MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — West Virginia University Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker announced today that the department will retire football legend Pat White‘s No. 5 this fall at a home game to be determined later this summer.
Many consider White the greatest Mountaineer football player of all time, and his induction into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame and football’s Mountaineer Legends Society has long been solidified by first-ballot voting in 2018.
The time has come.
We’re retiring 5⃣. pic.twitter.com/9l4VIcIF59
— West Virginia Football (@WVUfootball) June 5, 2026
White was the nation’s most versatile threat at quarterback, becoming the first college quarterback to start and win four consecutive bowl games from 2005-08. The Daphne, Alabama, native set 19 WVU, Big East and national records during his illustrious career, including finishing as the all-time rushing quarterback in NCAA history with 4,480 yards.
West Virginia was 35-8 (.814) with White as the starting quarterback. He led the Mountaineers to wins in the 2006 Sugar, 2007 Gator, 2008 Fiesta and 2008 Meineke Car Care Bowls. White set Big East records in touchdowns responsible for (103), total offense (10,529) and became the first player in Big East history to pass for more than 10,000 yards. He posted a 7-2 (.777) record against Top 25 opponents during his career.
