August 9, 2000
Release: Upon Receipt

WALK-ON GIVES FURMAN 25
FRESHMEN IN PRE-SEASON CAMP

GREENVILLE -- Furman's freshmen football class grew by one on Wednesday as 25 newcomers reported to campus to begin preparation for pre-season drills, which get underway Friday morning.

Jamie Tyson, a tight end from Woodstock, Ga., was a last minute camp invitee for the Paladins, whose pre-season roster is expected to include the NCAA maxiumum of 90 players. As late as Tuesday afternoon, Furman expected 24 players to report for fall practice.

"It's a little bit of a juggling act sometimes to get the maximum allowable number of players in uniform, especially when you have injuries to a couple of players and you don't know their status to the last minute," said Furman head coach Bobby Johnson.

After reporting, the Paladin newcomers were issued equipment and underwent physicals. At 6-fcot-7, offensive tackle Allen Marsh is the tallest member of Furman's freshman class, and center Craig Morgan, who tipped the scales at 277 pounds, is the heaviest.

Thursday morning the Paladins will visit Greenville Children's Hospital before undergoing orientation and meeting with position coaches in the afternoon. The Paladin newcomers will undergo their first practice in shorts and helmets on Friday at 9:30 a.m. Furman's returning veterans are scheduled to report on Saturday. The first full squad practice in shorts and helmets is slated for Monday beginning at 6:20 a.m., and later at 3:20 p.m.

Furman returns 17 starters off a 1999 Southern Conference championship, NCAA playoff squad that posted a 9-4 record and defeated North Carolina 28-3.