Texas WR Marquise Goodwin won't be on the field this fall as the Longhorns try to bounce back from last year's disappointing season. Instead the junior will be focusing on bringing national and international glory to another Longhorn sports team.
Goodwin will redshirt this season, which maintains his remaining football eligibility, to focus on track and field, including training for the 2011 World Championships and the 2012 Olympics.
Goodwin won the 2011 U.S. Outdoor Track and Field long jump national title on Saturday to earn a spot on Team USA at the 2011 IAAF World Championships held in Daegu, Korea, August 27th - September4th. He will also focus on qualifying for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, which will be held in London from July 27th -August 12th.
In a Friday afternoon press release, Goodwin expressed his gratitude for the support the UT is giving him in his attempt to make the Olympic team.
“I can't say thanks enough for the incredible support from Coach (Mack) Brown, the whole staff and my teammates in this decision. To compete in the World Championships and Olympics are dreams of mine, and I'm going to do everything I can to represent them while I'm competing for our country with Team USA. I'm still going to be around football as much as possible supporting them every step of the way next season and will be ready to go with two years left when I fully return. Until then, I'm looking forward to having a great year with Coach (Bubba) Thornton and my track and field teammates as I try to fulfill my dreams of bringing home gold to the United States and everyone at Texas.”
Texas football head coach Mack Brown is supporting Goodwin's focus on Track and Field and looks forward to watching him chase his dreams. "When he gets back to football full-time, he'll have two years of eligibility remaining to help us compete for more championships," Brown said.
