WVU to Retire Pat White's No. 5 Jersey

Fans have been wanting it done for years, and now it's going to happen. No. 5 is set to be retired.

Friday morning, WVU announced that the athletic department will retire Pat White's No. 5 jersey, making him the seventh Mountaineer footballer to have that honor, joining Major Harris (9), Ira Rodgers (21), Chuck Howley (66), Sam Huff (75), Bruce Bosley (77), and Darryl Talley (90).

“Pat White was a generational player for West Virginia football and led our program through perhaps the greatest era in our history. Everywhere I go, I hear stories about the way Pat elevated our program and his teammates to greatness. There is no question Pat deserves this ultimate honor. His legacy and success have been documented and appreciated by his teammates, national media, and college football fans all over the world. It has also been a privilege to watch him continue to pour himself into our program while serving on our coaching staff. Pat White is a special person and one of the greatest Mountaineers of all time," Baker said in a press release. "As the summer progresses, we will have more announcements coming about the retirement of Pat’s No. 5 as well as which game the ceremony will take place. Fans have been asking and waiting for this day for a long time, and it will be a great day in the history of Mountaineer football.”

“Pat was a great player and a great leader in our program, and he was a dominant force in college football for four years,” WVU Football Coach Rich Rodriguez said. “He is very deserving of the honor of having his number retired.”

White was a two-time Big East Player of the Year and had sixth and seventh-place finishes in the Heisman voting. He helped engineer the most successful three-year stretch in West Virginia football history, leading the team to 33 wins during that span, including two BCS Bowl wins (Sugar and Fiesta). During his time in Morgantown, White completed 507-of-783 pass attempts (64.8%) for 6,049 yards and 56 touchdowns to just 23 interceptions. He also added 4,480 yards and 47 touchdowns on 684 carries.

According to the release, "Baker worked with WVU’s Athletic Council to examine, review, and revise the department’s number retirement criteria. By unanimous support of the Athletic Council, the criteria remains strict but also includes modern provisions to obtain the ultimate honor."

White is arguably the best player to ever suit up for the Old Gold and Blue, so it was only a matter of time before this day came to fruition.