Can I get rid of the paragraph markers?

I wanted to make a text area box for really long posts. However I can't seem to get around the <pre><br /></pre> that shows up automatically between paragraphs. Any ideas?<center>
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Note the pix. Even our first year we were trying to lose the "Southwestern"! Ashby Woodson-with the blessing of President Stevens-was the individual responsible for getting the game of football off the ground at Louisiana."

The establishment of football-as a fan sport-began in Southwestern Louisiana in an era when there was no means of due east travel, and for all pratical purposes, it was a time when people of the area seldom traveled. For this reason local competition needed to be nourished. It was and the benifits of this continue down through today as Louisiana continues to be one of America's hotbeds for football talent.

One of many things that have an apropos fit in the history of UL athletics was that Mr. Woodson was the professor of the Manuel Training Dept. He was the hands on guy for the iron works school, and as part of his duties he taught forging. A forge is a workshop where pig iron is transformed into wrought iron.

Historically a gridiron was a flat framework of parallel metal bars used for grilling purposes. In football due to the yard markers visual look and lines of play on a football field, it became known as “the gridiron.”

While the connections may be based in verbiage, it is interesting that Professor Woodson was also responsible for getting the boys of the "Gridiron" off to possibly the quickest start of any school in history. Professor Woodson loved the game of carrying the pigskin.

Mr. Woodson was master of the gridiron, doubly so. He taught it, he coached it, and in an era of few rules, Professor Woodson played the game of football at the University of Louisiana (SLII).

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PS On my forums a textarea box shows up since html is enabled