It Has To End Sometime...

The West Virginia Mountaineer Football Team will be playing in the Meineke Care Car Bowl 12 hours from now, but more importantly, Senior Quarterback, Pat White, will play his last game in a WVU uniform. White has been the most outstanding football player in West Virginia History. He is the true college player who dominated the game in a variety of ways (everyway possible...basically). He is a player that will never be forgotten and his name will go into the record books for a long time to come.

Pat White is going to have the chance to win four straight bowl games. Two of those bowl games he has already won under center at West Virginia University were BCS Bowl Games ( 2006 Nokia Sugar Bowl over Georgia and last year's Tostios Fiesta Bowl over Oklahoma). The other bowl was a victory over Georgia Tech in the 2007 Gator Bowl. Pat may have not wanted the season he had this year, losing 4 games, but he will certainly be remembered for all the great aspects he brought to the game of collegiate football. 

One of the most memorable moments besides all of the bowl victories (both BCS Bowls, being the big underdog and the Gator Bowl victory) I would have to say that when White broke the record for career rushing yards by a quarterback just this year! White rushed for 200 yards and three touchdowns in the Louisville game which gave him a grand total of 4,292 breaking 2002 Missouri Quarterback Brad Smith, who I believe plays for the New York Jets now. 

Pat White is bar none, the best quarterback we may ever see at West Virginia University. I do not care what your prediction is about him going to the NFL. I especially do not care about your opinion on Bill Stewart as a coach and what Rich Rodriguez could have done with White this season. All I care about is that Pat White was an amazing collegiate player who will never be forgotten in a lot of the nation's minds. I have had the chance to interview Pat over the years and he may be the most humble guy I have ever met. Shy, but a nice personality who loves and dears West Virginia University. He set the program on a national stage and that is what we should be thankful for as WVU football fans. 

The statistics say it all for White but he is leaving West Virginia University as a role model for everyone in the world. He was a kid from Daphne, Alabama who was not recruited hard whatsoever and he came out on top. I simply want to thank Pat for everything he has done for West Virginia University. There is no question that we can talk about Pat's moments, stats, and more for HOURS & HOURS, but I simply would like to wish him luck in the bowl game and his future.  

Pat White has won awards at every level he has played. He is at the top of NCAA statistics lists and has constantly been a leader in the Big East Conference throughout his career. Below is a breakdown of his accomplishments.

High School

·         Voted 3rd in the Mr. Football for Alabama his senior year.

·         Class 6-A Allstate First String in football.

·         4th round draft pick by the Anaheim Angels in the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft (Pitcher)

·         Recruited to play football by West Virginia University, Auburn, University of Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, and Vanderbilt among others.

College

·         2005 Freshman All-American

·         2006 First- team  All Big-East

·         2006 Big East Offensive Player of the Year

·         2007 First-team All Big-East

·         2007 Big East Offensive Player of the Year

·         2007 Alabama Athlete of the Year

·         2007 Gator Bowl MVP

·         2007 Heisman 6th Place

·         2007 Hardman Award

·         2008 Hardman Award

·         2008 ESPN All-Bowl Team

·         2008 Fiesta Bowl MVP

·         2008 Playboy All-American

Honors

·         2005 ESPN.com All Big East

·         2005 Big-East Player of the Week  2 times

·         2005 WVU Coaches Contribution Award

·         2006 Walter Camp Watch List

·         2006 Big East Player of the Week 2 times

·         2006 First team All Big-East

·         2006 West Virginia University MVP

·         2006 Davy O’Brien Award semifinalist

·         2006 Alabama Athlete of the Year

·         2006  West Virginia Athlete of the Year

·         2007 Big-East Player of the Week 3 times

·         2007 WVU Offensive Player of the Week 4 times

·         2007 Big East Player of the Year

·         2007 West Virginia University MVP

·         2007 Davy O’Brien Award semifinalist

·         2007 Walter Camp Award semifinalist

* The Walter Camp Award is awarded to the Player Of the Year in Football as voted on by a group of NCAA Division I-A Head Coaches and Sports Information Directors.

**The Davey O’Brien Award is awarded annually to the Best Quaterback in the NCAA as judged by the Davey O”Brien Foundation.

Records

·         One of only eight players in NCAA history to rush and pass for over 200 yards in a game when he rushed for 220 yds and passed for 204 yds against the University of Pittsburgh in 2006.

·         Most yards rushing in a season by a West Virginia quarterback -1335 yds (2007).

·         Tied for most rushing touchdowns in a season in WVU history-18 (2006)

·         2nd most rushing yards as a freshman at WVU-952

·         3rd in most total offense yards in a season at WVU-2,878

·         6th in single season quarterback rushing list in yardage-1,335

·         Pat White is the current leading active rusher of any player of any position in the NCAA

·         1st in total yards in a career in WVU history-8,344

·         1st in total touchdowns responsible in WVU history-81

·         1st in passing effiency  in WVU history with a QB rating of 151.45

·         3rd for most touchdowns responsible in Big East History-81

·         2nd in NCAA career quarterback rushing list in yardage-3,934

·         4th in WVU career rushing touchdowns-41

·         7th in all-time WVU passing yards 4,530

·         6th in all-time WVU passing touchdowns-40

·         His 79 yard touchdown pass in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl was the longest touchdown pass in WVU bowl history.