By RYAN ARENA
L’Observateur

LAPLACE – Upon graduating from Tulane, former Green Wave wide receiver Casey Robottom found himself dealing with life after football for the first time.

But he wouldn’t stay away for long.

“I just had a little itch,” said Robottom. “And I had to scratch it.”

The former St. Charles Catholic superstar reached out to Tulane head coach Curtis Johnson — himself a former Comet — when Johnson accepted the Green Wave head job in 2012 and inquired about a potential opening. Johnson obliged, offering him a position on the offensive coaching staff as a graduate assistant, which Robottom accepted.

And in 2013, his second year on the staff, the Wave alum had the opportunity to contribute to a truly special season.

Tulane had a resurgent year in 2013, winning seven games and earning a berth in the New Orleans Bowl, the first bowl game for the Wave since a 2002 trip to the Hawaii Bowl.

In fact, it was the first time the Wave had even earned bowl eligibility since that 2002 season. Tulane clinched that eligibility — it takes six wins to be considered — via a dramatic victory 14-7 over Tulsa on Oct. 26.

“We had a couple of last second kicks and a triple-overtime game,” said Robottom, “but the Tulsa game was the most memorable for me. As a player, I didn’t get a chance to go to a bowl. But to see how excited everyone was, from the players to the coaches, the students and just seeing all the support we were getting, it was pretty incredible.”

Robottom, the son of St. John the Baptist Parish President Natalie Robottom, graduated from Tulane in 2010. He earned a starting position as a junior and hauled in 50 receptions for 584 yards and two touchdowns, then upped that output to 56 receptions for 663 yards and four touchdowns as a senior, leading Tulane in both receptions and yardage.

His best performance as a Tulane player came on the road at UTEP in 2010 when he made a career-best 10 receptions for 151 yards and a pair of scores, including a 43-yard, game-winning catch. That season, Robottom earned honorable mention status on the All-Conference USA team.

The Green Wave were in a downturn dating back to 2002, however. Tulane had won no more than five games in any season since then and no more than four since 2005.

In 2012, Johnson’s first season with the Wave — and Robottom’s first as graduate assistant — Tulane went 2-10.

But last season the Wave surged to 7-6. That winning feeling wasn’t at all unfamiliar to Robottom — while the Wave struggled during his tenure, his career as a prep star at St. Charles Catholic yielded nothing but success. He helped guide the Comets to an appearance in the Class 2A state championship game in his senior year along with district championships in his sophomore and junior years. Over his career, he tallied 3,843 all-purpose yards: 217 rushing (3 TDs), 1,755 receiving (20 TDs), 711 punt return (3 TDs), 1,058 kickoff return (3 TD) and 102 on interception returns.

“He was one of the best high school wide receivers we’ve ever had, if not the very best,” said St. Charles Catholic coach Frank Monica. “He was a lot like Odell Beckham. He’d make circus-type, acrobatic catches. He returned kicks and punts and was very dangerous. He didn’t have that blinding speed, but he was tremendously instinctive. He made one of the greatest receptions I’ve ever seen at the high school level, a one-handed grab … I’ll still take people aside and show them that catch today.

“People would try to double-cover him, even in 7-on-7 drills. He was extremely difficult to contain, and he could hurt opposing teams in so many different ways.”

Monica said that Robottom’s feel for the game is something that will serve him well as coach.

“He knew our offense from every standpoint, inside and out,” said Monica. “We could make an adjustment on the sideline, and he’d know exactly what to do from there. It makes sense that he’s made that decision (to go into coaching) … We’re all certainly proud of him. He’s a tremendous ambassador.”

Robottom said the transition to coaching has opened his eyes in some ways.

“As a player, you don’t really realize just how much work is put in … as a coach, you’re always in the office. Players will head to their dorms after practice, get a little time off, but as a coach you’re gameplanning for the upcoming opponent.”

He works with Tulane’s skill position players and said despite the workload, he wouldn’t trade the experience.

“I definitely enjoy it,” he said. “I’m learning a lot from our staff every day.”

And though Tulane lost a close one at the New Orleans Bowl, Robottom said it was extremely worthwhile to finally experience a bowl game.

“The New Orleans Bowl definitely treated us extremely well,” he said. “I know the guys enjoyed it. I wish the game had ended a little differently. We fought back at the end and came up a little short. But it was all in all an amazing thing to be a part of.”