'DUUUVAL!': What to know about the Jacksonville Jaguars chant
When the Jacksonville Jaguars took the field at TIAA Bank Field for their playoff game against the Los Angeles Chargers, millions of football fans for the first time heard "Duuuval!" raining down from the decks of the stadium and into their living rooms. Others were introduced to it at the NFL Draft after the Jags' picks were announced.
But what does it mean? Here's what you should know about the chant from Jaguars fans.
Why do Jaguars fans shout Duuuval and what is its meaning?
“Duuuval!” is a rallying cry of sorts for Jaguars fans to show support for Jacksonville’s NFL franchise. The chant comes from Duval, the county in which Jacksonville is located. (Fun fact: Since consolidation in 1968, all of Jacksonville except for a handful of communities – including Baldwin and Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach and Jacksonville Beach – encompasses Duval County.)
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How do you spell Duuuval?
The chant is spelled with three U’s. (Duval, in Duval County, is spelled with just one U.)
When did Jaguars fans first begin saying “Duuuval!”?
According to John Caputo, a founding member of Jaguars fan club Bold City Brigade, the chant’s origins at TIAA Bank Field are hard to nail down. But he recalls former players Mike Peterson and Paul Spicer yelling the phrase in the mid-2000s, ESPN’s Mike DiRocco reported in 2018.
The chant became more popular in 2013, other sources say, when Jaguars fans voted via Twitter to be referred to as Duval.
(In any case, it’s here to stay.)
Where did Duuuval come from?
“DUUUVAL” might be most associated with the Jaguars now, but it could be heard on local radio back in the ‘90s, when DJ Easy E, then of 92.7 The Beat, made it into a radio drop and popularized it, said Eric Moed.
A group of hip-hop artists then started calling it out at concerts. The wider Jacksonville community then adopted it — and many forgot where it came from.
What is the First DUUUVAL?
Tony Boselli kicked off a new tradition as we let the world know where we're from with the First DUUUVAL of the game!
Posted by Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday, September 17, 2018
At the start of the 2018 season, the Jaguars began a new tradition before every kickoff, the First DUUUVAL of the game, in which a local notable yells the chant. First up was legendary Jaguars tackle (and now Hall of Famer) Tony Boselli.
For Saturday's game against the Chargers, former Jaguars defensive tackle "Big John Henderson" will lead the call to Jaguars Nation.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Why do Jaguars fans say DUUUVAL!? Here is what to know about the chant
