They’ve Returned After Seeing World : One Season in the WLAF Was Enough; Now Hart and Stephens Are Trying the NFL

Autograph seekers rush past Roy Hart to get to their favorite Raider stars. Hart must wonder whether he is the same Hart who a month ago was hoisted on fans’ shoulders at London’s Wembley Stadium, a hero to his surrogate countrymen.

The star nose tackle for the London Monarchs of the World League of American Football, Hart led his team to a shutout victory over the Barcelona Dragons in the first World Bowl before a crowd of 61,000.

Londoners all but penned sonnets about him. They nicknamed the Monarchs’ defense, “Hart Attack,” in his honor. They hung banners: “Roy Hart is our St. George.”

Said Hart: “He’s the one who slayed the dragons.”

Who, in his right mind, would give up so much adoration?

“A guy asked me why I wanted to play in the NFL, being such a hero in London,” Hart said.

Hart listened in disbelief.

“The NFL is my dream,” he replied.

Hart is one of two WLAF players the Raiders have invited to training camp this summer. The other is tackle Rich Stephens, who played for the Sacramento Surge.

As Hart has discovered, it’s a long way from London to Oxnard.

“Here, I’m no one,” Hart said.

With starter Bob Golic still unsigned, Hart has been running with the first-team defense. Stephens has been working behind Rory Graves at left tackle.

Both players have had stints in NFL before. Hart, who played at South Carolina, was a former sixth-round draft choice of the Seattle Seahawks, where he spent two seasons backing up nose tackle Joe Nash. Hart was released in 1990 after a shoulder injury.

Stephens, from Tulsa, was a ninth-round choice of Cincinnati in 1989, but a broken finger led to his release. He spent time on the developmental squads for the Washington Redskins and the New York Jets before his release.

The toughest adjustment for Hart and Stephens is playing up to the talent level in this NFL camp.

“There’s a lot of speed here,” Stephens said. “The guys here are so fast, it’s almost unbelievable.”

For Hart and Stephens, the WLAF was a trip to the minor leagues to prove their worth.

“It’s why I’m here,” Hart said. “I played against good people and a lot of people saw me. Mr. (Al) Davis obviously got a look at me. I’m thrilled.”

In the WLAF, Hart could have never imagined a better experience. In London, he was recognized on the streets. With the Raiders, Hart is another grunt trying to impress the coaches. Two-a-day practices take their toll as Hart tries to coax his body through consecutive football seasons and time changes.

Between practices, Hart walks the complex with toaster-sized ice packs wrapped around both knees. In London, he was inspirational leader of the WLAF’s most dominant defense. In Oxnard, he speaks when spoken to.

It has been a long year.

“One week, you’re in America, the next you’re in Europe,” Hart said. “That’s the one thing about being an athlete. You’ve got to be able to adjust.”

After 17 weeks in the WLAF, Hart had two weeks off before joining the Raiders. In a few weeks, of course, Hart will be off on another foreign excursion when the Raiders play the Miami Dolphins in an American Bowl game in Tokyo.

Hart doesn’t mind. Better to be a nobody in the NFL than somebody in a lesser league. There are other benefits in remaining a Raider.

Three of Hart’s WLAF playoff checks bounced as high as super balls dropped from the Tower of London, he said.

“There are going to be some flaws,” Hart said of the new league.

In this regard, Hart and Stephens shared similar experiences

“My last checked bounced,” Stephens said. “Print that in big letters.”

The WLAF was a nice way to spend a spring. One spring.

No offense, but Hart’s goal is never to play for the Monarchs again. But if things don’t work out with the Raiders, London’s reluctant hero will return next spring.

For now, Hart is merely trying to survive training camp. Is he headed for football burnout?

“I’ll face that problem down the line,” he said. “That would be a good problem. That would mean I’m a Raider.”