Hail to "The Queen," Duval. Danika Mitchell has been named the Jacksonville Jaguars Fan of the Year.
After receiving hundreds of nominations for the NFL Fan of the Year contest, the Jaguars have selected Mitchell for her lifetime of dedication to the franchise and passionate defense of the team far and wide. She joins 31 other nominees from around the league as the NFL's greatest fans and will be recognized by the Jaguars on Sunday, Dec. 27 at TIAA Bank Field during the team's annual fan appreciation game.
"It started in seventh grade science class in duPont Middle school when they announced that the city of Jacksonville got an NFL team," said Mitchell after learning of her recognition. "From that moment forward it's been all Jaguars for me. My grandfather got me my first shirt, my first jersey. There was no other team but the Jaguars."
Jaguars fans may recognize Mitchell for her one-of-a-kind make up choices on game day – teal lipstick, teal eyeshadow and even teal mascara – but her voice is more likely to catch the ear of fans. From the moment they met, her former coworker and Fan of the Year award nominator Will Moman could sense she was special.
"I always see her on her phone and I'm like, 'What are you doing?' She says, 'I'm fighting!' If anybody says anything negative about the Jaguars on Twitter, national media, she's all on it. Some of the national and local people know her because she's always showing love for the Jaguars."
Mitchell has become the Jaguars greatest defender on social media and sports talk radio, even being given the nickname of "The Queen" for her frequent appearances on the Jim Rome Show. She represented the Jaguars once on his annual "Smack-off" which recognizes the best callers to the show.
"I've got to defend us," said Mitchell. "I'm going to go out there and tell everyone 'Jags fans are here and we're just as loud, obnoxious and petty and we're going to make it so you can't stand us. We're going to make you notice us.' I felt like that's what I have to do, and I do it. Nobody can talk bad about the Jags. They are like family. We know we all have family that yeah, you might not like that they don't do right all the time, but their your family and that's how I see the Jaguars, as my family and I have to defend them."
When she sets her crown aside, Mitchell is an employee at River Regions Human Services, which is where she first met Moman. To him, her fandom was evident from the start as they shared an office that she covered in posters and a desktop screensaver declaring she was "ALL IN!"
"She is an awesome person," Moman said. "She works with people who are battling mental health and substance abuse. She uses that same passion to bond with her clients. Many times over the years she has taken them to job fairs for part-time jobs at the stadium. Her love for the team helped me regain my love for the Jaguars."
As the Jaguars nominee for Fan of the Year, Mitchell will deliver the First DUUUVAL at the Jaguars final home game on Sunday against the Bears. She'll also receive premium seats to the game and custom "Fan of the Year" apparel. The NFL will be narrowing down the 32 nominees to eight finalists and three will receive the opportunity to go to Super Bowl LV in Tampa Bay.
