JUMP TO:
- Why do the Jaguars say Duval?
- What does DUUUVAL mean?
- How did the Duval chant start?
- Jaguars Duval meme
- Where is Duval county?
Compared to most NFL teams, the Jacksonville Jaguars have had a tougher time establishing an identity since they debuted in 1995.
Jacksonville posted four winning seasons in its first five years, even winning 14 games in 1999, but the Jaguars have been to the playoffs only four times since. After employing two different head coaches over their first 17 seasons, the Jaguars went on to bring in five over the next 13 seasons.
In one sense, the Jaguars have found an identity far away from Florida as London's de facto home team, generating a fan base in the U.K. by playing an annual international game. Fans in Jacksonville, however, will tell you they are comfortable right where they are as they proudly chant "DUUUVAL" at EverBank Stadium.
Here's what you need to know about Jaguars fans' 'Duval' chants.
MORE: What to know about NFL's kickoff rules
Why do the Jaguars say Duval?
Jacksonville is in Duval County, so regional pride is behind the famous "DUUUVAL" chants you will hear from the Jaguars and their fans.
Duval County is the sixth most-populous county in Florida and easily the most-populous in northern Florida with more than one million people. Duval County and Jacksonville consolidated their governments in 1968, and the two effectively cover the same ground in northeast Florida.
MORE: Most Super Bowl wins in history by player
What does DUUUVAL mean?
The chant is a showcase of regional pride for the people of Jacksonville, who live in Duval County, and it became a rallying cry for the Jaguars in the decade after the franchise was founded.
Duval County is named after William Duval, who was the first governor of Florida when it was only a territory and had not yet achieved U.S. statehood. Duval was a slave owner, which has caused some to push back on the popularity of the "Duval" chant, but the rallying cry has taken on a life of its own as a favorite of Jaguars fans.
MORE: Ranking the best QBs taken with picks 1-32, from Peyton Manning to Lamar Jackson
How did the Duval chant start?
While the chant has long been a staple for Jaguars fans, it didn't start in the stadium. Jacksonville's DJ Easy E told ABC's First Coast News in 2018 that he began to say the extended version of "DUUUVAL" in the 1990s and made it a drop that he played during songs and shows.
"I been using that drop for years," he said. "I never knew it would blow up like it did. I'm happy because everyone is saying it right now. Everybody."
Willie Evans Jr., who was part of hip-hop group Asamov, told First Coast News he did first hear the elongated version of the word from Easy E, though he said the hip-hop community started to use it less once it became more mainstream in Jacksonville.
"But if I'm in a crowd of people saying it, I'm going to say it," Asamov said. "Because it feels good. It feels good."
Needless to say, "Duval" is catchier and easier to say than "Jacksonville," which is one reason why the chant has stuck more than any other among Jaguars fans.
MORE: Best two-way players in NFL history, from Deion Sanders to Chuck Bednarik
Jaguars Duval meme
Jaguars coach Liam Coen already knew about the Jaguars' "Duval" chant when he was hired in 2025, and he even gave it a spin at his introductory press conference. It did not go well.
Coen contorted the word "Duval" to the point that many fans can just see one image of him from that press conference and hear it in their heads. Coen seemed to present the chant as a question, as though he were asking, "DUUUVAL?"
"Duval!" - Liam Coen pic.twitter.com/whVlGkfgUN
— Dan Why-Ner (@ReallyDanWeiner) January 27, 2025
Many of the coaches who "lose" the introductory press conference turn out to be winners, though. Dan Campbell and Nick Sirianni were both widely mocked when they took over their teams in 2021, but Campbell has helped turn the Detroit Lions into an NFC contender while Sirianni won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles.
That kind of success isn't guaranteed for Coen, but the early returns are far more solid than some would have believed.
MORE: How is overtime different in college football from the NFL?
Where is Duval county?
Duval County and Jacksonville are located in northeast Florida. Duval doesn't border Georgia, but it borders two counties that do border Georgia in Nassau County and Baker County.
Duval County is less than 100 miles from Gainesville, where the University of Florida is located.
MORE: What is Scorigami in the NFL?