Jacksonville sports review 2023: Jaguars stadium talks & PGA Tour-LIV golf merger stunner
This is the second of a four-part series looking back at the biggest sports stories from 2023 in Jacksonville.
A Jaguars run to the divisional playoffs, the next step in stadium rumblings and a virtual earthquake in the golf world.
A record catch in the ocean, gold medals in the pool and a no-no for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp on land.
Another Bulldog romp in the annual Georgia-Florida game, the return of UFC and new shakeups on the First Coast soccer scene.
Perfection, but frustration, for Florida State football.
Those were just a few of the storylines of note from 2023 in Northeast Florida sports, a year to remember from the gridiron to the green and beyond.
The Times-Union looks back at some of the area's big stories from the past year.
April 6: The University of North Florida hires Erika Lambert as head coach for women's basketball.
April 8: The Jacksonville Icemen defeat the Atlanta Gladiators 4-3 to qualify for the ECHL Kelly Cup playoffs for the third time in four years.
April 10: Jacksonville University hires Special Jennings as its new women's basketball coach.
April 19: Bartram Trail girls soccer finishes No. 1 in the final national rankings of the United Soccer Coaches.
April 23: Brendan Harris scores 4:18 into double overtime, leading the Jacksonville Icemen past the Greenville Swamp Rabbits 2-1 in Game 2 of their ECHL playoff series. The game is the longest in franchise history.
April 26: Edward Waters University hires Cabral Huff as head men's basketball coach.
April 27: The Jaguars trade down twice before selecting Oklahoma offensive tackle Anton Harrison as their top draft choice at No. 27 overall.
April 29: Nine players with Jacksonville high school ties, a new record, are selected in the NFL Draft.
May 6: With two saves from goalie Maddie Stevens in the final five seconds, Bartram Trail defeats St. Thomas Aquinas for the FHSAA Class 2A girls lacrosse championship.
May 10: Mayor Lenny Curry says that the Jaguars' planned renovation of TIAA Bank Field could force the team to play outside Jacksonville for two seasons.
May 15: The Florida Everblades eliminate the Jacksonville Icemen in Game 6 of the ECHL Kelly Cup South Division finals.
May 16: Jacksonville is awarded a franchise in the proposed USL Super League for professional women's soccer.
May 17: Gov. Ron DeSantis signs House Bill 225, which restructures the Florida High School Athletic Association board of directors and revises eligibility requirements, including provisions that authorize charter school and virtual school students to compete for private schools.
May 24: University Christian defeats Fort Myers Evangelical Christian in the Class 2A softball final, the program's first-ever championship.
May 25: The Jaguars sign former Broncos kicker Brandon McManus and trade Riley Patterson to the Lions.
May 27: A facility-record 15:31.00 by N.C. State sophomore Katelyn Tuohy in the women's 5,000 meters and a stadium-best 239-10 from Harvard's Stephanie Ratcliffe in the women's hammer throw highlight the NCAA East Preliminary track and field championship at the University of North Florida's Hodges Stadium.
May 30: University of North Florida baseball coach Tim Parenton resigns after six years due to health issues.
June 6: In a stunning move, the Ponte Vedra-based PGA Tour announces a merger with the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf Series.
June 7: The Jaguars reveal preliminary plans for their "stadium of the future."
June 22: The JAXUSL franchise in the USL Super League adds former University of Florida women's soccer head coach Becky Burleigh as a consultant.
June 22: In a letter to the city and the Jaguars, bank officials request the name change of TIAA Bank Field to EverBank Stadium. The change is implemented for the Jaguars' season.
June 23: The University of North Florida hires former Pitt assistant Joe Mercadante as head baseball coach.
June 24: Undefeated Ilia Topuria continues his rise up the featherweight ranks with a punishing five-round victory over Josh Emmett, highlighting UFC Fight Night at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville 2023 Sports Year Review: PGA Tour-LIV merger stunner
