Catching Up With Jeff Catrabone
12/21/2006 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling, Features
Very few wrestlers of Michigan's modern era of wrestling remain as revered and respected as Jeff Catrabone (1995-98). A three-time NCAA All-American, he served two seasons as the Wolverines' team captain and is largely considered one of the greatest leaders in program history. Known as a bear on top, Catrabone compiled 55 career falls and for seven years held the U-M school record in the category. His five-year record of 160-27 still ranks fourth among the all-time winningest U-M wrestlers, and he still owns the Michigan record for wins by a sophomore (45).
Known for his tenacity on top, Catrabone recorded 55 career falls during his U-M tenure.
Catrabone began his coaching career at Pennsylvania's Erie Cathedral Prep, where he spent five years guiding the Ramblers to a 65-20 dual meet record and five District 10 final titles. He returned to the collegiate ranks in 2005 and is currently immersed in his second season as a member of the University of Buffalo coaching staff.
As the Bulls prepare to close shop for the holiday break, Jeff took a break from his busy schedule to chat about his Michigan wrestling days, his transition into coaching, and his experience as a new father.
On his wrestling style ...
"I liked to wrestle on top, always looking to turn people and try pin them. I wasn't really good on my feet but was really good from the top position. I liked to hit the side roll a lot, so I liked the bottom position too. I used to work a lot with Coach (Dale) Bahr when I was a freshman, and he used to side roll me, put me on my back and tease me. He used to whoop my butt every day when I was a freshman, and finally I learned how to do it so I could get him back. It was a great move for me, and it's a move I'm teaching my guys now."
On his most memorable moment from Michigan ...
"I guess it was a bittersweet memory, but probably my last match when I took third at nationals. Just realizing it would be the last time I'd be representing the University of Michigan. That's the memory I will always have. There's many of them, many good, but as far as something I'll remember forever, that's the one. It was a controversial match with Mark Smith from Oklahoma State, and I just remember seeing Edd Bankowski, Coach (Joe) McFarland and Coach (Dale) Bahr. I can close my eyes and picture those guys in front of me cheering like it was yesterday."
On the best thing about wrestling at Michigan ...
"Just the friendships I made. I'm still great friends with Brandon Howe, Josh Young and Bill Lacure, all the guys I wrestled with. I'm still close with the coaching staff. When I see them at tournaments, I still keep in touch with Coach McFarland and Coach Bahr. Just being able to create friendships like that. Every other facet of it too. When people leave the University of Michigan, there are so many different areas they're going to be in life, so you end up knowing so many different people in different areas, which makes it great."
On getting involved in coaching ...
"Right when I left, I went up and worked at New England Financial with Mike Amine for a little while. I ended up working my way back to my hometown in Pennsylvania, where I started working in a painting business doing estimates and sales. I first got into coaching at the high school level. Now I run a painting business up in Buffalo and I'm an assistant coach at UB. After so many years of wrestling, you tend to think, 'I'm done, and I don't want to see another pair of wrestling shoes for my entire life.' But after a short time, you start to yearn to get back into it. It's a sport that once you get involved in it, you'll never, ever be able to leave it."
On coaching in the style he was coached ...
"There are days that I go into the wrestling room, and there will be things I'm teaching my kids in probably the same way Coach McFarland was teaching me. It certainly worked when he taught me, so I'm hoping that can give it back to my boys and make it work for them. So I'd say it's a very similar style to the way I was coached."
On his greatest strength as a coach ...
"Just being able to communicate with the guys and letting them know that it wasn't very many years ago that I was in their shoes. I try to paint them a picture that relates what I went through to help them through anything they might be going through: cutting weight, getting ready for a big match, or getting themselves in good shape."
Catrabone in his new role as University of Buffalo assistant coach.
On changes in wrestling since his competitive days ...
"When I was wrestling, if you made it to the semifinals of nationals, you were never on ESPN. Now if you make it to the semifinals, you are live on ESPN. It's definitely come a long way, and I think the changes have all been positive. The NCAA has been doing a great job with advertising and promotional parts of it. Wrestling tends to need a bit of help because it's not a sport that's very easy to understand. Take an average joe off the street, and he'll understand basketball or football. But put two wrestlers in front of him and an official throwing out points and stalling calls and this and that, and he's going to be confused. But the NCAA has done a good job to create a market for it, and there have been a lot of positive changes."
On a Michigan presence at Buffalo ...
"I see (athletics director) Warde (Manuel) often. We just had our holiday party last week, and he and I got to share memories and talk about some things from our Michigan past. I'll always be a Michigan fan. I'm a University of Buffalo fan, and I'm a Michigan fan. Things are going very well here. Warde is doing an excellent job, and we're really moving forward."
On his family ...
"My wife's name in Amy, and we have a 14-month-old son named Cameron Gregory Catrabone. His middle name comes from my father, who passed away a few years back, and my wife's father, who is also named Gregory. We wanted to tie that in with our son's name. Being a dad is great. There are steppingstones in life, and this is one stage that I am really enjoying. You grow up a lot in many different ways when you have a family. You start getting perspective for what your goals are and what you need to do in life to be successful and make your family happy."
On whether his son will be a wrestler ...
"I don't know. He can if he wants to. We're wrestling right now every day. Whatever he wants to do. I'm sure I'll be around it, and he'll be around it. Often when you surround somebody with something, it sparks an interest. So he'll see all the excitement and the heated, heavy matches. If he decides that it's something that he wants to do, he'll know that I will be there to back him."
On how wrestling prepared him for success in life ...
"It has set me up in a lot of different ways. I always try to explain to my guys that it's important to stick through it, and it's important that they finish their careers and can have on their resumes that they wrestled. That sets them apart. The other thing is after you go through all those morning workouts and cutting weight and training and getting ready for big meets, life seems to be pretty easy after all of that. So it just really gets you ready for the battle that you're about to enter."
Note: "Catching Up" runs in The Riding Times, an inside look at U-M wrestling.
