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 News & Observer'' is an American regional daily newspaper that serves the greater Triangle area based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The paper is the largest in circulation in the state (second is the ''Charlotte Observer''). The paper has bee ...
''.
The Skyhawks' home field was
N.C. State's Carter–Finley Stadium in Raleigh. Then-
Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...
owner
George Shinn owned the franchise, and the head coach was former
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
player and N.C. State alumnus
Roman Gabriel
Roman Ildonzo Gabriel Jr. (born August 5, 1940) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL). He was the second overall pick in the 1962 NFL Draft and played for the Los Angeles Rams for eleven seaso ...
.
The team had a 0–10 record in the 1991 season and averaged 12,066 spectators per game due in part to the lack of beer sales, which were not allowed at (technically) on-campus 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
Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...
, naming it the
Ohio Glory
The Ohio Glory were a professional American football team in NFL Europe. They played one season (1992) in the World League of American Football, which later became NFL Europe.
Columbus, Ohio was awarded the WLAF franchise after the Raleigh-Dur ...
.
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 eight years later when the
Carolina Hurricanes moved there from
Greensboro, North Carolina to play in their newly constructed arena.
Season-by-season
Personnel
Staff
Roster
Schedule
References
External links
Team results @ the Football Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks
Sports in Raleigh, North Carolina
NFL Europe (WLAF) teams
American football teams established in 1991
American football teams disestablished in 1991
Wright brothers
Defunct American football teams in North Carolina
1991 establishments in North Carolina
1991 disestablishments in North Carolina