Rick Catlett stood at the podium Wednesday, the EverBank Field scoreboards behind him displaying two teams that will make their way to town next November for a signature event.
Notre Dame and Navy, two of college football’s iconic brands playing their annual tilt in a city steeped in naval tradition.
Catlett, CEO of the Jacksonville Sports Council, later called the game “the worst kept secret in Jacksonville.”
It had been rumored for months and was made official Wednesday with a news conference attended by Mayor Lenny Curry, the Navy athletic director and other officials.
The work led by Catlett came well before that rain-stricken press event.
It’s been in the making for a couple of years now, actually coming to fruition after rumors of another game sprung up several years back and a little misfortune elsewhere.
“We all worked very hard to make this happen,” said Catlett, sitting in his office well after the TV cameras left.
Those efforts started with him.
Years in the making
Catlett said he’s been working on the game for a couple of years now.
His right-hand man and friend, Alan Verlander, said Catlett has been thinking about it for maybe 20 years.
The game fans heard about Wednesday grew legs six to eight years ago, when rumors of another highly decorated game — Army-Navy — was rumored to come to Jacksonville.
“We investigated that back in the ‘80s,” Catlett said. “It’s financially not feasible.”
The idea then turned to acquiring another Navy home game. Those have been played more frequently in other large cities, such as Baltimore, Philadelphia, East Rutherford, N.J., and even Dublin, Ireland.
Catlett had forged a relationship with Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk, who held the same position formerly with Boston College — a former member of the Big East conference that had signed a deal with the Gator Bowl.
Catlett said when the Army-Navy rumor re-emerged then died, he picked up the phone to call Gladchuk. The occasional discussion or email would follow, but there weren’t substantial talks for several years. Major college football games generally are scheduled years in advance.
At one point, Gladchuk told Catlett he should visit to see an Army-Navy game for himself. Catlett’s son was a naval aviator and knew of the pageantry and passion for the game, but Catlett said he was blown away by what he saw.
“It’s truly the epitome of what college football is all about,” he said.
An opportunity emerged thereafter.
Gladchuk was negotiating to play the game in 2016 in Phoenix, but that fell through when the leadership team at the Fiesta Bowl was wiped out by a scandal.
The 2016 and 2018 games were available, with San Diego as Jacksonville’s competition.
Catlett said he wanted the 2016 game, not a later one.
“I’ve got a lot of gray hair,” he said he told them, then laughed. “I don’t know how much longer I’ll be around.”
From there, it was a matter of logistics and negotiating a deal that worked — not the easiest of tasks.
The deal itself
Catlett called on someone who had a little experience with a Navy game for some advice.
Mark Lamping, Jacksonville Jaguars president, had run an East Rutherford game between Army-Navy in his past professional role. Catlett said Lamping told him how the game worked and what to expect in terms of a deal.
Lamping said he recalls telling Catlett that, more than anything, to “understand how special this game is.”
“It’s more than just a football game,” he said, noting Jacksonville’s strong naval presence.
Catlett understood. But, there was a hurdle that had to be cleared — working with the city on a lease proved tough.
“It was difficult to negotiate,” he said.
At the time, there was no one really leading the city’s sports and entertainment office. Verlander, the former sports and entertainment officer, was back in the private sector with the sports council. He’s the group’s executive director and chief operating officer.
When Dave Herrell was named to the city role in July, negotiations became a little easier.
Herrell said Wednesday he understood the global picture from economic development and presentation perspectives.
And he had a little history with the game.
Before coming to Jacksonville, he was with the Arizona Sports Foundation — which also was vying for that 2016 Notre Dame-Navy game, before things went south.
“I understood the value in it,” he said.
The lease deal for the game will be introduced to City Council in the coming weeks.
It’s similar to the arrangement the city makes for the TaxSlayer Bowl, Catlett said. The TaxSlayer Bowl receives 35 percent of revenue from items like concessions and parking, money that will go to Navy.
And, to offset high ticket guarantees, Navy will receive the rights to the title sponsorship.
Catlett said most people think the game will hit 70,000-80,000 in tickets, but it’s actually closer to 60,000-65,000.
Finding a way to offset that high guarantee to the school was key, he said.
Catlett said he couldn’t reveal what the ticket guarantee or other financial aspects of the deal, citing privacy contract language.
The impact
The agreement with the city was reached May 14. The deal with Navy weeks later.
It’s still too early for big-item numbers like economic impact or the “heads in beds” hotel room nights, officials said.
But, the impact should be great, Herrell said.
“This is celebrating Jacksonville on a big stage,’ he said.
The game will be played Nov. 5, a time when the military is celebrated during the “Week of Valor.”
Verlander called it a “case study” on how sports should work in Jacksonville, using relationships and local organizations for the cause. “We’re all one team now,” he said.
For Catlett, who is closing in on retirement in the next couple of years, the impact is also big.
One of his proudest moments, he said, was a neutral site game played in 2007 between Florida State University and the University of Alabama.
This ranks up there, too, he said, especially given the tradition and military significance Jacksonville has.
“It’s one of the biggest traditions out there,” he said.
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