A Brief History of Triangle Sports

Starting March 11, sports betting will be legal in North Carolina, but getting to this point was not an easy path. From the scandal of the Dixie Classic in the early 60's to the controversial vote for the NC Lottery, the state has a contentious history with gambling. 

Brian Murphy from WRAL News and Tim Donnelly from 99.9 The Fan explore the history of sports betting in North Carolina. What did it take to ...

The Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks only lasted one season, but the World League of American Football carried on until 2007. At the end, it was known as NFL Europa. Though newly elected NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was quick to shut it down, the European league was a great incubator for football coaches and talent. In this episode we hear from former Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme and former East Carolin...

Michael Kennedy was the equipment manager for the Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks. Not a glamourous role, but  there wasn't much that was glamourous about the World League of American Football. Kennedy, like the players and head coach Roman Gabriel, simply wanted to be part of ...

Until a few years ago, alcohol at college sporting events was a delicate dance in hypocrisy. Back in 1991 without a special exemption, the sale of alcohol was not allowed at public university facilities. You could always tailgate with your own booze before the game and universities would hold private events where alcohol was available, but there was no public sale. The Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks played at NC State...

For one disappointing season, the Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks didn't give fans much to cheer for. But the team did give hope to the men on the field. For Wilson Hoyle (former kicker from Wake Forest) and Mark Maye (former UNC QB), being part of the Skyhawks gave them the chance to keep their football careers alive for one more season. Hoyle and Maye look back on their experience as Skyhawks, and despite their disma...

The Carolina Panthers played their first game in 1995. Behind the scenes, there had been years of negotiations over whether or not North Carolina--or the "Carolinas" collectively--could support an NFL team, and exactly where that team should be located. Of course Charlotte is the home of the Panthers today, but it wasn't the only city in contention. How close did Raleigh come to having an NFL team?

The Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks. For some of you, that team will ring a bell. But for most sports fans in the Triangle, they're probably wondering why Joe Ovies is going to devote a few podcast episodes about the defunct World League of American Football franchise that never won a game in their lone season played in 1991. The goal? To highlight how, despite the massive misstep in thinking a minor league football te...

The World League of American Football wasn't supposed to be a minor league for the NFL. Owners truly believed it could be an independent product that would stand alongside the NFL…but you can't fool American football fans. The league began in 1991 In its inaugural season it consisted of ten teams, including the Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks, a team that played exactly ONE season and won exactly ZERO games. The...

In this 2-part season finale to "Brief History of Triangle Sports", Joe Ovies revisits what it was to be part of an online community at the turn of the century and how message boards provided a runway for some websites to become legit coverage outlets for NC State and North Carolina. Part 2 focuses on the Tar Heels' online culture, featuring conversations with the founder of Tar Heel Blog and a current contribu...

In this 2-part season finale to "Brief History of Triangle Sports", Joe Ovies revisits what it was to be part of an online community at the turn of the century and how message boards provided a runway for some websites to become legit coverage outlets for NC State and North Carolina. Part 1 focuses on the Wolfpack's online culture, featuring conversations with the remaining caretaker of The Wolf Web, one of the...

The Raleigh IceCaps played in Dorton Arena from 1991 until 1998. They didn't win any division titles or ECHL championships, but they won the attention of sports fans in the Triangle and helped build inroads for the eventual arrival of the Carolina Hurricanes. Former IceCaps captain Jim Powers and winger Paul Strand joined 99.9FM The Fan's Joe Ovies to discuss their experience playing for a minor league hockey t...

To channel the premise of ESPN's "30 For 30" documentaries, "what if we told you" some of the most anticipated matchups between North Carolina, NC State, and Duke players didn't happen during the ACC basketball season, but in the summer on NC Central's campus? That's exactly what happened at the height of the Greater North Carolina Pro-Am, a summer basketball league with a brief history itself. The Sports Shop'...

The world of Triangle sports is filled with personalities. Iconic players, legendary coaches, must-read columnists, and local sports anchors who brought highlights directly into your living room. There are so many front facing people in this business, it's easy to forget there are exponentially more people behind the scenes who are important and keep this whole thing running. You might not know Rusty Helser, wh...

Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, it's pretty easy to be a touring musician who wants to keep up with their favorite sports. Scores, highlights, social media and the ability to watch a game live is all right there on your phone. That wasn't the case in 1989, when Mac McCaughan cofounded the band Superchunk and independent music label Merge Records. While McCaughan and his bandmates were helping shape ...

The Global Basketball Association had big plans. It was right there in the name, but the GBA would never achieve their goal of becoming a worldwide professional basketball league. Lasting one full season with 11 teams scattered throughout the south and midwest beginning in 1991, the Global Basketball Association had issues from the jump. Most of the GBA's problems were financial, but some of it also had to do w...