Comparing Rolex 24 To Daytona 500

 BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

What a difference three races make.

Daytona Beach is mainly known for two things.

First, their beaches are off the charts as you can take your vehicles on the beach. 

Many years ago, The Daytona 500 took place on the sand until it moved to the Daytona International Speedway (DIS) 65 years ago.

Second, it’s the Racing Capital of the world as NASCAR and IMSA’s offices headquarters are there so as a result, the most prestigious races are held at DIS.

Things get cranked up in January as the Roar Before The 24 takes place and a week later, the Rolex 24 hours follows.

The Rolex 24 Hours is a fascinating race with drivers racing on a street course and driving on the oval. The race is 3.56 miles with a combined oval and an infield road course with 12 turns.

A total of 32 nations, were represented and seven continents to go along with five different race classes.

The notable advantage of the Rolex 24 has over the Racing World is it draws International Interest is timing: NASCAR, Indy Car Series and Formula One haven’t started their seasons.

There were 11 manufacturers from around the world. Of the 234 drivers, there were 82 American, 24 British, 18 Italians, and 11 French. 

What’s amazing about this race is that during a massive endurance race, you gauge the manufacturer’s more so so than the drivers in terms of engines and all aspects of the car.

There were 61 entries and 4-5 drivers per car with an average drive time between 4-5 hours per driver. There were five different classifications.

Because of the huge media coverage, we had to take a trolly on the other side of DIS to get to the Media Center, but they were running 24 hours and so it wasn’t a big deal.

The best interview I had at this event was from Graham Goodwin, who is a media guy that has covered 89, 24 Hour Races. 

He gave me some helpful pointers to prepare for this event, mentally and physically.

Going to the Rolex 24 Hours was like going to EPCOT Center because it felt like I was in a different country. 

Many years ago, The International Race of Champions (IROC) used to have a 24 hour race that saw drivers compete against each other from NASCAR, Indy Cars, and Formula One. 

There was a lot more familiarity with the drivers with the two major USA Series competing against each other. Indy Cars and NASCAR was like watching an All-Star Game.

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The Daytona 500 is at totally different situation and it really began with the parking.

There would be no trolley as the parking was so close that it was an easy walk to the Media Center.

There was much less foreign coverage and 42 drivers participated in the field with the lone international driver hailing from Mexico.

If you’re looking for familiarity, there was a ton of that.

Unlike the Rolex 24 where the fans couldn’t track their drivers, no such situation exists in this case.

I’ve attended five races at DIS, two as a fan and I’ve covered three as in My current role with the South Florida Tribune.

I went to one Daytona 500 with My ex wife, who was a Jeff Gordon fan in 1997, and what a day as the Hendricks drivers swept the top three sports. 

Gordon won the 39th edition followed by Terry Labonte, and Ricky Craven. 

Gordon became the youngest driver to win the Daytona 500 accomplishing this at age 25. 

Richard Petty had been the youngest winner at age 26, in 1964.

Gordon’s record was surpassed when Trevor Bayne won the 2011 Race at age 20, in a record that I doubt will ever be broken.

Several years later, I bought a ticket to the Coke Zero 400 that was held around July 4th.

A few weeks ago, it was great to see Richard Petty again as we rekindled memories of an interview with him that I did covering NASCAR Events at the Michigan International Speedway. 

The King remembered me and I’m amazed how well he’s connected he is to the sport to the day. 

Petty is now partnered with NASCAR legendary driver Jimmie Johnson.

Petty could be classified as “Mr. NASCAR” and legendary Detroit Red Wing, Gordie Howe, is “Mr. Hockey.”

During Saturday’s Media Availability, I enjoyed talking to Rochester Hills, MI native Brad Keselowski as two home town guys had a chance to talk about racing, racing icon, Roger Penske and much more.

The only thing Keselowski’s resume as the elusive Daytona 500 as he has won a championship and races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 

Keselowski was in this race all day until a late accident forced to have to wait until next year.

Doing an interview with NASCAR Broadcasting icon, from FOX Mike Joy was the icing on the cake in terms of the key media availabilities.

Then there was the race itself, which turned out to be the longest one in Daytona 500 History.

In a race that went into overtime and lasted 212 laps, the winner was Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Former UNC and NBA Basketball Player Brad Daugherty became the first African American Owner to win the Daytona 500 and he did it with a team that has one driver.

What an anti climactic ending to the greatest race that I’ve ever seen.

I watched the majority of the race outside and some of it in the Media Center so I could stay hydrated on a beautiful 78 degree afternoon.

Whether I return to watch another Daytona 500 remains to be seen. 

If I don’t, then you can’t do any better than this!

When I put things in perspective, the word “Greatest” sums up my recent experiences at DIS!

The Daytona 75/65 (at the Speedway )turned out to be the “Greatest Race” I’ve ever seen!

Covering the Rolex 24, was the “Greatest Event” I’ve ever covered in my lifetime as I stayed up 30 consecutive hours in my first attempt at 60 years old! 

This eclipses the four Super Bowls that I’ve covered because of the endurance/ determination factor to pull this off.

In this story, we’re inserting some videos that you’re going to enjoy. 

We want you to feel like you were with us at this event.

One interesting video was with Chas Krall, who is working with Menards and promoting the ARCA Series which is a feeder system in NASCAR. That took place on Saturday.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com and you can follow him on Twitter @TribuneSouth.

To see his broadcasts, subscribe to the South Florida Tribune at no charge, as there are a variety of shows that will be informative with timely commentary.

A Joy To Talk With FOX Broadcaster Mike Joy

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

During my time covering motor sports, I generally get a lot of my major stories the day before the race. You can find the newsmakers in the Media Center and in the past, when I had garage access, that’s when these people were more than happy to talk to me.

Covid-19 has changed the garage access, but the Media Center is still where the action is at.

In the past, I had the opportunity to talk to “The King” Richard Petty, former drivers Robby Gordon, Tony Stewart, and Dale Jarrett, along with legendary announcers ABC’s Jack Arute and Ken Squier. 

In fact, when I interviewed Squier at the Michigan International Speedway in the 1990’s, a car pulled out and nearly hit me, but thanks to Ken, he told me to watch out and I got out of the way. He said with a smile, you have to watch out for those types of things in this area. I thanked him with a smile and a handshake and we began our conversation.

At Daytona International Speedway a few weeks ago, I had a great seat in the Media Center. I was near the back in a corner and I could spot when someone walked in the door.

When Joy walked in the door, I waited patiently until he became available then we took a photo together and I asked him if we can do an interview. He said he had two in front of me but Mike said he would gladly accommodate me.

The 73-year old, who was born in Chicago, Illinois and is a charter member of the prestigious NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting panel, and in December 2013, was named sole media representative to the Hall’s exclusive nominating process.

He has numerous other honors as well, but when you think of a voice of NASCAR, Joy is it. He worked at CBS Sports and the Nashville Network from 1983-2000. He started at FOX in 1998 and is currently employed there.

FOX broadcast the Daytona 500 and the first 16 NASCAR Cup races each season, plus two all-star events. Joy anchors NASCAR Cup coverage on FOX owned cable network, FOX Sports 1, formerly Speed.

Joy is an accomplished sports car racer, winning races at Lime Rock, Pocono, Watkins Glen and New Hampshire, and has competed at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

If you’re going to broadcast the sport, it doesn’t hurt that you’re really good at it.

His mentor is Squier and in fact, as our interview concluded, I accidentally mentioned, great talking with you Ken, then mentioned Mike and we both smiled, since Mike had to got to a meeting and I was caught up in the moment. There is no crime when you’re putting him in the class of great announcers as I did with Squier.

During our interview we talked about a lot of topics that you’re going to watch in the video inserted in this story. Just to whet your appetite, we talked about diversity in the sport, women’s participation which included Danica Patrick.

I hope you enjoy watching this as much as I enjoyed producing and doing the actual interview itself. 

The video is titled, “Rapid Fire With Mike Joy” as we talked about a lot of topics in a short period of time.

When it comes to motor sports, the drivers, owners, crew chiefs and announcers do a great job promoting and helping grow the sport. They’re phenomenal to work with!

That’s why I enjoy covering this sport when the situation presents itself.

Mike Joy is just the latest broadcaster that I’ve interviewed in over four decades in Sports Media.

The title of this story says it all!

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com and you can follow him on Twitter @TribuneSouth.

Also, to see his broadcasts, there is no charge to subscribe to the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel.

Rolex 24 Observations

 BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

As I look back at successfully covering My first ever Rolex 24 Hours Race at the Daytona International Speedway a couple weeks ago, I had a lot of time to reflect on this experience.

I came to the conclusion that I’m ready to do it again in 2024.

During the past couple of weeks, on all of my broadcasts, I’ve been telling my colleagues that this is the biggest accomplishment I’ve had in 43 years in Sports Media.

While I’ve covered a lot of great events including four Super Bowls, to cover a race for a total of 30 hours including pre and post race press conferences was incredible.

My colleague JB Ellis recently covered Super Bowl 57 and this guy is a diligent worker. 

But when he made a lighthearted comment that the Rolex 24 was a one day event and he put more time over several days, I dared him to cover this event. I told him that the 12 Hours of Sebring prepared me for the Rolex 24 as well as advice from Graham Goodwin, who has covered 89, 24 hours races.

By the end of the conversation, Ellis saw my point and backed off about the demands of both events. I look forward to the day that Ellis takes the Rolex 24 Hours plunge as I pulled this off at 60-years old. 

Ellis did congratulate me on doing this. We’ve formed a great partnership with Sideline Sports!

Here are some of the things that standout about an event that will go down as the biggest accomplishment of my life.

*I’ve never been across the Big Pond, but it felt like it as the WI-Fi was taxed and I was unable to complete a podcast because of the International Presence at the Rolex 24. Being here was like going to Epcot Center because of the magnitude of the world wide event that saw the drivers go 3.56 miles combined with the road course and tri-oval.

*There was a lot of Media, Drivers, Engineers all over the world at the Daytona International Speedway.

*There were 61 entries, four drivers per car, 234 total drivers with an average drive time between 4-5 hours per-driver.

*This was a fascinating set-up with drivers racing on the street course and driving on the oval, as well as by victory lane. As I mentioned before, the race is 3.56 miles, with a combined oval and an infield road course with 12 turns.

*A total of 32 nations were represented and seven continents to go along with five different race classes.

*The notable advantage of the Rolex 24 has over the rest of the Racing World Drawing International Interest is timing: NASCAR, Indy Car Series, and Formula One, haven’t started their seasons.

*Talk about international involvement, there were 11 manufacturers from around the world. Of the 234 drivers, there were 82 American, 24 British, 18 Italians, and 11 French.

*The Communications Department was outstanding as it kept brining in Drivers for interviews and various increments. 

*This was a carnival atmosphere, with a lit-up Ferris Wheel.

*You could watch the race on an infield TV with seating.

*There was a Music Band adjacent to the TV.

*Not shortage of concession stands.

*It was interesting seeing diehard fans sleeping at night on the benches and not affected by the loud roar of the engines.

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The Stage is Set, My Photographer Candy Ebling and I are ready to cover the Super Bowl of Motor Sports, THE DAYTONA 500 this weekend.

You can rest assure, there will be no shortage of content in “The Center of Racing.”

Also, check out the videos in this story, including our latest on The Sports Exchange, previewing the Daytona 500.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com.

By Subscribing the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel, you’ll have an opportunity to see the various broadcasts.

Rolex 24 Hours Journal

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Before covering the Rolex 24 Hours at the Daytona International Speedway, it took a lot for me to get to this point staying awake 30 hours if you consider these factors.

First, I successfully covered the 12-Hours of Sebring at the Sebring Raceway and was getting familiar with endurance racing. I found that this type of racing is more about the manufacturers and the stamina about the drivers. There is so much money involved, and it’s a good way to see the durability of the vehicles.

Finally, I sought advice from Graham Goodwin, who has covered 89 of these 24 hour races.

I was definitely ready for this challenge and decided to write a journal tracking what would be my biggest accomplishment in Sports Media. If there is one thing I would do differently, it was bringing my small digital camera to take unique photos at different times.

In my lifetime, I’ve done a lot of endurance drives across the USA.

I hope you enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Mr. Endurance Interviews Mr. Endurance

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

I have to admit that I met my match, not personally, but on the road.

I’ve been driving since I was 16 which amounts to 44 years on the road.

When I passed my drivers test on my birthday, December 29, 1962., on a blustery winter day in Southfield, MI, my dad never let me hear the end of it in a joking way that I ran a red light in Waterford, MI.

I would joke around with him that even though I had that inadvertent mishap, I’ve managed to do well through the years and and he smiled at me.

I recently bought a hat at a Truck Stop called “King of The Road” and for those that know me, I enjoy taking trips across the country instead of flying. 

I’m not a fan of security checks at the airport, don’t like overspending on rental cars and having to get to the airport at least two hours for a flight. There is always the anxiety that a flight could get cancelled.

Between business and cross country drives, I’ve driven over four million miles.

My wife gave the the name, “Crazy Man” because of the fact that I get stronger as the drive wears on, especially driving at night. 

During the night hours, I like to play music and like the fact there is less traffic on the road. 

My late mother-in-law was very nervous about my adventures especially knowing I was doing them with her daughter in the car. 

She was okay as time wore on. 

I couldn’t call my late grandmother Sophie because I was afraid that I would make her sick. But she was glad to see me when I got home because of all the stories I would tell her. 

A few years ago, I got my taste of covering endurance racing at Sebring Raceway. 

The race is held in March and it’s called the 12-Hours of Sebring which is on a race track that was the site of Hendricks Army Airport. 

The course of the track is 3.74 miles that has a lot of holes on the surface which takes a toll on the automobiles.

The man that gave me a good education on endurance racing was Sebring Historian, who handles the Media Credentials, Ken Breslauer.

I met a lot of writers that were pleasant and gave me pointers and by the end of the weekend, I started interviewing drivers.

But there was one person I met that impressed the heck out of me and we became friends.

His name is Graham Goodwin and this 58-year old is the Editor of Dailysportscar. 

He’s been covering endurance races for 21 years.

Graham and I spoke at the Roar Before The 24, which are preliminary races leading up to the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway that takes place from January 26-29.

Our interview occurred on “No Limits” that is on the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel. There in no charge to subscribe. 

What amazes me about Graham is he’s covered 13 Rolex 24’s and 89 24-Hour Races.

I asked him a lot of questions during the interview that lasted slightly over an hour.

I asked him his routine during a 24 hour race, whether he gets sleep, talked about the various tracks he’s been to and he gave me advice on covering my first 24 hour race.

I even told him that he reminded me of Lou Gehrig (New York Yankees) Cal Ripken Jr. (Baltimore Orioles) and Gordie Howe (Detroit Red Wings) as iron men in their respective sports.

I have to tell you that this was the fastest one hour interview that I’ve experienced in 43 years during My Sports Media Career.

I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I enjoyed doing it.

IMSA, which does the endurance racing doesn’t get the notoriety that IndyCar Racing, open wheel or NASCAR gets, but it’s a money machine when you factor that sports car racing at long increments tests tire durability, the engines from manufacturers like Mercedes Benz, Lexus, Cadillac, Porsche and many others.

But if you want to get an education on endurance racing, Graham Goodwin will give it to you.

Covering endurance racing is a far cry from the conventional sports that I’ve dealt with in the past.

But the Rolex 24 has always been a bucket list item and now that I can check that off the list. 

My hope is to get addicted to this because unlike the regular motor sports events, you track drivers and manufacturers. 

Nobody is going to turn their head around non-stop for 12-24 hours especially when you have a combination of daylight and darkness.

Since I figured out Sebring twice, there will be a huge gratification of me when I’m doing this.

I’m definitely doing a journal and taking in all of the media availability’s available to me.

In the meantime, Graham Goodwin has been a good tutor, has traveled all over the world doing these events, but I feel good that I’ve demonstrated enough endurance in traveling all over the USA. I’m also proud of the fact that I’ve hit all 50 States.

But it’s real cool that Mr. Endurance got to Interview Mr. Endurance at the “World Center Of Racing” (Daytona International Speedway).

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com. You can follow him on Twitter @TribuneSouth.

Also, once again, Subscribe to the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel to see all of Scott’s broadcasts. 

NASCAR’s Jimmie Johnson’s Continues To Tackle More Challenges

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Every sport can make a case as to which athlete is The Greatest Of All Time (GOAT).

The NASCAR Series can make a case for Jeff Gordon, Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr.

Another driver that you can easily make a case for is 47-year old Jimmie Johnson.

The native of El Cajon, California., has won 83 races, has 3744 Top Tens and 36 Poles in his NASCAR Cup Series career. He has run 686 races in 20 years and is a seven time NASCAR Cup Champion. He has won the Daytona 500, four times.

He’s also competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series as well as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Johnson ran 25 races in two years in the IndyCar Series.

If there was ever a driver that liked to compete with lots of different competition ranging from ovals and road courses, it’s Johnson as a few years ago, he took a crack at the 12-Hours of Sebring. 

It was interesting to see him compete on a demanding track such as Sebring.

During the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, Johnson addressed us about his future racing plans.

I did manage to get a pair of questions and I will share them and his responses with you.

Q: When it’s all said and done, do you want to feel like you’ve accomplished everything that you can on the Motor Sports Stage, where you left nothing undone?

A: Yeah, I think that is buried in my mind somewhere. More than anything, I just want to drive race cars. I think the last couple years I’ve proven that or I’ve even showed that, I should say, and an opportunity like this is once in a lifetime opportunity. It’s the last thing on my bucket list, as well, my own personal list that I’ve had through the years, is to go to LeMans. But I also feel like my involvement now with Legacy Motor Club and my future in the sport itself, I’m not done. I love motorsport far and wide and really look forward to the years that I have a head of myself. I think there are less years of driving the car and holding the steering wheel and more outside of, but really excited for the challenges ahead.

Q: The thought of driving in a 24-hour race, is that something that—how do you approach that knowing that this is one heck of a challenge and it’s on that list of things that you’re looking to accomplish?

A: I have enjoyed the races I’ve had here at the Rolex 24 and can only imagine what it will be like in France. As an endurance sports athlete, doing triathlons and marathons and such, I just love that kind of challenge. I’ve always left a 24-hour race here just exhausted physically and mentally with a smile on my face. I really do enjoy the challenge.

Little did Johnson know that I was covering my first 24-hour race in my 43 Sports Media Career. 

I’ve covered the 12-Hours of Sebring a couple of times.

But this is a guy that is simply a “Racer” not a “Driver” and his competitive desire to keep on going at a high level is truly amazing. More importantly, he’s an even better person.

You can watch the entire press conference in this story and see all of what Jimmie and the rest of what was said from the individuals that spoke to us. 

It will truly be worth the watch.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com and you can follow him on Twitter @TribuneSouth.

Also, By Subscribing to the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel, you can see all of his different broadcasts that cover a wide range of interests.

Jaguars Home Hat Trick

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

What a football season it’s been!

I mean it literally and figuratively.

Try scrambling to finish the end of MLB and then work NASCAR into a busy Fall.

Before going to Cooperstown, NY in August with My wife Candy, I was able to attend the Miami Hurricanes Media Availability and got a lot a lot accomplished!

By the end of August, College Football began a demanding schedule that saw us cover the majority of the FAU Owls Home Games and all of the Miami Hurricanes,

I’m thinking that I wonder if I’ll have the opportunity to cover NFL Games this year.

The answer to that question was yes!

The break in my schedule came on December 18, 2022 when I made the five hour trek up to Jacksonville to see the Jaguars host the Dallas Cowboys.

Finding a hotel was practically impossible as the Cowboys fans invaded Northern Florida. 

But we did manage to find one in nearby St. Augustine.

Things didn’t look good for the Jaguars, who trailed by 17 points, but this team coached by Doug Pederson and quarterbacked by Trevor Lawrence showed no quit and came away with a walk off 40-34 win in overtime.

Lawrence would amass 318 yards and threw for four touchdowns. 

Meanwhile, Dak Prescott showed why he’s the most scrutinized QB in the NFL. 

He had three touchdown passes, but also tossed two interceptions including a costly pick-six in overtime that saw Dallas remain winless at TIAA Bank Stadium at 0-2.

The Jaguars would proceed to win the next two road games against the New York Jets and Houston Texans 19-3 and 20-16.

This set the stage for the next game we’d cover that occurred on Saturday, January, 7th as the Jaguars played in a Nationally Televised flexed prime-time contest that would decide the AFC South against the Tennessee Titans.

Before I get to the particulars, we spent the previous two weeks in Racine, WI., visiting family during the holidays, then had a quick turnaround heading back to Jacksonville.

The Jaguars outscored Tennessee 13-3 in the second half to win 20-16 in front of 70,050 fans.

Lawrence had a solid night by going 20-32 with one touchdown and zero interceptions. WR Christian Kirk had six receptions for 99 yards and a touchdown.

The Cardiac Cats would live to see another week.

They would face an opponent they they dominated in Week 3 by thrashing the LA Chargers 38-10.

Going into the game, this marked the Jaguars fifth home postseason game and first since they defeated the Buffalo Bills, 10-3 on January 7, 2018, a game which I covered and the QB was Blake Bortles.

Jacksonville has recorded a 3-1 record in home playoff games while head coach Pederson, has served as the head coach inn three home playoff games and recorded a 2-1 record.

This game turned out to be the second time the Jaguars had played a home post-season game on Saturday. 

In their lone Saturday home postseason contest, they thrashed the Miami Dolphins, 62-7. The Jaguars entered the game 7-7 all-time in the postseason.

Forty players on the Jaguars active roster made their postseason debut. 

Thirteen current players have been on an active roster for a game in the postseason. 

Cornerback Darious Williams leads the Jaguars with six playoff games, including the 2022 Super Bowl with the Rams.

I’ll take a phrase from the legendary late broadcaster Jack Buck when he called LA Dodgers outfielder Kirk Gibson’s legendary home run in the 1988 World Series against the Oakland A’s in the first game.

“I can’t believe what I just saw.”

What we saw was the Jaguars fall behind 27-0 late in the first half. 

I had the same feeling that I had from the Dallas game, how are they going to pull out this win?

The Jaguars scored a touchdown late in the first half, trimming the deficit to 27-7.

Lawrence was downright dreadful to begin the game as he became the third quarterback in the Super Bowl era to throw four interceptions in the first half of a playoff game joining Detroit’s Gary Danielson and Denver’s Craig Morton.

But he bounced back as well as anyone in NFL history. Jacksonville’s comeback goes down in post-season lore behind only Buffalo’s rally on January 3, 1993 (32 points against Houston) and Indianapolis on January 4, 2014 (28 points against Kansas City).

After throwing four interceptions, the former Clemson signal caller finished 28-47-288 yards and threw for four touchdowns. 

Lawrence engineered the final drive, highlighted by Travis Etienne’s 25-yard run, that would subsequently lead to a Riley Patterson 36-yard field goal on the final drive, giving Jacksonville an epic 31-30 win in front of 70,250 jubilant fans.

The Jaguars (10-8) won their sixth consecutive game and fifth straight at home, all five in come from behind fashion.

Amazingly enough, dating back to college, Lawrence is 38-0 on Saturday’s.

The Jaguars improved to 8-7 in the playoffs and 4-1 at home.

During the week, Kansas City Chiefs Coach Andy Reid has been complimentary of Pederson’s work in what’s been an unbelievable season for Jacksonville. 

Pederson got to know Reid as a backup quarterback in Green Bay and as a starter in Philadelphia, before coaching under him build the Chiefs into the juggernaut they are today.

Pederson has said that 30 years of his professional life that he’s been influenced by them.

But the stage is set, the Jaguars have a chance to avenge a 27-17 loss to the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.

Saturday’s match-up has the Jaguars as 8.5 underdogs but in the grand scheme of things, the Chiefs enter the contest 14-3 and have won five straight.

After the Dallas Game, when I asked Pederson a question that the late Yogi Berra said, ‘it’s not over until it’s over,’ he smiled and said, “My players are a resilient group and they play hard for 60 minutes. I don’t need to give halftime motivational speeches.”

To defeat the Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville will have to play a turnover free football game.

The Jaguars are matched up against Patrick Mahomes, who was born in 1995, the same year Jacksonville entered the league. 

Mahomes has eight playoff wins while the Jaguars have eight in franchise history. 

The last time Kansas City was in the AFC Conference Championship was on 1-30-2022. Jacksonville appeared on 1-21-2018. Mahomes has won one Super Bowl, while Jacksonville hasn’t made a Super Bowl Appearance.

Time will tell how this ends for Jacksonville, but what looked like an impossibility worked out quite well as we were able to be around for the “Jaguars Home Hat Trick” and all three contests were won in dramatic fashion!

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmnail.com. You can follow him on Twitter @TribuneSouth.

Also, there is no cost to Subscribe to the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel where you’re going to find all of his shows and then some.