Touchdown Jacksonville!

Sporting News, The, Dec 13, 1993 by Pete Prisco

After pulling off the |upset of the century,' shoe magnate J. Wayne Weaver is sizing up the options to lead his organization

J. Wayne Weaver, the owner of the NFL's new Jacksonville franchise, knows shoes, that's for sure. After all, he went from an Al Bundy-like shoe salesman to the builder of Shoe Carnival, Inc., one of the leading retailers of women's shoes in the country. He became a multimillionaire in the process.

Football, though, is another story.

Although Weaver is a lifelong fan of the NFL -- he once was a season-ticket holder of the old St. Louis Cardinals when he resided in that city -- he makes it known that by no means does he profess to be what he calls "a football mind."

It's no wonder, then, that his first priority in building the NFL's 30th franchise will be to find a general manager with a strong football background.

"Nobody in our organization has football expertise," Weaver says. "We need a person who can come in here and know the league right away. A person who will build this team from a football standpoint. We know it's a tough job, but we also know there are plenty of capable candidates out there to do it. We want to get that person in here as soon as possible."

Since the NFL awarded Weaver a franchise last week, in what he calls the "upset of the century," the phones haven't stopped ringing at the laguars' temporary offices. Not only are tickets being sold by the bushel -- a sellout of season tickets almost is certain -- but also job seekers have been filling the phone lines.

"It's been crazy," Jaguars President David Seldin says. "We've been getting hundreds of calls a day from people inquiring about jobs. I never thought it would be this wild."

Weaver, who intends to move his home from Connecticut to Jacksonville sometime soon, has said he wants his general manager in place by early 1994. That person will be responsible for putting together the organization and will have major input on the hiring of a coach. Weaver makes it clear that coach and general manager will not be a combined job.

"We feel a coach has enough to handle in the NFL these days without having to worry about being a general manager, too," Weaver says. "That's why we feel it so important to get the G.M. in here as soon as possible."

Two former successful NFL executive already have expressed an interest in the job. Bill Polian, who helped build the Buffalo Bills into three-time AFC champions, was the first to pursue the job. Polian, a vice president in the league office, wants to work for a team. The Jacksonville situation would seem to be ideal for him. Like Buffalo, Jacksonville is a small market that will depend on the passion of its fans for success at the gate. And with the team having to be built from scratch, it's a similar situation to what Polian faced when he first joined the Bills in 1984.

Another man who has expressed interest in the job is Bill Tobin, the former Chicago Bears' vice president for player personnel, who resigned last summer after his duties were slashed under new Coach Dave Wannstedt. Tobin, who has had a summer home in nearby Palm Coast, Fla., helped build the Bear's Super Bowl team.

Both men seem to fit Weaver's job description. "It's too premature to talk specifics," Weaver says. "We intend to get out and visit with many NFL teams to get ideas on how to structure our organization and to get some names for the general manager's position. We're going to try and put the football side of the organization together as quickly as possible. We realize the importance of doing that."

Weaver plans to take a slower approach to pursuing a coach. "We don't think hiring a coach is that important right away," he says. "My highest priority is to hire a general manager."

That hasn't stopped the coaching speculation. Among the names being mentioned are Florida Coach Steve Spurrier, Miami Coach Dennis Erickson, former Packers coach Lindy Infante, who also coached the USFL's Jacksonville Bulls, former Chicago coach Mike Ditka, former Washington coach Joe Gibbs and San Francisco offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan.

Infante, who lives near Jacksonville in Crescent Beach, Fla., already has said he is interested in the position. Spurrier has a clause in his Florida contract that prohibits him from coaching an NFL team in Florida for two years after he leaves Gainesville. However, that clause has a buyout option.

Gibbs is rumored to be the leading candidate for the Carolina job, but word is he wants a piece of any team he agrees to coach. Weaver many be agreeable to such a request. Ditka is said to be comfortable in his role with NBC. And there are those who question whether he could be patient enough to coach a young team.

The person who is hired can expect little meddling from Weaver. His business philosophy is to hire good people and let them do their jobs. "Look at my history in the shoe business," he says. "You never want to over-manage. That's not my style."

So far, the NFL's decision to put a team in Jacksonville looks like a good move. NFL merchandise in the city is selling at an amazing pace. "They said they gave it to us in part because of the passion for football," Weaver says. "Well, there's proof that they were right."