FanPost

Why I Love the Jaguars (Feel-Good Story?)

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(We all remember this, especially me, for a good reason too.) via goldenrankings.com

Hello Jaguars fans, this article here is more of a story that I hold onto dearly for my life and its connection with the love of the Jags. With being excited for the season to get underway again, I wanted to share this story that I hope most of you will like, with it of being one of the many reasons that I wear and bear the Black and Teal today... Enjoy.

December 20, 2003. I was 6 years old at the time. I stayed over at my aunt and uncle's place in Orange Park for a family get-together. I was also told the day before that tomorrow was going to be my first ever Jacksonville Jaguars game against the New Orleans Saints. My first memory of the Jags that year would have to be that Fred Taylor run the same season to get the Jags to win, even though it was blacked out at the time, as long as I remembered. I stayed over, watched a Saturday Night Football game, and headed home. I was happy that I would have my first opportunity of watching the Jags play the next day, but I was also tired. The car was just turning into the intersection away from Argyle Rd., and then suddenly, my family and I were involved in a fender-bender. I remember my face hitting the car seat hard, I was crying in pain at the moment. I looked over to my parents at the front-seat, my father broke his right leg and my mother suffered injuries in her knees. The only person that didn't suffer injuries in the accident was my brother. I remember sitting there in pain and waiting. I remember getting out of the car around 5 minutes after the impact and an ambulance came around another 10 minutes, as they lay me down, cut off my clothes, and arrived at Baptist Hospital in Downtown. The only thing I remembered was that I was taken into the emergency room, and they told me that I needed to sleep. And so I looked at the clock, around 1:00 A.M. and I fell asleep.

I woke up 3 hours later, they told me that an operation was completed at the time, but I wasn't too worried about that at the time, as I saw my parents check up on me, as they showed up in a wheelchair and crutches. They told me my other uncle and aunt, who lived in the same neighborhood at the time, would take me to their place to spend the night. I remember passing by ALLTEL Stadium when going home, telling my uncle I'm going over there tomorrow, as I fell asleep in the car. I woke up and walked out of bed when I saw the Jack Del Rio Show on TV, and asked my uncle when I was going home, as I went home just a few minutes later. I saw my parents again and my first question was "When are we going to get ready for the game?" I remember the moment when my dad told me to look myself in the mirror that day, I saw that my nose was broken and my lip was stretched out to the right. I knew I couldn't go looking like that, I was shell-shocked, upset, and tired all at the same time. I remember walking into my bedroom and decided that I needed more rest. I remember waking up, my entire family living in Jacksonville was there to check up on my family, with three groups of aunts, uncles, and cousins there. I said hello to all of them, but the only thing I could realize was the Jags-Saints game on TV. And all I remember witnessing what I thought to be was the most ridiculous thing that I've ever seen in my then short period of watching football. The River City Relay was there and it was just a WOW moment, even as a child. And I remember thinking, "Man, this is going to overtime," as the unthinkable happened....

2003 - Saints @ Jaguars - Miracle Finish (via CatchTheTaste)

He missed it! I remember cheering at the moment that John Carney missing that kick; I was so happy, as I decided to go back to my room and watch ESPN for almost the rest of the day to see repeats of the highlights of the Jags-Saints game. I remember that game gave me something more than just a Jaguars victory, it gave me hope. I remember that talking, laughing, and eating would hurt with my injuries, but that game gave me a sense of hope that I was looking for when I seemed to be upset. The Jacksonville Jaguars, thanks to John Carney, gave me thoughts to always expect the unexpected, but always keep your head up, at the same time, even when you seem down and out. Ever since that day, I have never missed a Jaguars game whether on TV, radio, or in the stadium ever since that game. As that day also molded me into the crazy sports fan I am today and an even better person, being at a young age.

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