“Just a kid from Daphne.”

Those were the words Pat White, a Daphne native and West Virginia legend, bore on his shirt when he was honored Thursday, July 9, at The Waterfront in a event that featured city officials, family members, former teammates and West Virginia fans as the John Denver classic “Take Me Home, Country Roads” echoed throughout the room.

White, an alumnus of Daphne High School and Mr. Football for Alabama, played quarterback for the West Virginia Mountaineers from 2004 to 2008, finishing with a 35-8 career record and still sits at second place all-time for rushing yards by a quarterback in NCAA history. He was also the first college quarterback to start and win four consecutive bowl games.

On Sept. 5, White will become the seventh West Virginia football player to have his jersey number retired during a special ceremony to take place during the Mountaineers’ season opener versus Coastal Carolina.

“I’m very grateful that an old man like me can still be celebrated somewhat,” White joked Thursday evening. “Nick [DiMario] and Pete [Blohme] have done a marvelous job of putting this together, and [I'm] thankful that friends and family and community members will come here and help us celebrate.”

Ahead of his jersey retirement on Thursday evening, Daphne Mayor Robin LeJeune, along with Daphne City Council, declared a proclamation of appreciation to Pat White for “being an outstanding ambassador of the City of Daphne and wish him congratulations and successes and happiness.”

“Panini” Pete Blohme, co-owner of The Waterfront, said upon hearing that White’s jersey number will be retired he immediately texted LeJeune saying they need to do something to celebrate.

“We’ve been huge football fans, huge Pat White fans,” said Blohme, wearing a Pat White jersey. “We had restaurants at WVU, so this is a big day not just for Pat White and Daphne; it’s a big day for us."

Following his college career, White played in the NFL as a backup for the Miami Dolphins and later the Washington Redskins, now known as the Washington Commanders. He also played for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League (UFL) and the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

After his playing career, he began a career in coaching, which included stints in both college and the NFL, including Alcorn State, South Florida, Alabama State and the Los Angeles Chargers. In February 2025, Pat White was named an assistant quarterback coach and assistant to the head coach at his alma mater West Virginia under head coach Rich Rodriguez.

“I’m glad he finally got the recognition he so richly deserved,” said James White Jr., Pat’s father, who is better known as “Chief.” “Somebody sent me a statistic the other day saying there are 114 billion people in this world, and only one quarterback has started and won four bowl games, so that says a lot. That says a lot to me. As long as he’s happy and proud and a successful contributing member to society, I’m happy as I could be. That’s all I ever wanted from him.”