by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Former Times-Union Publisher Carl Cannon will head a group of area business leaders in an effort to fill the stands for the Dec. 17 Jaguars game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Once that’s accomplished — it’s the team’s only prime-time, nationally-televised game of the year — the group will look at the long-term health of the team and what it will take to assure it stays in Jacksonville.
“The mayor (John Peyton) has asked me to be the convener of the group,” said Cannon, who is in the boat business with his son.
This morning at 10 at the Stadium, members of the group will formally meet with the media and unveil the plan to sell tickets to the Colts game and discuss the long-range mission.
“We will work toward selling as many as we can,” said Cannon. “We have gotten a broad plan together and we will announce it tomorrow morning. There’s a steering committee and some of the executives in town will volunteer their help. It’s primarily a volunteer group.”
Mayoral spokesperson Misty Skipper said Peyton has been putting the group together for a few weeks.
“He has met with community and business leaders about the longterm viability of the Jaguars in Jacksonville,” said Skipper. “Out of that, a community group is evolving. They are focused on the longterm sustainability and viability of the Jaguars in Jacksonville.
“It is a community and business leader effort.”
Cannon said Gator Bowl Association President Rick Catlett will lead the ticket-selling effort and he’ll be assisted by former Jaguar Tony Boselli.
“It will be like the Gator Bowl. There will be team captains,” said Cannon.
Boselli said the key is to grow the current fan base and instill a sense of loyalty. He’s from Boulder, Colo. and grew up a fan of the Denver Broncos. Some years, he said, the Broncos were good, some years they weren’t. Still, the games were sold out.
“This is our team and we have to take ownership of it,” said Boselli. “I still think there is a 40,000 person base that lives and dies. We need to build the loyalty to the team and help people understand the greatness of the NFL and what that means to a city.”
The Colts game happens to fall on the first day of winter break for the local public schools. Cannon said that, and the national television audience and prime-time atmosphere, should help the team sell enough tickets to assure the local blackout is lifted. Cannon also stressed the initiative isn’t about upstaging the Jaguars and the team’s marketing department.
“The whole point is, this effort is not about the Jaguars. Wayne (Weaver, team owner) will make his money here or, in the unfortunate case, he sells the team,” said Cannon. “This is not about him and his partners. We earned this team in 1995 and we need to keep the team here. He (Weaver) owns the Jaguars, but we own the team.
“There is some apathy with ticket buying and some economic stress. My job is to put all that aside — the grousing, the success or failure — put all that aside and get people to realize we could lose this team. That would be horrible for the community and we don’t want that to happen.”
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