A Lot Has Been Thrown at Him

Injury, Family Issues Fail to Slow Ogletree

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Sept. 30 -- Scratching his head while wearing a quizzical look, Virginia wide receiver Kevin Ogletree recited the roll call of quarterbacks from whom he has caught passes during his 23 games with the Cavaliers.

The list consists of Marques Hagans, Christian Olsen, Kevin McCabe, Jameel Sewell, Peter Lalich and now Marc Verica, who will start his third game Saturday against Maryland.

"In my time here," Ogletree said, "I've had to deal with a lot of quarterbacks."

The Cavaliers (1-3), who are coming off a loss at Duke, have not passed for a touchdown this season. Coach Al Groh insists the Cavaliers need big plays, and Ogletree is their most dangerous threat at wide receiver -- if someone can get him the ball.

Adversity is nothing new for Ogletree, a junior. Multiple passers are Ogletree's challenge this season. Last year, it was his recovery from a season-ending knee injury. The year before, it was the death of his grandfather. And in 2005, Ogletree's grandmother passed away.

Each issue has taken on varying degrees of significance, and quarterback uncertainty pales when compared with the loss of the two people who raised Ogletree. But it presents another bump that Ogletree needs to endure.

On Dec. 23, 2005, Ogletree's uncle, Mark Rossianno, picked him up at the Newark airport for a Christmas visit with his family in Queens, N.Y., just days before the Cavaliers were set to play in the Music City Bowl. Ogletree presented gifts -- a portable DVD player for his grandmother, Patricia Rossianno; a watch for his grandfather, Lawrence Rossianno; and a sweatshirt for Mark.

That night, just before the stroke of Christmas Eve, Patricia went into diabetic shock.

Six days later, Ogletree buried his grandmother. The next day, he returned to Nashville for the bowl game.

"He needed it," Mark said, "to escape the pain from being around the house."

After Patricia passed away, Mark found a birthday card in Patricia's drawer that she planned on sending Ogletree the following August for his 19th birthday. Inscribed on the card was a message, "Always put your best foot forward."

So that's what Ogletree did. During his sophomore season, he became a featured part of the Cavaliers' offense. In the second game of the season against Wyoming, Ogletree caught 10 passes for 95 yards and scored his first career touchdown.

Ogletree continued to emerge for Virginia, leading the team in 2006 with 52 catches for 528 yards and four touchdowns. Lawrence came to Charlottesville to watch Ogletree play on a Thursday night in October against North Carolina. The Cavaliers won, 23-0, and Ogletree caught five passes.

A little more than a week later, the family was celebrating what would have been Patricia's 71st birthday. Lawrence arrived home from the track, leaned over to pick up his granddaughter and suffered a fatal heart attack.

In a 10-month span, Ogletree had lost his two primary caregivers.

"The biggest thing was not wanting to let them down," said Ogletree, who sought to receive a scholarship to a prestigious school to make life easier for his grandparents. "There were definitely some obstacles. Talking about a loss of love one, it's not easy to take."

Entrenched as the No. 1 wide receiver during practices the following spring, Ogletree tried to make a cut when his left knee gave out. He tore his anterior cruciate ligament, ending his season months before it was scheduled to begin.

With Ogletree facing a year of rehabilitation, Mark continued preaching Patricia's advice. Ogletree redshirted and rehabbed, spending the year off observing how other wide receivers found ways to get open.

He returned to the practice field before last season's Gator Bowl. After Ogletree worked with the team during the spring, Groh declared that Ogletree's injury no longer was an issue. In Virginia's first four games, Ogletree has 22 catches for 218 yards.

Ogletree still cannot entirely escape the injury. Whenever he falls awkwardly or labors off the field, he needs to answer questions about whether his health is intact.

He recently lifted his jeans to the tip of his thigh and unveiled a scar of around three inches snaking up his knee. With two fingers, Ogletree softly stroked where the surgery took place.

"I got a scar that I see every day," Ogletree said. "It's something that's a little reminder to me."

He's nearly 20 pounds stronger than when he arrived in Charlottesville. The 40-yard dash that he ran in 4.41 seconds while in high school has turned into a 4.31. And he says everything that he has endured has matured him.

Ogletree refused to blame the team's slow start on the defections from the program, instead insisting the players need to take responsibility. He said the burden for big plays falls on the receivers and the running backs, not Verica.

Ogletree called his uncle Tuesday afternoon, facing a week's worth of tasks that included developing a rapport with another quarterback and finding a way to help resuscitate a stagnant offense.

Six "different quarterbacks, man. With injuries, losing his grandmother and grandfather," Rossianno said. "I get a little emotional. He's been through so much adversity."