S

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GARY SALANSKY

SOLID AS A "ROCK," GARY SALANSKY HELPED ANCHOR THE POSSUM FRONT ROW FOR SEVERAL YEARS IN THE 1990s.
HAS A BROTHER NICKNAMED "PEBBLE."

FULL NAME: GARY RICHARD SALANSKY
RUGBY NICKNAME: ROCK
POSSUM CAREER: 1992-1995
POSSUM NUMBER: 130
HEIGHT: 5-9
WEIGHT: 210
POSITIONS PLAYED: PROP
OTHER CLUBS: TENNESSEE TECH

GREG SALANSKY

PEBBLE.

POSSUM CAREER: 1996

POSSUM NUMBER: 185

SCOTT SANDMAN

SELECTED TO ALL-TIME POSSUM TEAM AS C SIDE PROP

A HARD-CHARGING POSSUM FRONT-ROWER, SCOTT SANDMAN MOVED OVER TO KNOXVILLE AFTER A STANDOUT CAREER AT UT.

FULL NAME: SCOTT STERLING SANDMAN
RUGBY NICKNAME: SANDMAN (REALLY DIDN'T NEED A NICKNAME)

POSSUM CAREER: 1992-1996

POSSUM NUMBER: 99

HEIGHT: 5-11

WEIGHT: 215

POSITIONS PLAYED: PROP/HOOKER/FLANKER

AWARDS: BEST NEW TEAM MEMBER-1992

BRENDAN SCANLAN

AN UNDERSIZED FORWARD, BRENDAN SCANLAN WAS AN OFF-AND-ON A SIDE PLAYER WITH THE POSSUMS.
POSSUM CAREER: 1995-2000
POSSUM NUMBER: 166
POSITIONS PLAYED: FLANKER
OTHER CLUBS: UT

WAYNE SCHACHER

A "SUPER FAN" ALONG WITH BILL CADDLE, WAYNE WAS ALWAYS AT THE FORKS FOR A POSSUM HOME MATCH.
POSSUM NUMBER: 124

RICHARD SEXTON

INITIAL POSSUM RICHARD SEXTON MOVED TO ASHEVILLE AND WAS KILLED IN AN INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT JUST DAYS BEFORE KNOXVILLE'S FIRST MATCH
POSSUM NUMBER: 27

JOHN SHAFTO

POSSUM CAREER: 1995
POSSUM NUMBER: 167

SHAUN SHANKS

A HARD-CHARGING CENTER, SHAUN SHANKS BROUGHT A TOUGHNESS TO THE POSSUM BACKLINE FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS.
THE TENNESSEE TECH GRAD MOVED TO ST. LOUIS AND PLAYED SEVERAL SEASONS WEST BEFORE MOVING TO KNOXVILLE (HE WAS FROM OAK RIDGE). WILL MISS SPRING 2011 DUE TO INJURY BUT LOOK FOR A STRONG FALL COMEBACK.
POSSUM CAREER: 2000??-CURRENT
POSSUM NUMBER: TBD

JOHN SHAW

LOCK-FORWARD WHO SPENT A COUPLE OF SEASONS WITH THE POSSUMS AFTER UT.
POSSUM CAREER: 1989-1991
POSSUM NUMBER: 83

BARRY SHURETT

POSSUM CAREER: 1992
POSSUM CAREER: 131

SKINNY WING

WHAT'S A FULLBACK'S WORST NIGHTMARE?
SIMPLE, REALLY.
WHEN HE LOOKS TO HIS RIGHT AND SEES A NEW WING.
WHEN HE LOOKS TO HIS LEFT, THERE'S ANOTHER NEW WING.
"OF COURSE, WHEN YOU'RE NEW TO THE GAME YOU'RE JUST TRYING TO STAY ALIVE," SAID PAT DORWIN. "IF THE GAME DOESN'T SLOW DOWN FOR YOU PRETTY QUICK, SOMEBODY'S GONNA FLATTEN YOU INTO THE GROUND -THAT OR YOU JUST RUN AROUND IN ZIGS AND ZAGS AT 100 MPH EVERY TIME YOU GET THE BALL AND IGNORE THE SCREAMS OF YOUR TEAMMATES -THEN AT LEAST THE END COMES QUICK."
FULLBACKS AREN'T TOO FOND OF HAVING A COUPLE OF VIRGINS TO TAKE CARE OF AT THE SAME TIME.
"YOU DO ENOUGH YELLING, PREACHING AND PLEADING WITH ONE NEW WING," DORWIN SAYS. "TWO JUST DOUBLES YOUR TROUBLE."
ALL CLUBS GO THROUGH SOME PERIODS WHERE EXPERIENCED PLAYERS DRY UP AND NEWBIES RULE THE DAY - ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE TO TRAVEL FURTHER THAN CAMPBELL STATION ROAD, THE I-81/40 SPLIT OR HEAD UP INTERSTATE 75.
"I REMEMBER A COUPLE OF WHOLE SEASONS LIKE THAT," DORWIN SAYS. "NOT FUN AT TIMES."
WHICH MAKES PULLING AN UPSET EVEN MORE SWEETER OR STAYING CLOSE TO A CLUB THAT SHOULD BE BLOWING YOU OUT.
"WE TRAVELED TO DAYTON ONE SPRING TO PLAY ON A NICE FREZING SATURDAY - THERE WAS SNOW ON THE GROUND AND IT WAS SLEETING," HE SAID. "I'M AT NO. 15, LOOKING AT 'DANCES WITH FENCES' ON ONE SIDE OF ME AND SOME KID I ONLY KNEW AS 'SKINNY WING' ON THE OTHER.
"YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW SOME OF THEIR NAMES BECAUSE IT'S LIKE WATCHING A WAR MOVIE. YOU DON'T WANT TO BECOME TOO ATTACHED TO THE NEW GUYS, BECAUSE IT'S EASIER TO SAY, 'SKINNY WING'S OUT' THAN 'THAT POOR SCHMITTY FROM LENOIR CITY JUST BOUGHT THE FARM. WHAT A SHAME ... HE TOLD ME ALL ABOUT HIS FAMILY AND HOW HE WAS GONNA OPEN UP A BARBER SHOP WHEN HE MADE IT HOME ... HE WAS SO SURE HE WAS GONNA MAKE IT ...'"
PLEASE.
"IT'S TIMES LIKE THOSE YOU LOOK INTO EARLY RETIREMENT, AND IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, IT WAS THE NIGHT AFTER SLEEPING OVER AT ROOSTER'S IN SEVIERVILLE, DRINKING BEER AND HANGING OUT WITH HIS CUTE NEIGHBOR, WHO WAS A REAL TEASE.
"I DREW THIS GREAT-LOOKING POSSUM TATTOO ON HER LEG - AND THAT GOT ME A BIT WIRED UP TOO LATE AT NIGHT TO GET MUCH MORE THAN ABOUT 30 MISERABLE MINUTES OF SLEEP. NOT THAT I WAS CLOSE TO GETTING ANYTHING ELSE."
SO AFTER A MISERABLE SIX-HOUR DRIVE, DORWIN ENDS UP IN DAYTON ON WHAT LOOKED LIKE A BAD DAY FOR THE BACK ONE.
"YOU REALLY COULDN'T CALL IT A BACK THREE, THAT'S FOR SURE."
SURPRISE, SURPRISE. THE POSSUMS KEPT THE SCORE TO SOMETHING LIKE 7-0.
"IT CERTAINLY WASN'T ONE OF THOSE 'I'M GOING TO DISNEYLAND MOMENTS,' BUT MORE LIKE WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED? DID WE REALLY JUST BARELY LOSE?"
SKINNY WING ENDED UP SURVIVING HIS THREE- OR FOUR-MATCH 'SEASON.' SO HE GETS A POSSUM NUMBER - KARL SURVIVED AS WELL TO MOVE ON TO A LIFE OF PYROTECHICS.
"I GUESS THAT'S A WHOLE LOT BETTER THAN BARKING FOR THE YAK WOMAN," DORWIN SAYS. "I CAN JUST PICTURE PHOEBE ON 'FRIENDS' WHEN ROSS TAKES UP RUGBY, SINGING ON THE SIDELINE.
"SKINNY WING, SKINNY WING, CATCH THAT BALL AND RUN ... SKINNY WING, SKINNY WING, DON'T RUN THERE, HON ... SKINNY WING, SKINNY WING, YOUR'E RUNNING LIKE A SCALDED DOG ... SKINNY WING, SKINNY WING, DEAD AS A LOG."
ANOTHER "BACK ONE" MIRACLE HAPPENED AGAINST MEMPHIS OLD #7 ON SUNDAY IN THE NASH BASH.
"WE LOST THE DAY BEFORE TO A TEAM FROM WISCONSIN THAT WAS ENTIRELY COMPRISED OF WING FORWARDS," DORWIN SAID. "THAT LOSS, COMBINED WITH MANY POSSUMS' FIXATION WITH THE CHEESEHEADS' 'PORN BUS,' DIDN'T SIT VERY WELL WITH TYLER HUSKEY.
"COME SUNDAY, TYLER'S STALKING THE SIDELINE, WORKING HIMSELF INTO A LATHER. ME, I'M LOOKING AT OUR TWO DIAPER-WEARING WINGS AND WATCHING MEMPHIS' FLYHALF WARMING UP HIS EXPERIENCED BOOT: LONG TOUCH-FINDERS, BOX KICKS OVER HIS PACK, CHIPS AND GRUBBERS AFTER A FAKE SWITCH OR TWO - IN OTHER WORDS, TROUBLE WAS COMING."
THE MATCH STARTED, AND THE POSSUMS' FORWARDS, LED BY HUSKEY FROM THE FRONT, WERE KEEPING VAST AMOUNTS OF POSSESSION, FORCING PENALTIES, TURNING THE BALL OVER WHEN OLD #7 DID HAVE A TASTE OF THE BALL.
"THAT WAS ONE OF THE BEST MATCHES I HAVE EVER SEEN TYLER PLAY - HE DIDN'T SAY MUCH, JUST LED BY EXAMPLE," DORWIN SAID. "OF COURSE, I HAD THE BEST VIEW IN THE HOUSE - 30 YARDS BACK AND US GOING FORWARD, WAITING TO SNEAK INTO THE LINE SOMEWHERE."
OF COURSE, THE FLOW OF THE GAME EVENTUALLY CHANGED. DORWIN SAID KNOXVILLE'S TURNOVERS AND PENALTY COUNT MOUNTED, AND MEMPHIS STARTED TO MOVE DOWNFIELD WITH RAKING BOOTS FROM THEIR NO. 10.
"OUR WINGS COULDN'T CATCH A FUCKING COLD, I REMEMBER WHO ONE OF THEM WAS, BUT NO NEED TO SAY HIS NAME. CAN'T REMEMBER THE OTHER ONE, BUT I KNOW HE HAD PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE."
AT THE HALF (SEE THE ENTRY ON DAVE HOLLAND FOR MORE INFO ON THE MATCH), DORWIN TOOK THEM ASIDE AND TOLD THEM THEY HAD TO START CATCHING THE KICKS.
"BASICALLY I TOLD THEM THEY WERE GOING TO GET CRUSHED WHETHER THEY HELD ON TO THE BALL OR NOT, SO THEY MINE AS WELL CATCH IT," HE SAID. "I TOLD THEM I WOULD BE NEAR ENOUGH TO THEM, SO ALL THEY HAD TO DO WAS SNAG THE KICK AND PASS IT BACK TO ME AND I WOULD KICK TO SPACE OR FIND TOUCH."
THEY BECAME A BACK THREE THE FINAL 40 MINUTES. THE CENTERS COULD HAVE CONFIDENCE THEIR HUSTLING BACK TO SUPPORT WOULD PAY OFF, DORWIN SAID. THE FORWARDS HAD JELLED FROM THE START AND THE INSIDE BACKS HAD PLAYED WELL ALL MATCH.
"SO ONCE WE SETTLED DOWN, WE WERE A COMPLETE TEAM, BUT IT WAS STILL THE WILL OF TYLER AND HIS FORWARDS THAT HELPED US EARN THE WIN."
DORWIN SAID HE LOOKS BACK AT THE MATCH AS ONE OF THE POSSUMS' BIGGEST UPSETS OF ALL TIME.
POSSUM CAREER: 1996
POSSUM NUMBER: 179

RON SILVER

A BULL OF A MAN, RON SILVER MIRRORED THE CAREER OF HARRISON AMBROSE SOMEWHAT IN THAT HIS TIME AT THE BUFFET LED HIM FROM THE BACKLINE TO THE FRONT ROW.

IT'S A MOVE THAT MOST FOLKS DID'NT MAKE, BUT SILVER WAS A FORCE FOR 40+ MINUTES WHEN IN SHAPE AND A SOLID IMPACT PLAYER WHEN HIS TRAINING WASN'T UP TO PAR.

FULL NAME: RON SILVER
RUGBY NICKNAME: BFR
POSSUM CAREER: 1998-2009
POSSUM NUMBER: 193
HEIGHT: 5-10
WEIGHT: 245
POSITIONS PLAYED: PROP/CENTER
NEW CLUB MEMBER AWARD 1998-RON SILVER
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 WERE AWARDED A PENALTY ON OUR OWN 5-METER LINE AND RON SILVER TOOK THE QUICK-TAP. THE BALL WAS TOUCHED BY ALL SEVEN PLAYERS AND JON DAVIES FINISHED WITH A TRY UNDER THE POSTS."

MARTIN SMITH

BRINGING MUCH-NEEDED ATHLETICISM TO THE POSSUMS, MARTIN SMITH HELPED STABILIZE THE POSSUMS' BACKLINE FROM FULLBACK FOZR SEVERAL A SIDE SEASONS.
HOWEVER, EVEN PUTTING ON A LITTLE WEIGHT SLOWED HIM ENOUGH TO PUT HIS SELECTION TO THE A SIDE IN JEOPARDY.
POSSUM CAREER: 1999-2007
POSSUM NUMBER: 196

SCOTT SPITLER

NOT THE BIGGEST OF PLAYERS, SCOTT SPITLER NEVERTHELESS WAS COURAGEOUS AND SMART ENOUGH TO BE AN A SIDE WING FOR SOME TIME.

FULL NAME: SCOTT C. SPITLER
RUGBY NICKNAME:
POSSUM CAREER: 1998-2000
POSSUM NUMBER: 194
HEIGHT: 5-10
WEIGHT: 165
POSITIONS PLAYED: WING
OFFICES HELD:
TEAM/PERSONAL HONORS:
MEMORABLE GAMES/SEASONS:
PERSONAL QUTATIONS:
OTHER CLUBS: UT, CAPE FEAR, SEACOAST (N.H.), PROVIDENCE(R.I.), WASHINGTON IRISH
BIRTHDATE: APRIL 22
BIRTHPLACE: COATESVILLE, PA.
RESIDES: ARLINGTON, VA.

TOM STEWART

POSSUM CAREER: 1991

POSSUM NUMBER: 109

TOM SUTLIFF

SOMETHING OF AN ANOMALY - TOM SUTLIFF WAS ONE OF THE FIRST TRULY ATHLETIC POSSUM PROPS.
"TOM WAS A VERY CEREBRAL PLAYER, AND KNEW WHEN TO PASS - AND MORE IMPORTANT HOW TO PASS - AND HE ALSO READ GAPS WELL AND YELLED FOR THE BALL WHEN HE SAW AN OPENING," SAID PAT DORWIN.
"THIS IS NOT A SLIGHT TO ANY OF OUR EARLY PROPS, I THINK DOUG BROWN AND TIM CHAMBERS WOULD AGREE WITH ME ABOUT TOM'S ATHLETICISM BEING DIFFERENT FROM PREVIOUS PROPS."
SUTLIFF MADE AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT UPON JOINING THE CLUB, PLAYING FOR SEVERAL SEASONS BEFORE MOVING OUT OF THE AREA.
"HEY, I HAVE SEEN DOUG PLAY FULLBACK AND 'SLUG' (TIM CHAMBERS) USUALLY SLIMED AN OPPONENT WITH A DUMMY PASS AND GAINED 20 METERS AT LEAST ONCE A GAME," DORWIN SAID. "TOM JUST ADDED TO THOSE THINGS FROM A PLACE I KNOW LITTLE ABOUT - NOR CARE TO LEARN ABOUT - THE FRONT ROW."
POSSUM CAREER: 1987-1988
POSSUM NUMBER: 58

JEFF SULLIVAN

COMING OVER FROM UT JEFF "SULLY" SULLIVAN SAW FIRST- AND SECOND-SIDE ACTION FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
POSSUM CAREER: 1992-1994
POSSUM NUMBER: 132
POSITION: WING

MARK SZYDLO

SELECTED TO ALL-TIME POSSUM TEAM AS A SIDE SCRUMHALF

A LIVEWIRE OF A PLAYER, MARK SZYDLO WAS KNOXVILLE'S A SIDE SCRUMHALF PRETTY MUCH THROUGHOUT HIS POSSUM CAREER AND IS CONSIDERED BY SOME AS THE ALL-TIME BEST POSSUM NO. 9.

GUTSY AND QUICK, SZYDLO WAS ALWAYS MOVING HIMSELF OR HIS PACK CONSTANTLY PAST THE GAINLINE.

"THAT WAS A BIG STRENGTH OF MARK'S - HE WAS ALWAYS MOVING THE TEAM, GAINING GROUND," SAID PAT DORWIN. "HE WAS MORE QUICK THAN FAST, BUT HE HAD GOOD SPEED, GOOD HANDS AND DUMMIED THE BALL WELL."

FULL NAME: MARK LAWRENCE SZYDLO
RUGBY NICKNAME:
POSSUM CAREER: 1995-2002
POSSUM NUMBER: 168 , HIS DAD, NUMBER: 169
HEIGHT: 5-9
WEIGHT: 170
POSITIONS PLAYED: SCRUMHALF, FULLBACK
TEAM/PERSONAL HONORS: 1998 MIDWEST RFU DIVISION III CHAMPIONS
OTHER CLUBS: UT

SOUTH AFRICAN TWINS

FOR A FULL SEASON OR SO, KNOXVILLE WAS HONORED TO HAVE A COUPLE OF BAREFOOT-PLAYING SOUTH AFRICAN TWINS, BUT THEIR NAMES ESCAPE ME.
CAN BE SEEN ON ONE OF THE KARS' 7s HIGHLIGHT TAPES PERFORMING THE HAKA AT MURFREESBORO.
POSSUM CAREERS: 1994
POSSUM NUMBERS: 156, 157