By Mike London
mlondon@salisburypost.com
It was Sept. 11, 2001, and the surreal events unfolding on Western Carolina student Jarrett Wishon’s television set changed his life.
That’s the day a sports management major, determined to make a difference, started making the transition to a criminal justice major.
“After 9/11 I knew I was headed for the public safety field,” said Wishon, a 2001 North Rowan graduate.
What Wishon didn’t know was his criminal justice degree would prolong his football career. He has played for the Charlotte Cobras of the National Public Safety Football League for two years.
Wishon was a four-year starter on the offensive line at North Rowan. He was a freshman guard, then a center for three seasons. He was a beefy, energetic leader, a two-year captain who started 49 straight games for high-powered teams.
North ran a reverse once and Wishon knocked down three guys, scattering them like bowling pins.
Wishon played in the 2000 Shrine Bowl and would’ve played in the 2001 East-West All-Star Game had he not been injured. He was 6-foot-1, 275 pounds back in the day. WCU won a recruiting struggle with Catawba for him, and he did OK at the college level.
Wishon redshirted one year in Cullowhee. He was the backup center from 2002-04, playing in 30 games and serving as game captain in two. He was on the field against Alabama. The Tide rolled, but that’s still a lifelong memory. He also won’t forget the Catamounts rallying to beat rival Appalachian State in 2004.
Wishon was finishing his degree, sending applications to police departments from Atlanta to Chattanooga and working at a boat dock, when he struck up a chance conversation with a member of the Charlotte-Meck police force.
“It turned out he lived in the same complex I did,” Wishon said. “He worked in a violent-crime unit. He asked if I’d be interested in going on a ride-along, and I said I would be. Eight hours later, I knew what I wanted to do with my life.”
Wishon is closing in on four years with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. The last six months, he’s been assigned to a unit that tackles felonies ó mostly auto thefts ó at the street level.
“Never a dry moment,” Wishon said. “I love it.”
As much as he loves football, Wishon was sure he’d left it behind when he exited WCU. He took up running and lost that O-lineman mass he’d worked hard to put on.
He dropped so many pounds former East Rowan athlete Haley Shaw had no clue who Wishon was when he re-introduced himself.
“I ran into Haley and asked her, ‘Do you know who I am?’ ” Wishon recalls.
“Absolutely not,” she replied.
“I’m Jarrett Wishon,” he declared.
“No you’re not,” she said.
Wishon apparently convinced her he wasn’t just making stuff up. Ms. Shaw is now Mrs. Wishon.
Wishon’s return to football was smoother. His Shrine Bowl reputation preceded him, and when you work for a police department, everyone on the force has already performed a background check on you.
“The owner of the Cobras comes up to me and says, ‘Jarrett, you gotta play,’ ” Wishon said. “I was skeptical. It sounded risky. At that time, the team didn’t really have any sponsors. I told him I didn’t know.”
All doubts disappeared with his first practice.
“There was so much talent out there,” Wishon said. “I knew right away this wasn’t just backyard ball.”
Wishon played for the Cobras in 2008 as a 210-pound defensive end/linebacker. He likes defense. No complex plays to learn ó just read and react. Either rush the quarterback or drop back into coverage.
The Cobras, who get to use old equipment donated by the Carolina Panthers, were always competitive in 2008 ó except when they got blown out by New York. That’s the same New York powerhouse that gets ESPN time.
The Cobras won one game in 2008 ó their last one. That’s when they turned the corner. New attitude. Then Wishon brought in a new recruit.
An old comrade had come home, and Wishon got in touch with former North teammate Marcus Lawing, a rugged linebacker when he was a Cavalier. The catch was that Lawing, who works for the Salisbury Police Department, is now a little taller and a whole lot heavier than he was in 2000.
“Marcus has bulked up to 285 pounds, and he’s a rock,” Wishon said. “I guess we’ve reversed our roles from high school. The first time we had practice this year Marcus walks up and everybody just stops what they’re doing and stares. Everyone knew he was the missing piece of the puzzle. Marcus is a monster.”
With Lawing dominating on the D-line, the Cobras lost 21-20 to Philadelphia in their opener, but then they started a winning streak. They beat Orlando, the defending division champs.
“The atmosphere was different,” Wishon said. “We made practice mandatory ó every Saturday, plus a weekday. It’s not easy to come off a shift and go to practice or to leave a practice to go on a shift, but guys did it. We’ve got committed players.”
The Cobras rolled all the way to the recent B Division national championship game on the road in California. Out in Bakersfield, they ran into sand, 105-degree temperatures and a tough Wing-T offense, but their season still exceeded all expectations.
The Cobras are one of 22 NPSFL teams. They played home games at Hopewell High in Huntersville this year but hope to entertain foes at Charlotte’s Memorial Stadium next spring.
Games are serious and physical even though they’re played for charity or to raise funds for families of fallen firefighters and policemen. Standard admission is $5. College rules are used. NCAA referees officiate.
Most NPSFL players are policemen or firemen, but there also are EMS personnel, Department of Corrections staffers, even probation officers. The basis for eligibility is to be a full-timer in a public-service occupation.
Wishon has heard reports that the 2010 NPSFL championship game may be played at the Rose Bowl. That’s something to dream about.
The Philly team that edged the Cobras gave New York all it wanted. With Lawing, the Cobras aren’t that far away from hanging with the best.
“I’ve been on a lot of football teams, but the Cobras are the icing for me,” Wishon said. “This is fun, and it’s for a great cause.”