Rainey Surrounded by Family and Friends on Senior Night
Sunday, November 27, 2011 | Football
By Chris Harry
GatorZone.com Contributing Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Lisa Webster was here last year to see her son, Michael Pouncey, run through the tunnel and onto Florida Field for the last time. She would have had double the fun had Michael's twin brother and fellow offensive lineman, Maurkice, stuck around for his senior year rather than jumping early to the NFL.
“I would have cried twice as much,” she said.
So maybe it was fitting that Webster got to take in Senior Night one more time. Chris Rainey basically lived at the Lakeland, Fla., home belonging to Webster and her husband Ron. Rainy and the Pounceys were inseparable while he teamed with the big twins to win a state championship at mighty Lakeland High school, then came to UF together and won a national title with Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow in 2008.
"They've been together ever since the ninth grade," Webster said. "He was about the same size then, too."
Rainey, who began the night as the No. 8 rusher in school history (2,351 yards), was one of 20 members of the 2011 senior class -- 10 of whom played for that '08 Gators championship squad -- to run through the tunnel for the final time during Saturday night's regular-season finale against Florida State. Rainey was the last of the seniors to be introduced, hugging Coach Will Muschamp, sprinting onto the field and saluting the crowd with a perfectly executed back-flip.
Just before Rainey raced into the rumble of more than 90,000, fellow speedster Jeff Demps (No. 7 all-time with 2,448 coming in) waved his goodbyes to the crowd. Rainey and Demps began the night ranked third and fourth, respectively, in rushing yards among active SEC players.
“I'm really proud of him,” said mother Marilyn Demps of Winter Garden. “It's going to be sad to see him leave, 'cause I've really enjoyed coming here and watching him run the ball and do his thing.”
Unlike past years, when the entire team would take the field and applaud the seniors as they were introduced one-by-one, Muschamp sent the seniors out first for their special moment, brought them back into the tunnel and sent the whole squad out en mass for a final time together.
“It's always a great tradition and a culmination of everything you've worked for,” said former Gators linebacker and team captain Jerry Odom, a member of the 1990 senior class who was the sidelines Saturday. “I think you appreciate it more later than you do in the moment, but you're so excited, fired up and ready to play.”
