For nearly seventy years, Gator Bowl Stadium sat on the north bank of the St. Johns River in downtown Jacksonville, growing from a 7,600-seat high school football ground into an 80,126-seat Southern colossus that hosted the Florida-Georgia rivalry, the Gator Bowl, professional football and soccer, and one of the most consequential concerts in rock and roll history.
The stadium is gone — razed in 1994 to make way for the arena now known as EverBank Stadium — but its footprint and its name still live on at the same Jacksonville site today. Here’s everything worth knowing about where it stood, how big it got, and what happened to it.
Quick Answer
Gator Bowl Stadium was a football venue in Jacksonville, Florida, built in 1927 as 7,600-seat Fairfield Stadium and expanded over decades to a peak capacity of 80,126 by 1984. It was demolished in 1994 and replaced on the same site by what is now EverBank Stadium, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Where Was Gator Bowl Stadium Located?
The stadium stood at 1406 Gator Bowl Blvd in downtown Jacksonville, Florida (32202), on the north bank of the St. Johns River — coordinates roughly 30.324°N, 81.638°W. That exact site is still a stadium today: when Gator Bowl Stadium was razed in 1994, the new structure was built on the same footprint, though the site’s official address has since changed — the stadium there today, EverBank Stadium, is addressed as 1 EverBank Stadium Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32202.
That’s why longtime Jacksonville residents still casually call game day at EverBank Stadium a trip to “the Gator Bowl” — the name survives both as the annual bowl game’s title and as local shorthand for the site itself, even though the original building is gone.
From Fairfield Stadium to an 80,000-Seat Giant: The Expansion Timeline
The venue opened in 1927 as Fairfield Stadium, built specifically to give Jacksonville’s three high schools — Lee, Jackson, and Landon — a home field. It seated just 7,600 people. Florida Governor John W. Martin reportedly called it “the best place in Florida to watch a football game” at its dedication.
Growth tracked the rising popularity of the Gator Bowl game, first played there on January 1, 1946. The stadium doubled to 16,000 seats in 1948 and was renamed Gator Bowl Stadium that same year. A 1949 expansion pushed capacity to 36,058, where it held steady until 1957, when it grew again to roughly 62,000. A 1974 expansion brought it to about 72,000, and the final major addition — a new west upper deck in 1982 that fed into the 1984 expansion — took the stadium to its peak of 80,126 seats, making it one of the largest football venues in the American South.
Through those decades the facility carried several names in succession: Fairfield Stadium, then Gator Bowl Stadium, later the Gator Bowl Sports Complex, and finally Jacksonville Municipal Stadium after the 1990s reconstruction — the direct predecessor of today’s EverBank Stadium.
The 1964 Beatles Concert and Its Civil Rights Stand
On September 11, 1964, the Beatles played Gator Bowl Stadium during their first American tour — but almost didn’t. Learning the venue would be racially segregated, the band refused to go on. John Lennon reportedly told promoters, “We never play to segregated audiences and we aren’t going to start now. I’d sooner lose our appearance money.” City officials relented and the crowd of roughly 23,000, who paid about $4 to $5 a ticket, sat together.
The show nearly didn’t happen for a different reason too: Hurricane Dora had torn through Jacksonville the day before, knocking out power across much of the city. High winds that lingered into concert night were strong enough that Ringo Starr’s drum kit had to be nailed to the stage to keep it from blowing over. The combination of the storm and the integration standoff makes the Jacksonville show one of the most talked-about stops of the Beatles’ 1964 tour, remembered as much for its civil rights significance as for the music.
Home Field for College Rivalries and Pro Football Experiments
Gator Bowl Stadium hosted the Florida-Georgia game annually from 1933 to 1993 and the Gator Bowl postseason game from 1946 through 1993, cementing Jacksonville’s reputation as a college football town. It also staged the AFL All-Star Game in 1968 and 1969, a marker of the city’s ambitions to land big-time professional football.
Several pro leagues tried Jacksonville out at the stadium before the NFL arrived: the Jacksonville Sharks and, later, the Jacksonville Express of the World Football League in 1974–1975; the Jacksonville Bulls of the USFL in 1984–1985; and the Jacksonville Tea Men, who played top-flight soccer there under a rotating cast of league names (NASL, then ASL/USL) from 1981 to 1984. None of those franchises lasted, but together they built the case that ultimately helped Jacksonville win an NFL expansion franchise — the Jaguars — in 1993.
Demolition and the Birth of EverBank Stadium
Once the NFL awarded Jacksonville the Jaguars in 1993, the city needed a modern, code-compliant stadium fast for the team’s 1995 debut season. Rather than build on a new site, planners tore down almost the entire Gator Bowl Stadium in 1994 and rebuilt on the same ground. The only pieces of the old stadium carried into the new structure were the 1982-era west upper deck and its ramp system — everything else was demolished.
The rebuilt venue opened as Jacksonville Municipal Stadium for the 1995 season, was renamed Alltel Stadium and later EverBank Field/TIAA Bank Field under different naming-rights deals, and has been EverBank Stadium since 2023. It remains the home of the Jaguars and continues to host the annual Florida-Georgia game and the Gator Bowl (now the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl), preserving the site’s original football legacy even though none of the 1927 or 1984 seating bowl remains standing above ground.
Visiting the Site Today
There’s no museum or standalone monument to Gator Bowl Stadium at the site of its former address, 1406 Gator Bowl Blvd — the site is a fully active NFL stadium today, now addressed as 1 EverBank Stadium Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32202, so the way to experience the ground the old stadium stood on is to attend a Jaguars game, the Florida-Georgia game, or the annual bowl game played there each winter. For current schedules, tickets, and stadium policies, check the official EverBank Stadium site or the official TaxSlayer Gator Bowl site for bowl-game specific dates and ticket information, since both hours and pricing change year to year.
Gator Bowl Stadium FAQs
Where was Gator Bowl Stadium located?
It stood at 1406 Gator Bowl Blvd in downtown Jacksonville, Florida, on the north bank of the St. Johns River — the same site occupied by EverBank Stadium today, though the site’s current address is 1 EverBank Stadium Drive.
Is Gator Bowl Stadium still standing?
No. Almost the entire structure was demolished in 1994. Only the 1982-era west upper deck and its ramp system were retained and incorporated into the new stadium, now called EverBank Stadium.
What is Gator Bowl Stadium called today?
The site is now EverBank Stadium, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was previously known as Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, Alltel Stadium, EverBank Field, and TIAA Bank Field before the current name took effect in 2023.
How many people did Gator Bowl Stadium hold?
At its peak after the 1984 expansion, it held 80,126 spectators. It opened in 1927 as 7,600-seat Fairfield Stadium and grew through several expansions — to 16,000 in 1948, 36,058 in 1949, about 62,000 in 1957, and about 72,000 in 1974 — before reaching its final capacity.
Did the Beatles really perform at Gator Bowl Stadium?
Yes, on September 11, 1964, during their first American tour. The band refused to perform for a segregated audience, and city officials agreed to an integrated crowd of roughly 23,000. The show also went on despite storm damage left by Hurricane Dora the day before.
Why was Gator Bowl Stadium demolished?
Jacksonville needed a larger, modern stadium to meet NFL standards after winning the Jacksonville Jaguars expansion franchise in 1993. Rather than build elsewhere, the city rebuilt on the same site, razing most of the old stadium in 1994 ahead of the Jaguars’ 1995 debut season.
What teams played at Gator Bowl Stadium besides college football?
The Jacksonville Sharks and Jacksonville Express of the WFL (1974–1975), the Jacksonville Bulls of the USFL (1984–1985), and the Jacksonville Tea Men soccer club (1981–1984) all called it home, along with the AFL All-Star Game in 1968 and 1969.
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