by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Two years ago, Jacksonville became the smallest National Football League market to host the Super Bowl. Over 100,000 people flocked to the city over the course of the week. The organization of everything from transportation for the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles to bringing in cruise ships to serve as floating hotels fell, for the most part, on the Jacksonville Super Bowl Host Committee.
Although that group included an enormous number of community and business leaders and thousands of volunteers, a core group of people ran the day-to-day business of preparing for the big game. They got ready for events leading up to the game, the game itself and “Black Monday” — the day after Super Bowl and traditionally the day a vast majority of the fans leave town.
About 800 million people from 200 countries watched the Jacksonville game, and the City of Jacksonville put on a show despite uncertain weather early in the week.
Over the past few weeks, the Daily Record caught up to most of the people that worked on the Host Committee. Some have left town and couldn’t be located. Others are still here in various capacities. A few are in Miami now, getting ready for Sunday’s game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Bears.
We asked each one what they are doing these days and how they got there. We also asked them to reflect back on the week leading up to the game in Jacksonville or the game itself. Their answers are as varied as the Host Committee itself.
“I am currently serving as the president of the South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee for the game on Sunday.
I will always remember looking out of my office window on Saturday afternoon and watching thousands of people enjoy the SuperFest activities and walking across the Main Street bridge. I will also never forget looking out of that same window and watching the final cruise ship pulling out of downtown on a beautiful Monday morning.”
— Mike Kelly
“I am the director of business management in the Housing and Neighborhoods Department [for the City of Jacksonville]. As a loaned City employee, I transferred over to the department at the conclusion of Super Bowl.
A lot of late nights and cruise ships. Seriously, it was very exciting to see the hard work of so many people come to fruition and so....successfully. Jacksonville was unrecognizable. It was truly a climactic event! Watching the fireworks from the Host Committee offices at 9:30 p.m. on Thursday night and the realization that it was here and would soon be over. There was sadness to the finality.”
— Kandi Begue
“I am now working at Fresh Ministries as director, external relations, marketing and development. I had served on the Fresh Ministries board for about five years [during my work bringing the Super Bowl to Jacksonville] and had a real love for what they do in the Jacksonville community as well as their work in the prevention of AIDS/HIV in South Africa. Dr. Robert Lee, CEO of Fresh Ministries, convinced me that I would be happy working in this very different arena and he was right. The work fills my soul.
What I remember most about the days leading up to Super Bowl XXXIX was the way the community felt about hosting this national event. There was electricity in the air, an acceptance that we had become a first class city that could compete with anyone in the nation.
After the Super Bowl, there was a feeling of accomplishment that our city had done a great job welcoming visitors and putting on a first-rate party for the world to see. The Super Bowl experience gave the citizens of Jacksonville a new sense of pride.
It was a great time for me personally and I treasure spending it with great folks.”
— Shelly Marino
“I am a program director for the YMCA of Florida’s First Coast. I have two roles with the organization. I am a program director at the Yates Family YMCA in Riverside in charge of our youth/adult sports and our swim team. I am also the director of the First Coast Games, which is our corporate challenge event. (We wrapped up our inaugural event in October.)
I just remember the general excitement around the city. Everywhere I went people were counting the days and were excited about all of the events that were going to be going around town. It was a special time I’ll never forget.”
— Roderick Crabbe
“I took a marketing position with the MPS Group, who served as a JSBHC sponsor. I’ve also been volunteering with the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission’s Sports & Entertainment Board and Mike Sullivan as Jacksonville has hosted the NCAA tournament and Florida-Georgia games, etc. I enjoy being a part of the benefit that sports brings to this market.
The Super Bowl coming to Jacksonville was an extremely anxious and exciting time for the city and the Host Committee. It was long hours, lots of places to be, lots of different hats to wear and lots of very important people to take care of...and absolutely worth it. That week leading up to Super Bowl was everything from sleeping in the office to showing up in black tie. Yet, that’s why we existed and we were lucky to have an incredible, unique group to work with. I miss it a lot and would do it again in a heartbeat, but really wish I had seen more happen with Downtown Jacksonville as a result of the Super Bowl exposure.”
— Katrin Casey
“I am currently working in Savannah, Ga. as the public relations manager at the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa. I kind of fell into the opportunity after looking for a job for a bit after my job ended at the Jacksonville Super Bowl Host Committee. My dad has worked with some people in Savannah for years, so that’s how I found out about the position. I was hired in January of last year as public relations coordinator and was recently promoted to manager. I’m having a great time working for a great company, and I think I learned a lot working at the Host Committee that really helps me in my current job, especially from Heather and Amanda. I’m not sure if Heather told you this, but I started out as an intern at the Host Committee, working on marketing, public relations and other miscellaneous projects, then I was hired on to the administrative assistant position for the last 11 or so months.
It all seems almost a blur now that I look back on it. I remember feeling anxious to see how everything would actually turn out - how the whole Super Fest area would be set up and how many people would come out for the festivities. I remember feeling very excited and proud of our city, and afterwards, very tired. The fireworks on that Thursday night before the game were the best I’ve ever seen, with that display of lights shooting off the bridge and buildings. It was also really great to see the community participation - the small businesses that benefited from the NFL contracts, the Super Bowl XXXIX banners around the city, and the excitement that everyone seemed to have even if they didn’t go to the game. And yes, I will be watching the ‘big game’ again in a couple weeks.”
— Pam Sibley
“I have been working for Regency Centers, headquartered in Downtown Jacksonville, in their marketing department as manager ... for almost two years. Regency was a sponsor of the Host Committee, and since my position at the SBHC [Host Committee] was marketing, membership club coordinator, I worked very closely with Regency to fulfill their sponsorship for two years. After the Super Bowl, I was contacted by Regency about an upcoming position in their marketing department, and it ended up being a great fit.
The game was memorable, of course – especially being able to sit together and share that experience with the people I had been working with for almost three years. However, the days leading up to the Super Bowl were far more memorable. All of the planning, strategizing, and hours put into the event were realized during those days and it was incredible to see and experience in person, rather than on paper, the various facets that make the Super Bowl what it is.”
— Lindsay Skinner
“I established my own public relations firm shortly after Super Bowl, and I truly believe it was the best professional decision I ever made. I’m currently working with several different types of clients and enjoying every minute of it. 2006 was a great year for me – professionally and personally.
I remember praying for sunshine. It was freezing cold the week before Super Bowl — not just cold, but a wet, bone-chilling cold. I was in the media center for most of the week, listening to loud grumbling (whining) from the national media — generally an unhappy bunch in the best of conditions. Nearly all of the national and international media arrived a full week before the game, so they experienced the worst of Jacksonville weather. I remember a producer from “The Tonight Show” complaining about golf ball-sized hail on JTB [J. Turner Butler Boulevard]! By Friday, just in time for the biggest contingent of Super Bowl visitors, the clouds parted, the sun came out and the city looked positively radiant. In the 20-plus years I’ve lived in Jacksonville, I’ve never seen the city look so beautiful — and I’ve never felt such a rush of civic pride. The fireworks over the St. Johns were masterful; Downtown was electric. After the game on Sunday, I breathed a sigh of relief that we had pulled it off — one of the smallest cities in the NFL had successfully hosted the nation’s biggest event and everyone had a little fun in the process.”
— Heather Surface
“I am working and living in Clayton County Georgia (south metro Atlanta), the ‘Legendary Land of Gone with the Wind’, where I am now serving as president and CEO of the Convention and Visitors Bureau and have since September of 2006.
Immediately after the Super Bowl I did some consulting work along with a local publicist, Leigh Cort, and we conducted hospitality training and did some ‘secret shopper’ projects for local country clubs and hospitality venues in North Florida.
The Jacksonville Port Authority offered me a position later in 2005 to come head up their cruise line marketing efforts to bring additional ships into Jacksonville, which was good because of my experience with the Super Bowl cruise ships. But after six months, I was a bit under-utilized and ready to be in in a position of leadership again, so I decided to move back into my first love...the tourism business. And since Atlanta had been my home for many years, the move back here was a good fit for me. I would have liked to stay in the Jacksonville area, but jobs in my field are limited, so Atlanta turned out to be a very good choice. I have a daughter who lives here so that is a tremendous benefit to me.
As far as my memories of the Super Bowl in Jacksonville...Gosh, the excitement, especially those last few weeks was just tremendous, and so was the work. It all boiled down to being able to deliver what we had promised five years earlier in our bid presentation to the NFL, and when it came time to deliver, we found that we had planned well and were able to execute as promised. What a thrill it was to be part of a first-class team led by Michael Kelly, the senior management team and our executive board of directors. It truly was a team effort and something I will never forget.
Now that I have worked on the planning of the Centennial Olympic Games in 1996 in Atlanta and Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005, I am quite happy to be leading a small company on an exciting, but less stressful journey. But I am remembering our ride in Jacksonville with extreme fondness and delight — and a bit of pride, I must admit.”
— Pat Duncan
“I am the director, stadium development and event operations for the Cleveland Browns and got the job through a contact made [while] working the Tampa and Jacksonville Super Bowl Host Committees.
Thursday prior to the game watching the three Holland America cruise ships coming down the river in a line to dock at Talleyrand Saturday afternoon prior to the game: All of the things that had been planned, discussed in meetings, and viewed on diagrams were occurring. The JTA Super Shuttles were full of passengers; the NFL Experience was packed at JEA Park; the water taxis were taking people across the river; cruise ships, yachts and boats were tied up along the North and Southbanks; people were walking across the Main Street Bridge, along the Riverwalks and down Bay Street enjoying SuperFest. There was a sense of pride that the City had accomplished its goal of being a Super Bowl city.”
— Reid Sigmon
“I am currently serving as marketing and communications manager at the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce, specifically focused on the continued economic development of the Northeast Florida region.
While working for the Host Committee, I served as the communications coordinator. The week leading up to Super Bowl felt like a blur, with one exciting event after another and a never-ending to-do list. Having the chance to participate in an event of such historical significance to Jacksonville produced a healthy supply of adrenaline that kept me running on all cylinders. My most vivid memories of Super Bowl week include watching Emmitt Smith retire at the media center, singing along with Paul McCartney’s halftime show and waking up Monday morning to a great headline that read, ‘Two Winners: Pats, Jacksonville.’ ”
— Amanda Holt
“Since Super Bowl XXXIX, I have been busy working as a Realtor. However, my husband and I are currently five months pregnant with a baby boy, so for now I’ve only got baby on the brain!
My favorite memories from Super Bowl XXXIX have to do with the people that I worked with. I formed some incredible friendships, and while the events were exciting and the game was incredible, sharing them with great friends was something I’ll always treasure.”
— Jessica Russell
Darryl Mulligan and Heather Murphy-Capps have both left Jacksonville and could not be reached. Soulan Johnson and Nikki Epley did not respond, but both are working for Kelly as members of the South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee.