Pat White had a pretty good idea that something was going on earlier this offseason.
Pat McAfee was in the building. A highlight was being shown. And, perhaps most tellingly, head coach Rich Rodriguez was in a better mood than usual.
White just did not know why.
“I was wondering that week why Coach Rod [Rich Rodriguez] was a little bit nicer to me,” White said with a laugh.
He found out soon enough.
West Virginia was going to retire his No. 5 jersey. Read more: Pat White on No. 5, proving people wrong, and coming home to West Virginia.
Now, with that moment finally arriving Saturday, White is preparing to see his number go up in the stadium where he made himself a Mountaineer legend.
And for White, the weekend is truly about the people who will be there to see it.
No. 5 was always about more than football
“My parents, my brothers, my wife, my kids,” White said. “And allow my nephew to get the gold and blue running strong through his veins.”
It has been a long time since White’s parents were in Morgantown.
That changes Saturday.
“For me personally, it’ll be excellent to see my parents get back to Morgantown and experience Mountaineer madness again,” White said. “It’s been a while since they’ve been in that stadium.”
White’s connection to West Virginia has never really gone away.
He came to Morgantown from Daphne, Alabama, and eventually became one of the most recognizable players in program history.
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But even the number on his back had to be earned.
White wore No. 8 as a redshirt freshman while the late Chris Henry wore No. 5.
He wanted five.
Eventually, he got it.
“But once I got it on my back, it felt right,” White said.
The number had followed White since middle school, when he wore it playing baseball and football.
There was a reason it stuck.
“Having five people in my family and obviously wanting to play for them every time I stepped on the field was big for me,” White said.
That family connection is still a major part of what the number means to him.
So is everything that came with getting to Morgantown in the first place.
White was told he couldn’t do it
White was never the prototype quarterback.
He was barely six feet tall. He was left-handed. His game was different.
And he heard about it.
“I was told no a lot,” White said.
He was told by teammates in high school and college that he should consider changing positions.
Football was the more difficult path.
Baseball came with less scrutiny.
At quarterback, White felt like he constantly had something to prove.
“So 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 said.
He eventually did exactly that.
Years later, White is back in Morgantown — this time as an assistant quarterbacks coach.
He never expected that part of the story.
“I truly never thought I would be coaching, period,” White said.
A former WVU teammate, Ryan Stanchek, helped change that.
Stanchek asked White to come coach at Alcorn State. White turned him down twice.
The third time, Stanchek told him he was going to keep asking until White said yes.
White eventually did.
“And for me that was a sign from the Almighty that this was a part of my purpose and journey,” White said.
From Mountaineer quarterback to Mountaineer coach
That journey has now brought White back to the same place where his own quarterback career took off.
The role has also given him a chance to pass along some of the lessons he learned along the way.
White shared what he wants out of his guys — about how they handle every rep, how they communicate and, most importantly, how they lead.
“As a quarterback, I think I said this recently, your job is the hardest on the field that there is,” White said. “But most important, it’s your job to make everybody else’s job around you easier.”
White wants quarterbacks to take ownership.
If something goes wrong, he believes the quarterback has to be willing to take the blame, even when it is not necessarily his fault.
“Because then I think those guys will play harder for you as the leader of the unit and the team,” White said.
That mentality sounds familiar.
White was a winner at West Virginia because he was not simply interested in individual success.
When asked what makes someone a winner, his answer was simple.
“A team player.”
Someone who enjoys the process, someone who gives everything he has. Someone who understands that football is still a game.
“It’s a kid’s game that we are fortunate enough to play as young adults,” White said. “But there are a lot of things bigger than what’s going on on the football field.”
After 20 years, No. 5 finally goes up
Saturday, though, the football field will mean a little more.
White’s No. 5 will officially become part of West Virginia history.
For years, fans have debated when, or if, that would happen.
White never complained about waiting.
At the time, he knew he did not meet the program’s requirements for having his number retired.
“My only comment to those who said they should retire your number was I’m ineligible,” White said. “There are rules to it, and I guess there are requirements, and I didn’t meet those requirements at the time.”
When those rules changed, White’s number finally became eligible.
“I’m thankful that they changed the rules and allowed my number to go up,” he said.
And now it will.
The former quarterback who was told he was too small and should consider another position is about to have his No. 5 permanently placed among the greats.
He will have his family there.
His teammates and former teammates will be there.
And the same fans who watched him make history will get one more chance to celebrate him.
White is not spending much time worrying about whether or not there will be tears.
He already knows what he wants out of the weekend.
“It’s going to be a big win,” White said.
For Pat White, that is probably the only answer there could be.
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