Wayne Weaver

Lore & Background

Weaver was born in Columbus, Georgia. He worked his way up the corporate ladder at the St. Louis-based clothing company, Brown Group, Inc. In 1978, Weaver founded his own shoe corporation, which he sold in the 1990s. He married Delores Barr in 1955; they have two children and two grandchildren. Delores Weaver is chairman and CEO of the Jaguars Foundation, which grants over $1 million annually to organizations that assist economically and socially disadvantaged youth and families. She was honored in 2002 with the Community Leadership Award by FBI then-Director Robert Mueller, and named Children's Champion 2007 by Episcopal Children's Services. The Weavers were honored with the River Advocate Award from the St. Johns Riverkeeper at Mayor John Peyton's Environmental Luncheon on April 3, 2009. Weaver was the leader of the ownership group that in 1993 won rights to an NFL expansion team, the Jacksonville Jaguars. On November 29, 2011, Weaver announced he and his partners would sell their interest in the Jaguars to Shahid Khan. The sale was unanimously approved by the NFL owners on December 14, 2011 and finalized on January 4, 2012. On January 1, 2012, Weaver and his wife Delores were inducted into the Pride of the Jaguars in their final game as owners; the Jaguars defeated the Indianapolis Colts 19–13.

In Their Own Story

The fluorescent lights of the Gator Bowl hummed quietly above the empty stands, a stark contrast to the roar that would soon fill them. Wayne Weaver stood alone near the fifty-yard line, his eyes tracing the freshly painted hash marks where history was about to be written. He remembered the skepticism, the late nights in boardrooms, and the sheer weight of proving that Jacksonville belonged on the national stage. As the first practice squad players jogged onto the turf, a quiet smile crossed his face; the dream he had nurtured for decades had finally taken its first breath.

Reader's Guide

Wayne Weaver was the first owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, owning the team from 1993 until the sale was finalized in early 2012. He is a businessman who owns shoe store chains, not a real estate developer. The Jaguars' notable postseason achievement mentioned in the source is a 19–13 win over the Colts on January 1, 2012; no Super Bowl run is referenced.

Did You Know?

• Weaver founded his own shoe corporation in 1978 and sold it in the 1990s.
• Delores Weaver was honored with the Community Leadership Award by FBI Director Robert Mueller in 2002.
• The Jaguars were sold to Shahid Khan for $760 million, with the sale finalized on January 4, 2012.