The iconic bronze Jaguar statue, dubbed ‘TOUCHDOWN’ that guards the west side of EverBank Stadium for the Jacksonville Jaguars, has been temporarily removed after 31 years.
To make way for the team’s Stadium of the Future renovation project, the statue was moved to make way for the construction crew that is working around the clock to stay on target for the stadium’s grand re-opening in 2028.
The Jaguars will still play games in Jacksonville this season, albeit with two home games sent away to London. In 2027, the team will play their home games in Orlando at Camping World Stadium.
“After bearing witness to Jaguars football over the last 31 seasons and serving as a superintendent to the first year of stadium construction, TOUCHDOWN is taking a well-deserved sabbatical as we identify a temporary location that keeps his safety in mind during the next phase of the construction,” the Jaguars said in a statement Tuesday.
“He is very much a part of our new Stadium of the Future plans, where he will be permanently relocated to his new home, welcoming fans entering at Gate 1 upon its grand opening in August 2028.”
The statue will be moved to the Fairgrounds for now while the team works on identifying a temporary, public location for the upcoming season. The Jaguars revealed the removal via a social media post on X, featuring a construction crew and team mascot Jaxson De Ville. The latter didn’t appear happy to see the Jaguar moved.
Weighing a staggering 3,100 pounds, the crew had to use 200 tons of counterweight on the crane to lift the big cat.
Jaguars ‘TOUCHDOWN’ statue has infamous history
It hasn’t been a particularly quiet 31 years for ‘TOUCHDOWN.’ On Nov. 26, 1997, 9-year-old Andy Wilkinson was playing around the statue before getting his head stuck in the teeth of the Jaguar.
A crowd of Jaguars team leaders and other onlookers quickly went to work, attempting to remove the boy from the statue’s jaws, however the fire department had to be called.
The crew went through many methods of getting Wilkinson out of the statue without harming either party. They thought about using grease or pulling, but everything was too tight, leading to the eventual dental work the crew had to use on the team statue. The fire department ultimately used a smaller saw to cut the tooth, which freed the child.
The entire process took about an hour before Wilkinson was finally retrieved without harm.
Afterward, Wilkinson wrote a letter of apology to former team owner Wayne Weaver and offered to do chores to help him pay for the damage.
Ultimately, the statue created by Leigh Weaver, daughter of Wayne and Delores Weaver, and sculptor Beau Gage, was repaired without further incident.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @Demetrius82 or on Bluesky at Demetrius.
If you’re a subscriber, thank you. If not, please consider subscribing to support local journalism in Northeast Florida.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars ‘TOUCHDOWN’ statue moved for stadium renovations
Reporting by Demetrius Harvey, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
