Tag Archives: Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks

WLAF

Jackson, Ray ‘RJ’ (1965-2019)

Card: ProSet WLAF 1991
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o Home
Sent: 8/12    Received: 10/20  (69 days)
Failure: 2014, C/o Work

Ray Jackson was a 3 year letterman for Ohio State at cornerback where he posted 103 tackles. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the 7th round of the 1989 draft and then bounced around from there to the Atlanta Falcons, and then over to the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL.

Afterwards he’d be selected by the Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks of the WLAF (4th round, 35th pick) and shifted to Safety in 1991. While the team posted a 0-10 record, it provided plenty of time for the defense to be on the field.  Ray led the team in tackles with 68 (including 50 solo stops), 1 sack, 4 quarterback hurries, 2 forced fumbles and recoveries, an interception, and 3 pass break ups.  After the season the Skyhawks would be euthanized, and the players dropped back into the talent pool of the league draft. In Raleigh-Durham’s place the league elected to create the Ohio Glory. The Glory drafted Jackson with the first pick of the 28th round, but he did not see playing time on the final roster.

Ray studied Criminology at Ohio State and enjoyed the life of a private investigator. Ironically it took a tip from a fellow fan (Deadhorse) who gave me the most obvious clue that I should’ve found- to look at the back of RJ’s card. Apparently he had been doing PI work fairly consistently since leaving football behind and had built himself a practice out of Georgia. I sent out a card the following week to his work, but got an RTS. Later Deadhorse came up with a new address for me to take a shot at and I was able to cross another member of the WLAF off my list.

WLAF 10/10    Tac 68   Sac 1.0   Fum 2  
Int 1     Yds N/a     Avg N/a       Td 0     Lg N/a

WLAFTACSACFUM
10/10681.02
INTYDSAVGTDLG
155.005

UPDATE 9/17/19- Ray Jackson passed away suddenly at the age of 52.

NFL, WLAF

Carter, Jon

psetwlaf91 jcarterpset91 jcarter
Cards: ProSet 1991, Pro Set WLAF 1991
Acquired: TTM 2014, C/o home
Sent: 1/27  Received: 3/17  (49 days)

The Skyhawks made Jon Carter their first selection (8th overall) among the defensive linemen in the innaugural 1991 WLAF draft.  He’d anchor down Raleigh-Durham’s 3-4 defense, finishing with 45 tackles, 3 sacks and a forced fumble. The Skyhawks finished a distant 0-10 in the standings though and were disbanded after the season, due to poor attendance. The remaining players from the team were placed back in the draft pool for the 1992 season. Thanks to Jon’s experience in the 3-4 defensive alignment, he easily fit well into the Franfurt Galaxy‘s defensive rotation.

Originally a 5th round pick of the New York Giants in the 1988 draft, he spent the whole year on IR with a back injury but was waived right before the beginning of the 1989 season. The Cowboys then signed him to their developmental roster, and he ended up contributing in 13 games that year.  At Pitt, Carter was a 4 year starter and co-captain his Senior year.

With 2 cards in the WLAF sets, it was a mighty struggle to locate Jon Carter due to the commonality of his name. It took a few years, but he resurfaced, and I took a stab in the dark at a resume I found online. I was surprised to say the least to get a response in under 2 months time.

Tac N/a       Sac 4.0       Fum 1       Int 0      Yds -.-    Avg -.-      Td 0      Lg -.-

CFL, NFL, WLAF

Woodson, Shawn

pset91wlaf woodsonCard: ProSet WLAF 1991
Acquired: TTM 2014, C/o Work
Sent:  1/29   Received: 2/8  (10 days)

Shawn Woodson played linebacker for tiny James Madison University from 1985 to 1988. He finished his career at the I-AA school with 341 tackles and 15 sacks, and as a senior earned second team All-American Honors. Shawn was tabbed by the Minnesota Vikings in the 12th round of the monstrous 1989 NFL draft. Although he didn’t make the roster, he signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL, and saw action in one game. Released in the preseason again by the Vikings the following year, Woodson was then taken by the Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks in the second round of the linebacker portion of the 1991 WLAF draft. He’d room with defensive stalwarts Jon Carter and Patrick McGuirk while with the Skyhawks.

The Skyhawks set a record for futility going 0-10 that season, -translating to the defensive unit getting plenty of time on the field. Woodson was second on the team with 3.5 sacks, 65 tackles, and 3 quarterback hurries. After the season, the Skyhawks were disbursed by the league- perhaps mercifully.

He’s married now with 2 kids and lives in Virginia, where he owns a PostNet location. Google came to the rescue again, as Shawn has a pretty unique name and university combination, helping me knock out another member of the elusive Skyhawks brand.

Tac 65            Sac 3.5         Fum 0         Int 0      Yds 0     Avg -.-       Td 0        Lg -.-