Safety Leaves JMU Football Team

[JMU Duke Dog]

http://www.jmusports.com/Team/Stories/2_3214.asp?TeamID=2

http://www.jmusports.com/images/PlayerCards/2_164_Left.jpg


HARRISONBURG, Va., August 11 2005 - James Madison University football coach Mickey Matthews announced today that junior strong safety Robbie Catterton (Virginia Beach, Va./Kellam) has voluntarily left the program.

"After sitting out of practice on Wednesday and discussing his football future with his parents, Robbie has decided to leave the JMU football team," said Matthews. "I'm pleased to say that he will remain at James Madison to complete his degree and wish him the best as a JMU student."

Catterton (6'2", 200) transferred to JMU prior to the 2004 national championship season from the University of Virginia, where he played for the Cavaliers as a true freshman in 2003.

Catterton played in the first three games with the Dukes last fall before being sidelined with a shoulder injury. He had three tackles in those three games. In preseason practice, which began on Monday, he was competing with redshirt freshman Marcus Haywood (Williamsburg, Va./Bruton) for the backup slot to returning starter and senior Bruce Johnson (Lithonia, Ga./Lakeside).

[89Hen]

Even though he didn't play much last year, this is a somewhat big loss IMO. As a UVA fan, I can tell you that I was disappointed when he left UVA and he would certainly be a valuable player in H'burg.

[JMU2004]

he hardly played this year.....would have been 2nd or 3rd team this year.

This guy seems to quit if he isn't handed a starting spot, and we don't need that kind of attiitude

It is a shame though, as he probably would have started at some point during his career at JMU

[DTSpider]

That can be the problem with transfers. Sometimes you get players who didn't work hard enough at their first school. Work habits outshine talent.

[ngineer]

Not uncommon. Lehigh doesn't get very many transfers from 'bigger programs', but when we have, they have only occasionally panned out. Maybe it's mental--the expectation that 'things' will be easier at a I-AA school and then reality hits 'em. The only transfer that eventually panned out, eventually, was QB Schwenk a couple years back-when he came in from Rutgers--but even then, it took him a couple years to become a starter (and even that was always being debated among he fans).