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GARY PATTERSON
POSSUM CAREER: 1992
POSSUM NUMBER: 128
JOHN PARRIS
POSSUM CAREER: 1992
POSSUM NUMBER: 133
BRIAN PAYNE
A HARD-CHARGING, STRAIGHT-AHEAD RUNNING CENTER, A TOUGH BRIAN PAYNE HELPED STRAIGHTEN MANY A BACKLINE PLAY DURING HIS FEW POSSUM YEARS.SOLID, HE WAS MORE OF A CRASH-BALL INSIDE CENTER, BUT HE SAW SOME TIME AT SECOND CENTER AS WELL.
"BRIAN WAS AN INTENSE PLAYER WHO GAVE NO QUARTER," SAID PAT DORWIN.
RUGBY NICKNAME: B-DRY BRIAN
POSSUM CAREER: 1990-1997
POSSUM NUMBER: 95
HEIGHT: 5-9
WEIGHT: 205
POSITIONS PLAYED: CENTER
ROBERT PEAGLER
SELECTED TO ALL-TIME POSSUM TEAM AS D SIDE FLYHALF
TALENTED ROBERT PEAGLER SHOWCASED HIS SKILLS FOR EARLY POSSUM TEAMS, RETIRED FROM THE SPORT, THEN REGAINED INTEREST IN PLAYING AFTER STARTING A HIGH SCHOOL CLUB.POSSUM CAREER: 1981-1987; 2003-2008
POSSUM NUMBER: 28
POSITIONS: FLYHALF, CENTER
MIKE PIERCE
POSSUM CAREER: 1992-1994
POSSUM NUMBER: 129
GARY PLEMONS
POSSUM CAREER: 1989-1991
POSSUM NUMBER: 82
NICKNAME: SPACEMAN
BRIAN POSTON
FROM THE LAND NEAR DOLLYWOOD CAME A FLANKER KNOWN AS "HOLLYWOOD."BIG-SUNGLASS-WEARING BRIAN POSTON HAD A TRIO OF STINTS WITH THE POSSUMS COVERING A DECADE.
FULL NAME: BRIAN KEITH POSTON
RUGBY NICKNAME: HOLLYWOOD
POSSUM CAREER: 1995-97, 2000-2002 AND SOME SOCIAL MATCHES THROUGH 2005
POSSUM NUMBER: 165
POSITIONS PLAYED: FLANKER, #8
HEIGHT: 6-0
WEIGHT: 225
MEMORABLE SEASONS: 2001, "SIN-CINATTI"
BIRTHDATE: 2-4-74
BIRTHPLACE: NASHVILLE
OTHER CLUBS: UT, MEMPHIS OLD #7
RESIDES: KNOXVILLE
FAMILY: WIFE, HEATHER; SON, KNOX AND SECOND BABY ON THE WAY
OCCUPATION: SALES MANAGER, CLAYTON HOMES, 15 YEARS
DOUG POWELL
SELECTED TO ALL-TIME POSSUM TEAM AS B SIDE FLANKER
FLANKER/EIGHTMAN DOUG POWELL WAS MANY PLAYERS ROLLED INTO ONE BIG TALENT: STRONG, TOUGH, FAST, SUPERB TACKLER, EXCELLENT RUNNER AND A PLAYER WHO WAS ALWAYS GOING FORWARD.
AT LEAST IN THE 15-PLAYER VERSION OF THE GAME. IT WAS IN 7s THAT YOU NOTICED HIS SUBLIME RUGBY SKILLS.
"IF YOU THOUGHT DOUG WAS JUST A HARD-CHARGING, STIFF-ARMING RUNNER FROM THE BACK OF THE SCRUM, YOU ONLY NEED TO LOOK AT THE 7s HIGHLIGHT VIDEOS TO SEE THAT WASN'T ALWAYS TRUE," SAID PAT DORWIN, WHO HELPED BRIAN NIEKERK PUT TOGETHER A COUPLE OF KARS HIGHLIGHT VIDEOS. "IN 7s, DOUG WAS ALWAYS LOOKING TO PASS FIRST AND RUN SECOND."
ALTHOUGH POWELL DIDN'T PLAY ALL THAT MANY 7s MATCHES, HE WAS A FORCE WHEN HE DID, SETTING UP TRIES AS WELL A USING HIS SPEED TO SCORE HIMSELF.
"CHANGING YOUR GAME TO PLAY PROPER 7s WASN'T EASY TO DO FOR MANY PLAYERS, ESPECIALLY FORWARDS," SAID DORWIN. "IT'S TOUGH FOR PLAYERS NOT TO GO FORWARD ALL THE TIME - OR EVEN BACK UP TO WAIT FOR SUPPORT - BUT DOUG WAS A PLAYER WHO PICKED UP THE NUANCES OF 7s QUICKLY."
HOWEVER, AS MUCH AS POWELL CONTROLLED HIS PACE IN 7s, HE WAS ALL FULL-THROTTLE IN 15s.
"WHEN DOUG PLAYED ON SOME HIGHLY TALENTED UT TEAMS, HE WAS ONE OF A COUPLE PLAYERS YOU WANTED TO KNOW WHERE ON THE PITCH THEY WERE," DORWIN SAID. "OTHERWISE, HE WAS GOING TO DRIVE YOU TO THE GROUND IN A TACKLE, OR SNEAK WEAK WITH THE BALL OFF HIS SCRUM."
FULL NAME: CHARLES DOUGLAS POWELL
POSSUM CAREER: 1992-2002
AT LEAST IN THE 15-PLAYER VERSION OF THE GAME. IT WAS IN 7s THAT YOU NOTICED HIS SUBLIME RUGBY SKILLS.
"IF YOU THOUGHT DOUG WAS JUST A HARD-CHARGING, STIFF-ARMING RUNNER FROM THE BACK OF THE SCRUM, YOU ONLY NEED TO LOOK AT THE 7s HIGHLIGHT VIDEOS TO SEE THAT WASN'T ALWAYS TRUE," SAID PAT DORWIN, WHO HELPED BRIAN NIEKERK PUT TOGETHER A COUPLE OF KARS HIGHLIGHT VIDEOS. "IN 7s, DOUG WAS ALWAYS LOOKING TO PASS FIRST AND RUN SECOND."
ALTHOUGH POWELL DIDN'T PLAY ALL THAT MANY 7s MATCHES, HE WAS A FORCE WHEN HE DID, SETTING UP TRIES AS WELL A USING HIS SPEED TO SCORE HIMSELF.
"CHANGING YOUR GAME TO PLAY PROPER 7s WASN'T EASY TO DO FOR MANY PLAYERS, ESPECIALLY FORWARDS," SAID DORWIN. "IT'S TOUGH FOR PLAYERS NOT TO GO FORWARD ALL THE TIME - OR EVEN BACK UP TO WAIT FOR SUPPORT - BUT DOUG WAS A PLAYER WHO PICKED UP THE NUANCES OF 7s QUICKLY."
HOWEVER, AS MUCH AS POWELL CONTROLLED HIS PACE IN 7s, HE WAS ALL FULL-THROTTLE IN 15s.
"WHEN DOUG PLAYED ON SOME HIGHLY TALENTED UT TEAMS, HE WAS ONE OF A COUPLE PLAYERS YOU WANTED TO KNOW WHERE ON THE PITCH THEY WERE," DORWIN SAID. "OTHERWISE, HE WAS GOING TO DRIVE YOU TO THE GROUND IN A TACKLE, OR SNEAK WEAK WITH THE BALL OFF HIS SCRUM."
FULL NAME: CHARLES DOUGLAS POWELL
POSSUM CAREER: 1992-2002
POSSUM NUMBER:
HEIGHT: 6-2
WEIGHT: 187
POSITIONS PLAYED: FLANKER/#8/CENTER
OFFICES HELD:
TEAM/PERSONAL HONORS: MIDWEST CHAMPIONS
MEMORABLE GAMES/SEASONS: 1998
PERSONAL QOUTATIONS:
BIRTHDATE: 8-18-69
BIRTHPLACE: ANDERSONVILLE, TENN.
OTHER CLUBS: UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE 1988-1992
RESIDES: POWELL, TENNESSEE
FAMILY: WIFE-ANDI , SON-SHADE
OCCUPATION: UPS DRIVER
WEIGHT: 187
POSITIONS PLAYED: FLANKER/#8/CENTER
OFFICES HELD:
TEAM/PERSONAL HONORS: MIDWEST CHAMPIONS
MEMORABLE GAMES/SEASONS: 1998
PERSONAL QOUTATIONS:
BIRTHDATE: 8-18-69
BIRTHPLACE: ANDERSONVILLE, TENN.
OTHER CLUBS: UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE 1988-1992
RESIDES: POWELL, TENNESSEE
FAMILY: WIFE-ANDI , SON-SHADE
OCCUPATION: UPS DRIVER
JON PRIODE
JON PRIODE WAS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF THIS PHENOMENA: HE PICKED UP WITH ASHEVILLE AND DEMORALIZED THE POSSUMS BY SCORING THREE TRIES.
"I THINK WE MAY HAVE WON, BUT IT WAS CERTAINLY ONE OF THE MOST IMPRESSIVE APPEARANCES AGAINST US," SAID PAT DORWIN, WHO WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL WITH JON'S OLDER BROTHER AND CONVINCED THE YOUNGSTER TO GIVE RUGBY A TRY. "BUT NOT THREE - AGAINST US. JUST SHOWS YOU THE BRILLIANCE OF THE SELECTORS AT TIMES."
SHORT AND SKINNY, PRIODE WAS FAST AND ELUSIVE.
"JON SORT OF REMINDED ME OF MYSELF WHEN I FIRST STARTED PLAYING," DORWIN SAID. "HE WAS ALSO ONE OF THE FEW - OUT OF MANY I TRIED TO TALK INTO PLAYING RUGBY - WHO ACTUALLY HAD THE BALLS TO DO SO."
DORWIN THOUGHT PRIODE HAD THE SKILLS TO MOVE CLOSER TO THE SCRUM AND DEVELOP INTO AN OUTSTANDING SCRUMHALF. DORWIN SAYS DON'T DRINK AND PLAY NO. 9, HOWEVER.
"JON AND I DROVE DOWN TO HUNTSVILLE ONE SATURDAY MORNING," DORWIN SAID. "AND FOLLOWING THE WAY MOST OF OUR GUYS AT THE TIME PLAYED, WE SPLIT A 12-PACK ON THE WAY DOWN. I HAD BEEN SEEING A FEW GAMES AT SCRUMHALF EVERY NOW AND THEN - SO THAT WAS A LESS THAN BRILLIANT DECISION TO HAVE THE BEERS. I PERFORMED POORLY ENOUGH THAT EIGHTMAN RICK OEGEMA HAD TO PLAY SCRUMHALF THE FINAL 40 MINUTES.
"RICK WAS PROBABLY KNOXVILLE'S TALLEST SCRUMHALF UNTIL ADAM INGLE IN THE 2000s. JON HAD A FEW BRAIN FARTS THAT DAY, TOO. HE PICKED UP A LOOSE BALL, BURST ABOUT 15 YARDS AHEAD - AND THEN JUST STOPPED - STOPPED, BECAUSE HE THOUGHT HE BROKE A LAW. WE ALL YELLED FOR HIM TO RUN, BUT HIS LITTLE REST STOP ALLOWED THE COVER TO CATCH HIM."
FULL NAME: JON PRIODE
POSSUM CAREER: 1990-91
POSSUM NUMBER: 73
POSITIONS PLAYED: WING
HEIGHT: 5-9
WEIGHT: 165
MIKE PULLIN
POSSUM CAREER: 1990-1992
POSSUM NUMBER: 96
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