Pat White gives a thumbs-up to fans after the
Meineke Car Care Bowl (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
So long, Pat White. We will all miss you.
College football will miss you, the Big East will miss you and West Virginia will miss you most of all.
You are who we thought you are:
The ultimate winner.
You showed us how the game should be played. Four times you took your Mountaineers to bowl victories, something no other college player has ever done and perhaps ever will. And you did it with class and style.
Seemingly, you glide when you take off down a sideline, cut on a dime and head for an end zone.
Lucky were those who saw you do it one last time -- bring your team from behind to win 31-30 against North Carolina in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. There you were, being yourself, refusing to lose.
Your teammates already knew you were THE guy. You just kept proving it to the rest of us.
Those 332 passing yards were your career high. You sure knew how to save the best for last.
We will see you again, I'm sure.
You WILL play on Sunday, somewhere.
That NFL team will be lucky to have you.
Because you are, after all, a great player, a model citizen, a fine young man and the ultimate winner.
Goodbye for now, Pat White.
We'll see you again, hopefully.
If not, you will achieve elsewhere. You'll do well whereever you go.
Four bowl championships.
All-time rushing leader among NCAA quarterbacks (4,480 yards).
You're one of a kind, Pat White.
West Virginia was most fortunate to have you.
And we were lucky to be able to watch you.
Comments
Pretty classy article, Tom. Thanks from Mountaineer Nation. Oh, was Pat so fun to watch...
Doc
Simply put: You nailed it. Thanks for a very nice article.
Great article and I agree 100%. Mountaineer fan or not, Pat White represents what is good about college athletics. He's a kid that makes EVERYONE proud...
Pat didn't get all the honors he should have gotten. Not one of the last four Heiseman winners match up to what Pat accomplished
Class article, Tom. As a West Virginian, I can only hope we show the same common courtesy and respect in what we publish.
We do realize how lucky we have been having Pat associated with WVU.
Good luck Bulls and thanks again.
WHEREEVER YOU GO TO PLAY WILL BE MY FAVORITE TEAM TO FOLLOW. THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL THE RECORDS AND EXCITEMENT THAT YOU HAVE HELP TO CREATE THROUGH OUT YOUR MOUNTAINEER CAREER. GOOD LUCK AND MAY GODS BLESSINGS FOLLOW AND MAINTAIN YOU !!!
I just read this on one of the WVU fan blogs and everyone's response was 'great article' and it was. Tell your boss to give you a raise...very well written. We were very lucky to have Pat White here and we love him. He's what every parent would like to have as a son. I'll always be a fan. Maybe he'll play for the Dolphins!
Thank you for this article. My husband is a Tampa native, and I took a couple of courses at USF while finishing a MBA at North Texas State Univ. In 2007, my husband and I attended the USF-WVU game in Tampa while visiting his family. We were both dismayed at the verbal abuse the USF fans in our section were directing at both Pat White and Steve Slaton. I am a WVU grad, and my husband, a Naval Academy grad, is a big WVU fan. We were low-key at the game, just wanting to enjoy the game and see the team play. It was a very hostile environment, and after having lived in Tampa twice for a total of 11 years,I decided Chicago at 10 below zero is a better environment.
Thank you for this article. My husband is a Tampa native, and I took a couple of courses at USF while finishing a MBA at North Texas State Univ. In 2007, my husband and I attended the USF-WVU game in Tampa while visiting his family. We were both dismayed at the verbal abuse the USF fans in our section were directing at both Pat White and Steve Slaton. I am a WVU grad, and my husband, a Naval Academy grad, is a big WVU fan. We were low-key at the game, just wanting to enjoy the game and see the team play. It was a very hostile environment, and after having lived in Tampa twice for a total of 11 years,I decided Chicago at 10 below zero is a better environment.
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