Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks

Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks
Based in	Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.
Stadium/Home field	Carter-Finley Stadium
League	WLAF / NFL Europa
Team colors	Red, Kelly Green, Black, White
Team history
Founded	1991
Folded	1991
Championships / World Bowl wins	None
Overall franchise record (in W-L-T):	Regular Season: 0–10 (.000)
Uniform

The Raleigh–Durham Skyhawks were an American football team headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina that played for one season in 1991 in the World League of American Football (WLAF). The name was inspired by the Wright brothers' flights on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The three jet-trails and three planes in flight, as well as the triangle design in the logo, represented the three points of the Research Triangle area (Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill). The team's cheerleaders were known as the "Kittyhawks."

The name was chosen by Raleigh citizens, the choices being the Skyhawks, Daredevils, or Rogues as published in the News and Observer.

The Skyhawks' home field was N.C. State's Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh. Then-Charlotte Hornets owner George Shinn owned the franchise, and the head coach was former NFL player and N.C. State alumnus Roman Gabriel.

The team had a 0–10 record in the 1991 season and averaged 12,066 spectators per game due in part by the lack of beer sales at Carter–Finley Stadium. The team folded after their lone season of 1991. To replace them for the 1992 season, the WLAF established a new franchise in Columbus, Ohio, naming it the Ohio Glory.

The Skyhawks' lack of success did not sour the NFL on the whole state, as in 1995, Charlotte welcomed the expansion Carolina Panthers franchise. Professional sports would return to the Triangle area 8 years later when the Carolina Hurricanes moved there from Greensboro, North Carolina to play in their newly constructed arena.

Season-by-season

Season	League	Regular season					Postseason
		Won	Lost	Ties	Win %	Finish	Won	Lost	Win %	Result
1991	WLAF	0	10	0	.000	4th (North American East)	–	–	—	—
Total		0	10	0	.000		–	–	—

Personnel

Coaches/Staff

Raleigh–Durham Skyhawks staff
	Front Office Owner – George Shinn Vice President/Administration – Wayne Thompson Director of Player Personnel – Ernie Driscoll Coaches Head Coach/Director of Football Operations – Roman Gabriel Offensive Coaches Offensive Coordinator/Running Backs – Johnnie Walton Receivers/Special Teams – Jim Popp Offensive Line – Buck Fowler Defensive Coaches Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers – Doug Kay Defensive Line – Claude Humphrey Secondary/Special Teams – Charles Harbison

Roster

1991 Raleigh–Durham Skyhawks roster
Quarterbacks 14 Mark Maye 11 Joe Pizzo Running Backs 28 Sean Doctor 21 John Burch 30 Bren Lowery 20 Darryl McGill Wide Receivers 80Marvin Hargrove 84 Clarkston Hines 89 Andre Johnson 82 Clarence Seay Tight Ends 81 Joe Meerten 85 Kevin Sprinkles		Offensive Linemen 64 Terry Gray G 72 Kelly John-Lewis T 60 Jason Kuipers G 51 Wood Myers T 68 Ruffin Rodrigue G/T 53 Paul Wulff C Defensive Linemen 73 David Ammons DE 97 Webbie Burnett NT 94 Anthony Butts NT 75 Jon Carter DE 95 Tony Gunn DE 77 Erwin Grabisna DE		Linebackers 52 Ezekial Gadson 61 Steve Glasson 96 Troy Stedman 98 Rafe Wilkinson 59 Shawn Woodson Defensive Backs 24 Chris Barber CB 47 Ray Jackson S 29 Gerald Mack CB 26 Pat McGuirk CB |23 Brian McPhatter S 31 Peda Samuel CB 41 Richard Smith S		Special Teams 7 Troy Faunce P 3 Wilson Hoyle K Operation Discovery 22 Nicolay Aslaksen RB (Norway) 1 Peter Bush|P}} (Australia) 55 Vladimir Gerogiev|LB}} (Soviet Union) 92 Oleg Sapego DL (Soviet Union) Note: Rookies in italics

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Results		Game site	Attendance
			Final score	Team record
1	Saturday, March 23	at Sacramento Surge	L 3–9	0–1	Hughes Stadium	15,126
2	Saturday, March 30	at Orlando Thunder	L 20–58	0–2	Florida Citrus Bowl	20,811
3	Saturday, April 6	Barcelona Dragons	L 14–26	0–3	Carter-Finley Stadium	17,900
4	Monday, April 15	San Antonio Riders	L 15–37	0–4	Carter–Finley Stadium	11,818
5	Saturday, April 20	at Frankfurt Galaxy	L 28–30	0–5	Waldstadion	21,065
6	Sunday, April 28	at London Monarchs	L 10–35	0–6	Wembley Stadium	33,997
7	Sunday, May 5	New York/New Jersey Knights	L 6–42	0–7	Carter–Finley Stadium	10,069
8	Monday, May 13	at Montreal Machine	L 6–15	0–8	Olympic Stadium	20,123
9	Monday, May 20	Orlando Thunder	L 14–20	0–9	Carter–Finley Stadium	4,207
10	Saturday, May 25	Birmingham Fire	L 7–28	0–10	Carter–Finley Stadium	16,335

External links

• Team results @ the Football Database
• Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks article at Wikipedia

World League of American Football/NFL Europa
Teams
Teams Amsterdam Admirals (1995–2007) Barcelona Dragons (1991–1992, 1995–2003) Berlin Thunder (1999–2007) Birmingham Fire (1991–1992) Cologne Centurions (2004–2007) Frankfurt Galaxy (1991–1992, 1995–2007) Hamburg Sea Devils (2005–2007) London/England Monarchs (1991–1992, 1995–1997, 1998)	Teams (cont'd) Montreal Machine (1991–1992) New York/New Jersey Knights (1991–1992) Ohio Glory (1992) Orlando Thunder (1991–1992) Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks (1991) Rhein Fire (1995–2007) Sacramento Surge (1991–1992) San Antonio Riders (1991–1992) Scottish Claymores (1995–2004)

Seasons
1991	1992	1993 no season	1994 no season	1995	1996	1997 1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
2005	2006	2007

See also

• World Bowl
• Intercontinental Football League