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MIKE WARD

MIKE WARD WAS A CAPABLE HOOKER FOR A COUPLE OF STOPS IN KNOXVILLE. HE ALSO PLAYED IN CHATTANOOGA.

POSSUM CAREER: 1989-1991; 1996

POSSUM NUMBER: 87
HEIGHT: 5-9
WEIGHT: 180
POSITIONS PLAYED: HOOKER
OTHER CLUBS: CHATTANOOGA

HOWARD WATSON

NOT THE BIGGEST OR FASTEST OF WINGS, HOWARD WATSON PLAYED IN HIS SHARE OF A SIDE MATCHES FOR EARLY POSSUM TEAMS.

ALSO HAD THE RATHER BIG JOB OF MENTORING TIM CHAMBERS.

POSSUM CAREER: 1980-1988
POSSUM NUMBER: 22
HEIGHT: 5-11
WEIGHT: 165
POSITIONS PLAYED: WING
OCCUPATION: LAWYER

JIM WATSON

A TOP-NOTCH PROP FOR THE EARLY- AND MID-1980s POSSUMS.

POSSUM CAREER: 1983-1988

POSSUM NUMBER: 43

MIKE WELDON

SELECTED TO ALL-TIME POSSUM TEAM AS B SIDE SCRUMHALF

GUTSY, GRITTY MIKE WELDON FOUND A SIDE SPOTS AT BOTH WING AND SCRUMHALF OVER HIS POSSUM YEARS.

"MIKE WAS AN EXCELLENT OPEN FIELD TACKLER," SAID SCOTT ADCOX. "WHAT HE LACKED IN SIZE HE MADE UP FOR IN DRIVE (DOUBLE ENTENDRE INTENDED)."

WELDON ALSO COACHED SEVERAL HIGH SCHOOL TEAMS.


FULL NAME: MICHAEL WELDON
RUGBY NICKNAME: MICKEY/MIKEY
POSSUM CAREER: 1993-2010
POSSUM NUMBER: 143; STARTED SOMETIME IN COLLEGE (DON'T TELL BUTCH), CIRCA 1995-2010
HEIGHT: 5-7
WEIGHT: 180
POSITIONS PLAYED: BACK, EXCEPT FOR INSIDE CENTER
PERSONAL HONORS: MOST RETIRED COMEBACKS

MEMORABLE GAMES/SEASONS: SCORED A TRY IN A WIN OVER NASHVILLE, BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER MOST SEASONS.

PERSONAL QOUTATIONS: "I'M RETIRING ... THIS IS MY LAST GAME."

OTHER CLUBS: UT, CHATTANOOGA, MEMPHIS
BIRTHDATE: 7-20-74
BIRTHPLACE: ATLANTA

FAMILY: WIFE, JENNY; SON, GRAY

RESIDES: KNOXVILLE

OCCUPATION: ENGLISH TEACHER/WRESTLING COACH/RUGBY COACH

GREG WENDT

AN EXCELLENT ATHLETE IN GOOD SHAPE, GREG WENDT WAS AN A SIDE CENTER FOR MOST OF HIS CAREER AS AN EARLY POSSUM.

POSSUM CAREER: 1982-1987
POSSUM NUMBER: 40
HEIGHT: 6-3
WEIGHT: 190
POSITIONS PLAYED: CENTER

BRENT WILLIE

FOUNDING POSSUM.

POSSUM NUMBER: 9

TOM WILSON

SELECTED TO ALL-TIME POSSUM TEAM AS A SIDE FULLBACK

TRAINING NON-TRADITIONALLY (MEANING HE TRAINED OUTSIDE OF PRACTICE) AND PLAYING WITH A DIFFERENT STYLE (HE USED HIS IMAGINATION WHEN ON THE PITCH) TOM WILSON MAY NOT HAVE BEEN A FAVORITE OF A FEW OF THE OLDER OR RETIRED POSSUMS, BUT HE INJECTED NEEDED PACE AND ATHLETICISM INTO A STAID POSSUM SQUAD.

"IT WAS SIMPLE, REALLY," SAID PAT DORWIN "IF YOU WERE'NT EXPECTING A PASS FROM TOM, YOU GOT ONE, NO MATTER THE ANGLE OR THE WAY HE PASSED IT."

WILSON, A COLLEGIATE ALL-AMERICAN AT FULLBACK UNDER BUTCH ROBERTSON AT UT, ALSO FOUND A HOME AT OUTSIDE CENTER FOR THE POSSUMS AND WAS A DEADLY DROP-KICKER FOR SOME STRONG KARS 7s TEAMS.

"TOM HAD A HELLUVA A 1995 RUN AT CAPE FEAR," SAID DORWIN. "AFTER WE WERE SHUT OUT IN OUR FIRST MATCH, HE CONVERTED 16-OF-18 TRIES OVER THE NEXT FIVE MATCHES."

THE POSSUMS, SEEDED EIGHTH IN THE TOP FLIGHT OF THE CLUB DIVISION, STOPPED TOP-SEED ECU TO START SUNDAY, THEN DRUBBED NEMESIS LOUISVILLE IN THE SEMI-FINALS BEFORE EDGING THE PHILADELEPHIA MAVERICKS 14-10 IN THE FINAL.

WILSON AND MIKE GARMAN WERE ALSO MIDWEST RFU SELECT SIDE 7s PLAYERS.


FULL NAME: THOMAS JEFFERSON WILSON
RUGBY NICKNAME:
POSSUM CAREER: 1989-1997
POSSUM NUMBER: 71
HEIGHT: 6-2
WEIGHT: 205
POSITIONS PLAYED: FULLBACK/CENTER
TEAM/PERSONAL HONORS: ALL-AMERICAN AT UT
MEMORABLE GAMES/SEASONS: 1995 DOGWOOD ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
OTHER CLUBS: UT, CHATTANOOGA, COLLEGIATE ALL-AMERICANS, MEMPHIS OLD NO. 7, MIDWEST RFU SELECTS
BIRTHDATE: 1963
OCCUPATION: PERPETUAL STUDENT

KEN WOLFE

THE MORE VOCAL OF THE TWO WOLFE BROTHERS, KEN PLAYED A FEW YEARS WITH KNOXVILLE ALONG HIS RUGBY JOURNEY.


POSSUM CAREER: 1984-1985; 1992
POSSUM NUMBER: 47
HEIGHT: 5-8
WEIGHT: 175
POSITIONS PLAYED: HOOKER
OCCUPATION: DRIFTER

REX WOLFE

DROPPING OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH, WELL AT LEAST SEVIER COUNTY, RUGBY NOMAD REX WOLFE WAS LAST KNOWN TO BE HEADING FOR AUSTRALIA SEVERAL YEARS AGO.

DID A DINGO EAT OUR REXY?

"POSSIBLY," SAID LONG-TIME FRIEND PAT DORWIN. "LAST I HEARD FROM HIM WAS ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO. HE USUALLY WOULD AT LEAST STOP BY ONE HOLIDAY A YEAR. RICH HOLLAND, HIS FELLOW STAR ON SOME STELLAR SEVIER COUNTY HIGH BASEBALL TEAMS, HASN'T HEARD FROM HIM EITHER.

"IT IS KIND OF WEIRD AS HIS PARENTS SOLD THEIR HOUSE AND ACREAGE, SO WE REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO REX," DORWIN SAID.

IN EARLY 2010, DORWIN LOCATED HIS FRIEND, TEACHING AND PLAYING RUGBY IN THAILAND.

ONE OF THE FIRST TIMES HE PLAYED, WOLFE WAS THROWN INTO THE FIRE IN INDIANAPOLIS AT THE MIDWEST RFU SELECT SIDE CHAMPIONSHIPS.

"NOT ONLY WAS THE MID-SOUTH WEAK OVERALL," DORWIN SAID, "BUT REX IS OUT THERE PLAYING FLANKER AFTER SEEING ACTION AT WING FOR JUST A FEW GAMES. HE WAS A GOOD ATHLETE AND HELD HIS OWN."

WOLFE HAS PLAYED FOR NUMEROUS RUGBY CLUBS, MUCH LIKE HIS OLDER BROTHER, KEN.

"REX WAS FULL OF FUNNY STORIES, THAT GOT LOUDER IF HE WAS WITH RICH AND/OR JIM TARWATER (POSSUM NO. LLL)," DORWIN SAID. "NOBODY WAS SPARED THEIR WRATH. I HAVE MOVED WELL AWAY FROM THEM AT TIMES IN PUBLIC PLACES."

DORWIN HAD LAST TRACKED WOLFE DOWN TO PLAYING MORE THAN A YEAR AGO WITH THE BANGKOK SOUTHERNERS IN THAILAND WITH FORMER UT AND POSSUM RUGGER BOB BALL, WHO HAS SINCE LEFT THAILAND.

FULL NAME: RONALD REX WOLFE
RUGBY NICKNAME: SEXY REXY
POSSUM CAREER: 1989-1992; 1997
POSSUM NUMBER: 86
HEIGHT: 5-5
WEIGHT: 187
POSITIONS PLAYED: CENTER/FLANKER/WING
PERSONAL QOUTATIONS: TOO MANY TO LIST
OTHER CLUBS: NUMEROUS
FAMILY: WIFE AND DAUGHTER
OCCUPATION: NOMAD, TEACHER

RESIDES: THAILAND