WVU to retire Pat White's No. 5 this fall
West Virginia will honor one of the greatest players in program history this fall.
WVU athletic director Wren Baker announced Friday that the school will retire Pat White’s No. 5 jersey during a home game this season. The specific game will be announced later this summer.
White becomes just the seventh Mountaineer football player to have his number retired, joining Major Harris (9), Ira Rodgers (21), Chuck Howley (66), Sam Huff (75), Bruce Bosley (77) and Darryl Talley (90).
Few players have left a bigger mark on the program than White.
The Daphne, Alabama, native guided West Virginia to a 35-8 record as a starting quarterback from 2005-08 and helped lead the Mountaineers through one of the most successful stretches in school history. White remains the only quarterback in college football history to start and win four consecutive bowl games, leading WVU to victories in the Sugar, Gator, Fiesta and Meineke Car Care bowls.
White finished his career as the NCAA’s all-time leading rushing quarterback with 4,480 yards and set 19 school, conference and national records. He accounted for 10,529 yards of total offense and was responsible for 103 touchdowns during his career.
“Pat White was a generational player for West Virginia football and led our program through perhaps the greatest era in our history,” Baker said in a release. “Everywhere I go, I hear stories about the way Pat elevated our program and his teammates to greatness.”
White earned first-team freshman All-America honors in 2005 and led WVU to a Big East title and a Sugar Bowl win over Georgia. He was named Big East Offensive Player of the Year in both 2006 and 2007 and finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting during the 2007 season.
Current WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez, who coached White during his playing career, believes the honor is well deserved.
“Pat was a great player and a great leader in our program, and he was a dominant force in college football for four years,” Rodriguez said. “He is very deserving of the honor of having his number retired.”
White was inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame and the Mountaineer Legends Society in 2018. He currently serves on the Mountaineer football coaching staff.
According to Baker, the athletic department worked with the Athletic Council to review and update its criteria for retired numbers before approving White for the honor.
Additional details surrounding the ceremony will be announced later this summer.
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