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ADAM INGLE

GOING FROM A LOCK FORWARD AT UT TO FLYHALF FOR THE POSSUMS WOULD SEEM LIKE A BIG JUMP FOR MANY PLAYERS, BUT NOT ADAM INGLE.

"I THINK ADAM REALLY GREW INTO HIS ATHLETICISM ONCE HE LEFT UT AND JOINED THE MEN'S SIDE," SAID PAT DORWIN. "ONCE HE GOT OUT OF BEING STEREOTYPED AS A SECOND ROW, HE REALLY SHOWED HE COULD PLAY ALL OVER THE PITCH."

DORWIN, INGLE AND RYAN MILLER COACHED THE SEVIER COUNTY TEAM FOR ITS ONLY TWO YEARS WHEN THE HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE INITIALLY STARTED.

"WE HAD A GOOD TRIUMVIRATE OF COACHES," DORWIN SAID. "AND IF YOU MULTIPLY THAT NUMBER BY 200, THAT'S ABOUT THE TOTAL NUMBER OF TATTOOS AND BODY PIERCINGS OUR FORMER PLAYERS HAVE NOW.

"WE DIDN'T EXACTLY GET THE CREAM OF THE CROP - WE HAD A FULL 15 SHOW UP JUST ONCE THAT INITIAL SEASON, BUT THE KIDS PLAYED HARD. TEAMS KNEW THEY WERE IN FOR SOME HARD TACKLES WHEN THEY TOOK ON US."

THE TEAM DIDN'T FARE WELL THE NEXT YEAR EITHER, DESPITE BEING ABLE TO RECRUIT FROM SEVIER COUNTY, PIGEON FORGE AND GATLINBURG-PITTMAN HIGH SCHOOLS.

"WE HAD A COUPLE OF GOOD LOCKS, A HARD-RUNNING ALL-CONFERENCE HOOKER, GOOD FLANKERS AND SOLID HALFBACKS," DORWIN SAID. "WE GOT A VARYING AMOUNT OF HELP FROM THE ADMINISTRATIONS AND FOOTBALL COACHES. AT SCHS THE SECOND YEAR, WE HAD MORE GIRLS INTERESTED IN PLAYING DESPITE THAT THE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR WAS A FORMER RUGGER, WE HAD A BACK-ROWER FROM G-P WHO HAD PLAYED GROWING UP IN CANADA, AND THE PRINCIPAL OF PIGEON FORGE HAD THE DAILY ANNOUNCEMENTS ASK THOSE WHO WERE INTERESTED IN PLAYING TO COME SEE HIM.

"BUT WE DISBANDED AFTER THAT SEASON AND RYAN TOOK OVER AT CARTER AND TURNED THEM INTO A GOOD CLUB."

SEVIER COUNTY'S THOMAS SMITH, A G-P GRAD WHO ENDED UP PLAYING FOOTBALL HIS SENIOR SEASON AFTER RUGBY, WENT TO THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY WHERE HE SAW SOME 4TH SIDE SCRUMHALF TIME.

DESPITE THE COVERAGE DORWIN GAVE THE TEAM IN THE MOUNTAIN PRESS, HE SAID THEY JUST NEVER COULD DRAW ANY TOP ATHLETES.

"WE PLAYED OUR HOME MATCHES AT ALUMNI FIELD, WHICH WE CALLED THE 'HOUSE OF PAIN,' AND DREW SEVERAL BIG NIGHT-TIME CROWDS," DORWIN SAID. "BUT IN THE END, THE PLAYER NUMBERS WERE JUST NEVER THERE.

"THE SPORTS EDITOR AT THE PAPER, JIM DAVIS, SAID HE HEARD SEYMOUR FOOTBALL PLAYERS SAY IF THEY DIDN'T GET A GRIDIRON SCHOLARSHIP, THEN THEY "WOULD JUST GO PLAY RUGBY AT UT."

IN FACT, INGLE WAS PART OF A LONG TIME FRAME OF ATHLETES FROM SEVIER COUNTY HIGH SCHOOLS TO PLAY RUGBY UNDER BUTCH ROBERTSON AT UT. TYLER HUSKEY, KEVIN BLALOCK AND PHIL HOPSON WERE PART OF A RUN WHERE A SEVIER COUNTIAN PLAYED AT UT FOR 10 STRAIGHT YEARS AT ONE POINT.


FULL NAME: ADAM PRESCOTT INGLE
RUGBY NICKNAME:
POSSUM CAREER: 2001-PRESENT
POSSUM NUMBER:
HEIGHT: 6-4
WEIGHT: 215
POSITIONS PLAYED: LOCK, UTILITY BACK
OFFICES HELD:
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MEMORABLE GAMES/SEASONS: WAS ON THE BOWL-WINNING TEAM AT THE 2002 BELLE CHERE 7s TOURNAMENT AGAINST HOST ASHEVILLE. "WE WERE DOWN FOUR POINTS WITH NO TIME LEFT," SAID INGLE. "WE GOT A PENALTY ON OUR OWN 5-METER LINE AND TOOK A QUICK-TAP. THE BALL WAS TOUCHED BY ALL SEVEN PLAYERD AND JON DAVIES FINISHED WITH A TRY UNDER THE POSTS."
PERSONAL QUOTATIONS:
BIRTHDATE:
BIRTHPLACE:
OTHER CLUBS: UT
RESIDES:
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