Donte Hamilton never wavered.
 
When the 2020 football season was canceled last July, Hamilton, a graduate linebacker for the Wildcats, simply went back to work in preparation for his next opportunity to wear the Crimson and Black.
 
"(Not coming back) never entered my mind," he said. "After I got hurt in 2019, I had a sour taste in my mouth for how that season went, both personally and as a team. We may have won a conference championship but being 7-4 wasn't what we wanted. I don't think anybody wants to end their senior season like that. I couldn't go out having played three games as a senior.
 
"I was going to do anything I could to make (coming back for '21) happen."
 
Hamilton and the Wildcats kickoff the much-anticipated 2021 season when they visit Eastern New Mexico, 5 p.m., PDT, Thursday, in Portales, N.M.
 
By coming back for what is essentially a sixth season of eligibility, Hamilton not only gets a chance to finish his career on his terms, he also now has an opportunity to join a long list of defensive leaders and standouts at Central by wearing the coveted No. 44 jersey, which was presented to him by head coach Chris Fisk during practice in late August.
 
The Wildcats began honoring the program's defensive leader with the 44 jersey back in 2008, and Hamilton is now the 11^th different player to be so honored. He joins a legacy which includes initial honoree Mitch Reffett, current CFL star Adam Bighill, Tovar Sanchez, and Marcus Schimmelfennig, the last Wildcat to wear No. 44 in 2019.
 
Now Hamilton is a member of the 44 family.
 
"I didn't realize how big of a deal it truly was," Hamilton said. "Adam Bighill texted me and told me he was glad to have me as a part of the family. Billy Greer, whom I played with in the past, also reached out to me about it. It was kind of cool to hear the legacy of past 44s and then be honored with the opportunity to wear the number."
 
Turns out, Hamilton has had his eye on the 44 jersey for a long time.
 
"I definitely knew about it when I first got here," Hamilton said. "It was introduced to me when I came on my recruiting visit. I thought it would be cool to wear that one day."
 
And while the 44 jersey is certainly an honor for Hamilton, it also comes with great responsibility.
 
"I think the responsibility is maintaining the leadership role you had before you were given 44," he said. "My job is to maintain and uphold the same standard I've had over the past couple of years. Maybe sometimes guys who have gotten 44 have changed because they feel the pressure of the number. In my case, I'm trying to come out here and win games with my teammates and have the most fun that I can."
 
CAT TRACKS
•Central Washington kicks off its 106th season of football on Thursday, Sept. 2, when the Wildcats visit Lone Star Conference foe Eastern New Mexico
•Central is 44-59-2 all-time in season openers, including 0-2 under head coach Chris Fisk
•Central's last season-opening victory was a 34-10 triumph at Texas A&M-Kingsville in 2017. The Wildcats finished 11-1 that season and reached the first round of the NCAA Playoffs
•This is Central Washington's first visit to Portales, and the program's first meeting with Eastern New Mexico
•The game is part of a scheduling agreement between the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and the LSC. Central will host LSC squads Angelo State (Sept. 25), Midwestern State (Oct. 2), while also visiting Western New Mexico on Nov. 6.
•Central Washington has won the last three GNAC championships and is once again the favorite in 2021. No GNAC team has ever won four consecutive conference titles.
•Assistant head coach John Picha begins his 33rd season as a member of the coaching staff in 2021. The 1993 CWU graduate has been an assistant for seven different head coaches.
 
STORY LINES
•The Wildcats, like many other teams across the country, are dealing with a roster stuffed with players who have never taken a snap either in college or for the Wildcats or both. Of CWU's 82 primary (active) players, 45 have never seen action for the Crimson and Black. CWU has 49 freshmen (23 true and 26 redshirt) on its 2021 overall roster, including 31 on the active roster.
•The Wildcats also feature new offensive and defensive coordinators for the 2021 season. Zach Tinker (OC) and Nate Johnson (DC) both joined the Wildcats in early 2020. Both had just one opportunity to play their wares with the Wildcats, as CWU played just one game (Montana) during the COVID-impacted 2020-21 athletic year.
•CWU is opening the season on the road for the seventh consecutive season. The annual Ellensburg Rodeo typically forces the Wildcats out of town on Labor Day Weekend. The Wildcats last opened a season at home in 2013, losing to Texas A&M-Kingsville by a 21-14 score in a game played the Saturday after Labor Day.
•Eight Wildcats (Kent Powell, JJ Lemming, Daniel Johnson, Zach Stecklein, Isaac Clark, Matt Wiitanen, Jahleel Breland and Colson Brunner) will be making their first career starts for CWU on Thursday
•The Wildcats received 15 votes in the AFCA Preseason Top 25 poll
 
SERIES HISTORY
•This is the first meeting between the Wildcats and the Greyhounds
 
ABOUT THE GREYHOUNDS
•This will be the first game at ENMU for first-year head coach Tie Hyatt, who was named the 16th head coach in program history in April
•The Greyhounds are projected to start 9 freshmen on offense and defense, with two more freshmen scheduled to start on special teams (punter, kicker)
•Eastern New Mexico is a member of the Lone Star Conference, whose members also include 2021 CWU opponents Angelo State, Midwestern State, and Western New Mexico.
•The Greyhounds are picked to finish sixth out of eight teams in the LSC preseason poll
•Aside from the three previously mentioned LSC foes, ENMU will also play CWU non-conference opponent Lincoln on Oct. 2.
•Eastern rushed for an impressive 4181 yards in 12 games during the 2019 season, but the Greyhounds lost their top two rushers, Paul Terry (1,888 yards, 2nd in the nation) and Wyatt Strand (937). Eastern scored 38 of its 45 offensive touchdowns on the ground in '19.