Wayne Weaver is a former American football player and owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played college football at the University of Florida and was drafted by the Baltimore Colts in the 12th round of the 1967 NFL Draft. However, he never played a regular-season game for the Colts and instead played for the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
After his playing career, Weaver became a successful businessman and entrepreneur, co-founding the shoe company Nine West in 1978. In 1993, he was awarded an expansion franchise in the National Football League (NFL) and became the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Under Weaver's ownership, the Jaguars had some success on the field, making the playoffs four times in their first five seasons and reaching the AFC Championship Game twice. However, the team struggled in the latter part of Weaver's tenure, failing to make the playoffs from 2008 to 2016.
Weaver was also heavily involved in the NFL as a whole, serving on various committees and task forces. He was a member of the NFL's Finance Committee, which oversees the league's financial operations, and was also a member of the NFL's Competition Committee, which is responsible for rules changes and other issues related to the game.
In addition to his football-related activities, Weaver was also active in philanthropy and community service. He and his wife Delores founded the Weaver Family Foundation, which supports a variety of charitable causes in the Jacksonville area. He was also a member of the board of directors of the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville and served on the board of trustees of the University of North Florida.
In 2011, Weaver announced that he was selling the Jaguars to Illinois businessman Shahid Khan. The sale was completed later that year, ending Weaver's nearly two-decade tenure as the team's owner. Despite the team's struggles in recent years, Weaver is still remembered fondly by many Jaguars fans for bringing the NFL to Jacksonville and helping to establish the team as a legitimate contender in its early years.
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