COLUMBUS, Ohio — At least once it was somewhere in the ocean.
Other times it was on an oil platform in Kuwait.
Regardless of the location, it was usually in the middle of the night when Craig Cataline would grab a spare moment, find a place to settle in and get a glimpse of his beloved Ohio State football team playing back home while he was half a world away serving in the Navy.
A bad call against USC still sticks in his mind. The scenic shots of the Rose Bowl were surely worth waking up to see at around 2 a.m. But perhaps more than just the opportunity to be a fan or enjoy a distraction, what Cataline was really watching was a glimpse at his future.
“I remember waking up at odd hours,” Cataline said. “I always watched the games on Saturday if I could, but I didn’t really see myself playing.
“It was always something I wanted to do, but I guess it just wasn’t something that was really my objective then.”
Cataline had plenty of other missions to keep him busy at that point, starting with a stint as an aircraft mechanic in Nebraska and a year on a security force in Kuwait.
Now he’s a seek-and-destroy member of the team he’s spent his whole life watching. He has a role as a walk-on nearly eight years removed from Grandview Heights High School. He’s a valued member of the Ohio State special teams and is on the short list of the coaching staff’s favorite players on the team.
Continue reading this article at ESPN: Navy veteran Craig Cataline contributes for Ohio State
