Pat White looks back on journey to play quarterback, wear No. 5 before jersey is retired at WVU before Coastal Carolina
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MORGANTOWN -- It was 2006, and West Virginia football was about to march out to play No. 8 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. The Mountaineers were 11-1, but it was a really young roster. Rich Rodriguez's quarterback at the time, Pat White, was a redshirt freshman, and running back Steven Slaton was a true freshman.
Rodriguez was nervous. It was the biggest game of the season, and he was going into battle with younger players. Rodriguez recalled how it was in the Georgia Dome, so it was essentially a home game; this was the big bad SEC and the Bulldogs had a lot more experience.
On the day of the game, Rodriguez checked in on his young quarterback.
"Are you ready?" Rodriguez said nervously.
"Coach, we're good," White said.
White went on to lead the Mountaineers to a 38-35 victory. He threw for 120 yards and touchdowns, went 14-for-20 passing and had another 77 yards on the ground. White didn't make a mistake. He was helped by a whopping 204 yards and three scores from Slaton, but it was still an impressive performance in a big moment from the redshirt freshman.
"He was just as calm as can be," Rodriguez said. "Couldn't wait to get out there. There was no anxiety whatsoever, and he played lights out."
On Saturday, Sept. 5, before the Coastal Carolina game, WVU will retire White's No. 5 jersey. The ceremony is supposed to start at 11:45 am, prior to the noon kickoff, with fans encouraged to get into their seats at 11:30 a.m., according to WVU athletics.
No more players will wear No. 5 after this season -- receiver Jaden Bray wears it now and will be the last to wear it. But White wasn't always No. 5, and it was up in the air whether he'd play quarterback.
White was just around 6 feet tall, which is small for a quarterback who needs to see over the offensive line. He also threw left-handed and was unorthodox. White was a talented baseball player and was drafted in the fourth round by the Anaheim Angels in the 2004 MLB Draft. Everything pointed away from football.
If he were to play football, his teammates in high school and in college told him to think about switching to a different position instead of quarterback.
"I was told no a lot," White said. "I guess I wanted to prove to myself and those that refused to believe, and more importantly, those that did believe, that I was capable."
White told his father to bring his baseball gear up with him the next time he visited because he wasn't sure it'd work out. White's father told him, even though he wasn't the starter, to prepare every game like he was the starter, every play and every rep. If White still felt the same at the end of the week, his father would bring his glove.
That was before the Louisville game, when Adam Bednarik was injured, and White had to step in. He and Slaton led the Mountaineers to a 46-44 triple-overtime victory against the Cardinals.
The No. 5 stuck with him through all the doubts. Not just the jersey, but the five people in his family, which is why he took the number.
"Obviously, wanting to play with them every time I stepped on the field was big for me," White said.
White started wearing No. 5 in middle school, playing baseball and football. When he went to college, White didn't wear No. 5. The No. 5 was worn by Chris Henry at the time. White chose No. 8 instead. He wasn't the only one either. Thandi Smith also wore No. 8 on the defensive side of the ball.
After No. 8, White picked No. 5, which is the jersey that'll be immortalized on Saturday.
"It just felt right," White said.
White went on to have a 35-8 record as a starter and became the nation's first starting quarterback to win four straight bowl games from 2005-08. He won multiple accolades, including Big East Offensive Player of the Year twice and was sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting. White broke multiple Big East records, including in touchdowns (103), total offense (10,529) and was the first player to total more than 10,000 yards.
White had a four-year career as a Mountaineer worthy of having his jersey retired. But White doesn't fit the rule requirements for having his jersey retired at WVU. He was never a consensus All-American, which is a requirement.
"There are requirements, and I didn't meet those requirements at the time, so under that setting, no, I shouldn't have got it," White said. "I'm thankful they changed the rules and allowed my number to go up."
Since White didn't meet the requirements, he didn't really see it coming this summer when he was announced to have his jersey retired. White is currently on the coaching staff as the assistant quarterbacks coach, so he was at the facilities a lot in the summer. Throughout the week, White joked that Rodriguez was oddly nice to him.
Rodriguez had a team meeting on Friday, June 5th. White was sitting in the back, like he usually does. Rodriguez introduced Pat McAfee, who was teammates with White, and asked him to say a few words to the team.
"Greatness is among you," McAfee said. "It's time to remind you."
On the screen, White's highlights started to roll. After the highlights, Rodriguez and McAfee announced White's number was retired.
In just a couple of days, on Sept. 5 and in front of a White Out crowd, White's number will officially be retired and join the small number of jerseys enshrined in Mountaineer athletics history.
White was asked about what the day will be like, and he first said it’s going to be a win over Coastal Carolina and said how special it was going to have his family back in town to share the moment.
"Most importantly, it was me thinking this was never going to be the case," White said. Thought it was impossible for that to happen. But it did. I'm glad that my family can experience Mountaineer greatness again."