J

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VINCENT JARDRET

HAILING FROM FRANCE, VINCENT JARDRET GOT HIS SHARE OF A SIDE PLAYING TIME, PRIMARILY AT WING, IN THE LATE 1990s AND EARLY 2000s.

POSSUM CAREER: 1996-2002
POSSUM NUMBER: 184

BOBBY JARRETT

A SOLID B SIDE PLAYER, BOBBY JARRETT SAW SOME A SIDE ACTION AT WING ALSO.

"I CAN'T REALLY REMEMBER WHERE BOBBY PICKED UP THE GAME, IT COULD HAVE BEEN UT OR MAYBE TENNESSEE TECH," SAID PAT DORWIN. "HE WAS A SOLID ALL-AROUND PLAYER, AND PRETTY ATHLETIC."

HE WAS SOMEWHAT LIKE FRANK "HAIR" BENNETT, DORWIN SAID.

"BOBBY WAS A PRETTY BOY, JUST NOT AS HIGH-MAINTENANCE AS FRANK," DORWIN SAID.

JARRATT LATER MOVED TO NASHVILLE AND GOT A MINORITY SCHOLARSHIP TO TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY.


POSSUM CAREER: 1989-1994
POSSUM NUMBER: 77
HEIGHT: 5-11
WEIGHT: 180
POSITIONS PLAYED: WING

ERIC JOHNSON

VOTED TO ALL-TIME POSSUM TEAM AS D SIDE INSIDE CENTER

A MASSIVE PRESENCE AT INSIDE CENTER, ERIC "BIG GAY ERIC" JOHNSON TERRORIZED POSSUM OPPONENTS FOR A FEW YEARS BEFORE MOVING TO FLORIDA.

FULL NAME: ERIC EARL JOHNSON
RUGBY NICKNAME: BGE
POSSUM CAREER: 1998-2002
POSSUM NUMBER: 192
HEIGHT: 6-3
WEIGHT: 250
POSITIONS PLAYED: CENTER
OTHER CLUBS: UT

BRIAN JOHNSON

POSSUM CAREER: 1993
POSSUM NUMBER: 142

LAWRENCE JONES

A FIERY FLANKER, LAWRENCE JONES WAS ONE OF THOSE GUYS YOU WANTED TO AVOID RUNNING INTO ON THE PITCH.

PICKED UP WHERE DOUG POWELL LEFT OFF AS A HARD-HITTING BACK-ROWER AT UT BEFORE SPENDING A BIT OF TIME WITH KNOXVILLE.

"LAWRENCE WAS IN THE SAME MOLD AS DOUG, ANDY KLAEHN ...ETC. HE WAS A QUICK PLAYER AND SURE TACKLER," SAID PAT DORWIN.

JONES ALSO SPENT SOME TIME IN THE CENTERS.

FULL NAME:
RUGBY NICKNAME:
POSSUM CAREER: 1992-1994
POSSUM NUMBER: 125
HEIGHT: 5-11
WEIGHT: 192
POSITIONS PLAYED: FLANKER
OFFICES HELD:
TEAM/PERSONAL HONORS:
MEMORABLE GAMES/SEASONS:
PERSONAL QUOTATIONS:
BIRTHDATE:
BIRTHPLACE:
OTHER CLUBS: UT, JOHNSON CITY
RESIDES:
FAMILY:
OCCUPATION:

MICHAEL JORDAN

MICHAEL JORDAN ONCE PLAYED FOR THE POSSUMS.

NO, NOT THE FORMER HANES UNDERWEAR PITCHMAN - WHO ALSO PLAYED A BIT OF HOOPS - THIS MICHAEL JORDAN WAS A SOUTH AFRICAN PHYSICAL THERAPIST WHO WORKED IN KNOXVILLE FOR SEVERAL YEARS.

HE WAS AN OUTSTANDING FLANKER AS WELL AS A DANGEROUS CENTER AND HE FOUND SOME TIME AT #8 AS WELL.

"MIKE WAS ALSO AN OUTSTANDING 7s PLAYER ALSO," SAID PAT DORWIN. "HE WAS VERY ATHLETIC AND GOOD AT SETTING UP TRIES BOTH IN 15s AND 7s. HE REALLY SOLIDIFIED OUR CLUB FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS."

ONE WINTER, JORDAN AND A COUPLE OF HIS PT FRIENDS - TWO VERY HOT SOUTH AFRICAN WOMEN - WERE PART OF A LARGE POSSUM SKIING TRIP TO SNOWSHOE, W.V.

"I REMEMBER THE RIDE OVER WITH STEVE CUNNINGHAM DRIVING HIS TRUCK AND TOM WILSON IN THE BACK SEAT," DORWIN SAID. "TOM - AND HIS SUPPOSEDLY LARGE VOCABULARY - WAS WORKING ON A NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD PUZZLE AND A COUPLE OF CLUES STUMPED HIM.

"WHAT'S A TWO-LETTER WORD FOR 'PERSONAL COMPUTING DEVICE?'" HE ASKED.

"WELL, STEVE AND I LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AND BURST OUT LAUGHING," DORWIN SAID.

THEY GAVE HIM THE SIMPLE ANSWER: PC.

A LITTLE WHILE LATER, WILSON ASKS WHAT A THREE-LETTER WORD FOR "SNOW-RUNNER" WAS.

GOOD GOD, TOM - WHERE ARE WE GOING AND WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?

SKI.

DOH. THE COBWEBS MUSTA BEEN THICK THAT DAY.

"ANYWAY, ONE OF MIKE'S FRIENDS LOOKED LIKE THE SOUTH AFRICAN WOMAN IN ONE OF MEL GIBSON'S 'LETHAL WEAPON' MOVIES," DORWIN SAID. "WE WERE PLAYING SCRABBLE ONE NIGHT AND I DREW AN 'A' TO GO FIRST. WELL, THE LETTERS I PICKED ALLOWED ME TO USE ALL SEVEN TILES AND SCORE A SHITLOAD OF POINTS. THE WORD WAS 'BASTARD' AND IT REALLY PISSED THE HOTTEST HOTTIE OFF THAT I SCORED ALL THOSE POINTS ."

CERTAINLY WOULD HAVE RECEIVED MORE ALL-TIME POSSUM TEAM VOTES HAD MORE OLDER PLAYERS VOTED. VERY SMART PLAYER WHO WAS AN EXCELLENT BALL-WINNER IN STAND-UP TACKLE SITUATIONS (WE USED TO HAVE PLENTY OF THAT KIND OF PLAY, NOT ALL THAT MUCH FUN AS YOU TENDED TO STAY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PITCH AND THE BALL WAS RARELY SPUN WIDE.)

"IT REALLY LOOKED LIKE WHEN MIKE WAS FIVE OR 10 YARDS AND GETTING A BEAD ON THE RUNNER, HE WAS GONNA LINE THE GUY UP SO MIKE WOULD SLAM HIS SHOULDER INTO THE BALL CARRIER

FULL NAME: MICHAEL JORDAN
RUGBY NICKNAME:
POSSUM CAREER: 1988-1991
POSSUM NUMBER: 66
HEIGHT: 6-3
WEIGHT: 185
POSITIONS PLAYED: FLANKER, CENTER