On November 30th, 1993, Jacksonville, Florida was awarded the NFL's 30th franchise. Local reporters still remember it as the most electric night in city history. Fireworks exploded over the St. Johns River, the party at the Jacksonville Landing lasted until daybreak, and future mayor John Delaney ran through his downtown office shouting "Big League City!" Though many in the national media considered Jacksonville's improbable expansion victory over St. Louis, Oakland, and Baltimore to be one of the greatest upsets in sports history, to locals, it was truly the culmination of their city's century-long love affair with the sport of football.

Big League City! 100 Years of Football in Jacksonville chronicles Jacksonville's unmatched gridiron fervor, from Florida's first college football game held in the wake of the Great Fire of 1901, to the birth of the Florida-Georgia game and the Gator Bowl Classic, to the numerous professional teams from long-forgotten leagues that have called Jacksonville home, through the new era of Jaguars football currently underway.

Years in the making with research drawn from thousands of sources and featuring an exclusive foreword written by Jaguars owner Shad Khan, Big League City! is the definitive book on Jacksonville's football history.

Included inside: The Great Fire of 1901, Florida's First College Football Game, Early UF, FSU, and UG Football, The Florida-Georgia Game, Jacksonville's All-Stars face off against Red Grange and the Chicago Bears, The Jacksonville Bears, the birth of the Gator Bowl, Jacksonville's "Negro Bowls," The Senior Bowl, The Southern Leagues, The Hotel Roosevelt Fire, The 1968 and 1969 AFL All-Star Games, The 1976 NFL Expansion Race, The WFL's Jacksonville Sharks and Express Express, Colt Fever Night, Jacksonville's USFL Bulls, Bud Adams and the Jacksonville Oilers, The Jacksonville Robins, the 1989 NFL Expansion Race, Touchdown Jacksonville!, Wayne Weaver, the naming of the Jaguars, the War on Charlotte, NFL Now!, The Arena League Tomcats, Building an NFL Stadium, the Miracle Season, Woody Paige vs. Jacksonville and Woody's reflection on his infamous column, Small Market/Big Stadium, Bidding for and receiving Super Bowl XXXIX, The Jacksonville Sharks, The Dixie Blues, Bobby Bowden's Last Game, the LFL Breeze, the Sale of the Jaguars, Shad Khan, and much, much more.

What they're saying:

"Ken Bowen's book is indeed about football. But it is also a book about the history of a city, wrapped around a community's love affair with sports and competition. The author tells a wonderful tale, whether or not you are from Jacksonville, or whether or not you are a sports fan. A great read, well researched and well told."
-John Delaney, Mayor of Jacksonville (1995-2003), Architect of the $2.2 Billion Better Jacksonville Plan, President of University of North Florida (2003-Present)

"From the cocktail party to Coughlin, the Bulls to Brunell and the Gator Bowl to Gus, Ken Bowen's book is an interesting read for any football fan in general, and any Jacksonville football fan in particular."
-Ryan O'Halloran, Florida Times-Union

"Ken Bowen's Big League City! 100 Years of Football in Jacksonville is a must read for any sports loving Jaxson. It provides a comprehensive, exciting, and information-filled look at how America's favorite sport and Jacksonville have grown up together over the last century."
-Ennis Davis, author of Reclaiming Jacksonville: Stories Behind the River City's Historic Landmarks and Cohen Brothers: The Big Store

"Big League City! is a MUST read for anyone who loves football and Jacksonville. While I can't confirm or deny the information written about me for 5th Amendment purposes, I can say that I am honored to be a small part of this great city's football history!"
-Curtis "Jaxson De Ville" Dvora