A latch mechanism is disclosed that retains a grass catcher on a reel mower cutting unit. The latch mechanism includes a latch plate releasably holding a rod end of the grass catcher in a slot on the reel mower cutting unit. The latch plate pivots on a horizontal axis. A clip is fastened to the horizontal axis to lock the latch plate in either a locked position retaining the grass catcher or an unlocked position allowing removal of the grass catcher.