several times a year because of wear and tear.
“The field has held up really well. The grass from last year has not been replaced,” said Downey, noting that’s because the Jaguars have played four home games in virtually perfect weather. “We will likely resod after the [Nov. 10] Washington Redskins game, at least the middle of the field.”
As much as Downey is ready for this year, he’s really excited about future Georgia-Florida games. Although most of the sports complex is a construction zone right now, that will change dramatically next year. The new baseball park will have already seen a season of Suns baseball and the new arena won’t need much more than a final once-over. With those venues — and Metropolitan Park — available for future games, Downey sees that day when Georgia-Florida events encompass most of the week.
“I don’t think we’ll ever see events Monday through Sunday, but I can see Wednesday or Thursday through Sunday,” he said. “We’ve already got hockey [the Jacksonville Barracudas] scheduled in the old coliseum Friday night. And, the club hockey teams from Florida and Georgia are playing before the Barracudas.”