While Jacksonville’s biggest professional sports franchise is inarguably the NFL’s Jaguars, the city has a rich history of hosting successful sports teams that long predates the arrival of the Jags.
Jax has hosted several championship-caliber franchises over the years. Some helped pave the way for future teams, while a few are still in operation here today.
We’ve compiled a list of the best minor-league professional sports franchises to call Jacksonville their home. Let us know if you agree or disagree!
Number one on our list, the Suns/Jumbo Shrimp, gets the top spot due largely to its longevity.
The Suns/Shrimp have called Jacksonville their home for over 50 years, though in two separate incarnations. Their first iteration began play in 1962 as a Triple-A affiliate for the Cleveland Indians and won a league championship just before leaving for Virginia in 1968. By 1970, a new version of the Suns had popped up, this time as a Double-A Montreal Expos affiliate.
The second Suns team has survived seven affiliate changes to become the longest-tenured team in the Southern League in which it plays. The team has made the playoffs well over a dozen times and has been crowned Southern League champions six times, most recently in 2014. Combined with the original Suns, that gives them seven championships overall.
Attendance has never been a struggle for the team either, as Jax crowds have been treated to MLB greats like Nolan Ryan, Larry Walker, Alex Rodriguez, Randy Johnson, Gabe Kapler, and more over the years.
The success of the team throughout the ‘90s and early ‘00s prompted the construction of the new Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville in 2003 to replace the aging Wolfson Park.
In 2016, Ken Babby purchased the team and rebranded it as the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. The move drew criticism early on, but soon proved to be a brilliant bit of marketing as attendance and memorabilia sales trended upward.
Most longtime Jax residents, however, will fondly remember the Suns and their catchy jingle: “Baseball’s never been hotter with the Jacksonville Suns!”
Whatever you prefer to call them, Jacksonville’s minor league baseball team is a clear number one thanks to its longevity and winning memories.
