HOUSTON – Donald "Duke" Catalon remembers. Oh, how he remembers.

The buzz of the playoff crowd; the 166 yards he struggled to gain for Eisenhower against Cy Ridge; the fourth-and-two play that didn’t put the ball in his hands; the sting of defeat as his Eisenhower career ended more quickly than he ever anticipated.

“I go over it over and over and over,” Catalon told 247Sports.

The game lives well past its expiration date.

Then a Texas signee, the memory should have faded quickly. Instead, nearly three years later, Catalon is still waiting for his next snap.

A few tragic losses prevented Catalon from playing his first year at Texas.

A feeling of unhappiness caused him to transfer home to Houston the following year, which meant sacrificing a year of eligibility.

A twinge of bitterness and unease almost forced him to quit as he took scout team snaps, all the while watching Houston march to a 13-win season and Peach Bowl victory.

Now, 1,023 days since his last game, Catalon will take the field again Saturday as Houston’s starting running back for its Top 25 showdown with Oklahoma.

“I miss it,” Catalon said. “I haven’t felt that in a long time. I don’t even remember what it feels like, honestly. I just remember I had fun.”

The end of a nearly three-year journey is coming to an end; a road that presented more obstacles than a defense ever did.

“You think, ‘Dang, when am I going to get my chance to play?’” Catalon said. “Sometimes you don’t even want to play no more because you’re tired of practice. It’s been so hard.”

The Losses

Years before Catalon blossomed into the top running back in Texas and thrilled people with his Friday-evening gallops, he rode horses.

Catalon’s grandfather, James Lang, better known to Duke as paw-paw, instilled the love for Catalon early in childhood.

Paw-paw and grandma served as a steward for Catalon early in life, hosting he and Duke’s mom, Helena Harris, at their home.

Lang had Catalon in cowboy boots almost as soon as he could walk. Later, he took Catalon out to the country of Jefferson, Texas where they fished, hunted alligators and rode horses, a passion that lives on to this day for Catalon despite living in downtown Houston.

“Donald was pretty much raised with his paw-paw,” Harris said. “He really looked after Donald. It was all about Donald. It was always Donald.”

Catalon graduated high school in June of 2014. But sick, his grandpa couldn’t attend. Grandma did, though, and the pictures she took quickly made their way to a bedridden Lang, who fought lung cancer.

The images of Catalon, swathed in a blue cap and gown, were savored. As Lang absorbed the images, tears rolled down his face.

Catalon, already driving back to Austin to move in for good, got the call on the road. Minutes after paw-paw looked at the pictures, face not yet dry, he had passed.

“I didn’t even know what to do,” Catalon said. “He was like my main guy. Anything I needed he did it for me. That hit me the hardest.”

Football provided an outlet for Catalon, but he went to grief counseling each Monday while at Texas.

Still, tragedy continued to find him.

Under the direction of a new staff at Texas – the coaches who recruited him, Mack Brown, Major Applewhite and Oscar Giles, were let go months before Catalon arrived on campus – Catalon made a favorable impression despite his personal hurdle.

He would make his college debut against Kansas on Sept. 27, following Texas’ bye week.

But Catalon’s nephew died in a car accident during the week off. Catalon went home for a funeral the next weekend instead of playing against the Jayhawks.

“I had already missed too many games, and they told me I should take my redshirt year,” Catalon said.

Catalon entered fall camp in 2015 still working through his off-field trials. He would likely play in 2015, but there remained some unease harbored with the new staff.

Family members describe Catalon as quiet, and said a mutual understanding from player and coach is needed in order to cultivate the best from him.

“You just really have to get to know him,” Catalon’s father Joshlin Harris said. “Everyone thinks it’s tough to get in, but it’s not. You’ve got to know him.”

Catalon committed to Texas nearly two years before National Signing Day because of his relationship with Giles and Applewhite. Entering his second year in Austin, he didn’t yet feel that trust with running backs coach Tommie Robinson. Combine that with what happened away from football, and Catalon decided to transfer.

He could attend a junior college. There, he could play and not sacrifice a year of eligibility. But Applewhite, then in his first year as the Cougars offensive coordinator, pitched for Catalon to come home.

“They were doing H-Town takeover," Catalon said, "So I figured why not be a part of that?”

The Year Off



Applewhite heard the rumblings from the defensive staff.

While head coach Tom Herman and Applewhite helped transform the Cougars offense to one of the most potent in the nation, a name of a scout team running back kept creeping into staff meetings.

Catalon, even in his year off, certainly made an impression on the Houston campus.

At 6-foot, 210 pounds, Catalon is the epitome of running back balance. He’s steady, equally capable of running past a defender and bowling over him. Teammates said he looked light on his feet but felt heavy when they collided.

When Houston prepared for Florida State before the Peach Bowl, Catalon acted as Dalvin Cook. In some ways, Houston defenders said Catalon gave them more trouble than Cook ever did.

“I ain’t seen (a scout team running back) like him,” said Houston senior linebacker Tyus Bowser. “He’s a special kind.”

Even with the scout-team success and the constant admiration of defenders, Catalon continued to suffer through periods of woe.

Catalon transferred to Houston, in part, because of his relationship with Applewhite. But it took longer for him to bond with the Cougar staff than anticipated as he labored on the scout team.

The joy from Houston’s winning season resonated with him, but he didn’t always feel fulfilled. Catalon performed his role – acting as a different back every week – but no understudy is without the desire to be on stage.

There were times during the season when Catalon pondered ending the practice abuse.

He could be a regular student, pursue his degree in relative peace.

“I was just sitting there,” Catalon said. “I was a part of the team, but I wanted to be on the field making plays.”

While he sat, the specter of what Catalon lost continued to tug at him.

Herman set up another advisor for Catalon to speak with while in Houston, but the sting of death that somewhat spurred his return home never really lessened.

“It’s hard,” Catalon said. “I don’t even know what to say. I just try and keep my head up.”

When Catalon looks into the distance or in the stands during practice, he can often see paw-paw standing there. He imagines the smile, the boots and the waves of encouragement that used to radiate off him.

Catalon still talks to his grandpa each day, too.

The conversations are private, but there’s little doubt paw-paw influenced Catalon’s decision to keep playing football.

“That’s how I deal with it,” Catalon said.

The Return



Once spring ball arrived this year, it’s like things began anew for Catalon. He cemented the starting job and played in the team’s spring game – the closest thing he’d seen to live action since high school.

He’s back at home, too.

Catalon always grew up in a nice area of Houston, but he spent time with friends in plenty of areas that aren’t quite so lucky. Now that he’s returned to the city that helped form him, Catalon hopes to inspire.

“I wanted to make a difference,” Catalon said. “If they see me doing good, then hopefully it encourages to do good.”

His work with the scout team rewarded, Catalon will pair with Houston’s Heisman hopeful at quarterback, Greg Ward Jr., to form one of college football’s most (potentially) dangerous backfields.

“It’s going to be scary,” Catalon said. “I don’t know how they’re going to handle the option.”

Herman’s power spread lends itself to plenty of running opportunities, and Catalon hopes to build upon the 958 yards previous starter Kenneth Farrow totaled last season.

Nearly five years after their first conversation, Applewhite will finally have the opportunity to call Catalon’s number.

“He’s been through a lot,” Applewhite said. “He’s had some tragic situations that he’s had to deal with and put it behind him. He’s a mature young man.”

Those 1,023 days are almost up, and Catalon is practically salivating thinking about his first carry against Oklahoma. His family and friends will be there at a modestly estimated 20 making up what promises to be a rambunctious support system.

They’ll be hard to miss, too, with a banner emblazoned with Catalon’s image and the phrase, “The Wait Is Over.”

"What" if continues to be a question for Catalon in regards to his last game, but that memory now shares a space with a future opportunity.

The first carry of Catalon’s college career is approaching rapidly, and he can’t help but ponder what it could be.

“I’ve been picturing this play called 12,” Catalon said. “I’ve been running it consistent in practice. It’s just me pressing that A-gap, and I don’t have to make no jump cut or nothing. It’s just me running straight down the field.”

As that daylight breaks and his vision turns to the distance, Duke knows paw-paw will be there.