White at home in W.Va.
MORGANTOWN - In a room full of athletes and coaches that might rival any ever assembled in West Virginia, it was still hard to overlook the skinny kid from Alabama.
MORGANTOWN - In a room full of athletes and coaches that might rival any ever assembled in West Virginia, it was still hard to overlook the skinny kid from Alabama.
Sure, there were Hall of Famers from the NFL (Sam Huff) and basketball (Earl Lloyd), one of the most recognizable Olympic champions in history (Mary Lou Retton), a 600-win college basketball coach (Bob Huggins) and perhaps the most enthusiastic college football coach on the planet (Bill Stewart).
And that's not even to mention all of the high school players of the year and the governor of the state, all of whom showed up for the annual Victory Awards Dinner Sunday night at Lakeview Resort.
Still, for all that those athletes and coaches have accomplished, how many have ever won three amateur athlete of the year awards in two years and two states?
"I honestly feel like I'm more loved in West Virginia than I am in the state of Alabama,'' White said after a rousing introduction from Stewart and perhaps the longest standing ovation of the night from the more than 400 in attendance. "Except for my parents.''
West Virginia's senior-to-be quarterback, a two-time Big East offensive player of the year and a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate, was presented with his second consecutive West Virginia amateur athlete of the year award at Sunday night's dinner. He was also the amateur athlete of the year in his home state of Alabama last year.
"I spent a lot of time there, so sure, it means a lot to me,'' White said of his Alabama award last year. "But I've spent a lot of time here, too.
"My brother [Bo, who at the time played at West Liberty] told me how homey it was for him and I realized the first day I came up here that he wasn't lying. It's definitely been a great home away from home.''
White has one more year with a chance to win a third straight amateur athlete of the year award. But, of course, that's the furthest thing from his mind.
What he does have a hard time escaping, though, is that his next football season will be his last at WVU.
"Sure, I've been thinking about it - my last spring ball, when this summer comes up my last summer workouts, after that it's going to be my last season,'' White said. "It's definitely been on my mind. It's been something I've been thinking about a lot.
"It's impossible not to think about it. I've enjoyed my years here, even when I was on the sidelines watching Rasheed Marshall.''
MORGANTOWN - In a room full of athletes and coaches that might rival any ever assembled in West Virginia, it was still hard to overlook the skinny kid from Alabama.
Sure, there were Hall of Famers from the NFL (Sam Huff) and basketball (Earl Lloyd), one of the most recognizable Olympic champions in history (Mary Lou Retton), a 600-win college basketball coach (Bob Huggins) and perhaps the most enthusiastic college football coach on the planet (Bill Stewart).
And that's not even to mention all of the high school players of the year and the governor of the state, all of whom showed up for the annual Victory Awards Dinner Sunday night at Lakeview Resort.
Still, for all that those athletes and coaches have accomplished, how many have ever won three amateur athlete of the year awards in two years and two states?
"I honestly feel like I'm more loved in West Virginia than I am in the state of Alabama,'' White said after a rousing introduction from Stewart and perhaps the longest standing ovation of the night from the more than 400 in attendance. "Except for my parents.''
West Virginia's senior-to-be quarterback, a two-time Big East offensive player of the year and a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate, was presented with his second consecutive West Virginia amateur athlete of the year award at Sunday night's dinner. He was also the amateur athlete of the year in his home state of Alabama last year.
"I spent a lot of time there, so sure, it means a lot to me,'' White said of his Alabama award last year. "But I've spent a lot of time here, too.
"My brother [Bo, who at the time played at West Liberty] told me how homey it was for him and I realized the first day I came up here that he wasn't lying. It's definitely been a great home away from home.''
White has one more year with a chance to win a third straight amateur athlete of the year award. But, of course, that's the furthest thing from his mind.
What he does have a hard time escaping, though, is that his next football season will be his last at WVU.
"Sure, I've been thinking about it - my last spring ball, when this summer comes up my last summer workouts, after that it's going to be my last season,'' White said. "It's definitely been on my mind. It's been something I've been thinking about a lot.
"It's impossible not to think about it. I've enjoyed my years here, even when I was on the sidelines watching Rasheed Marshall.''
Among a few of the other highlights of Sunday night's awards presentations:
Lloyd, the former West Virginia State basketball player, was one of two inductees into the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.
"Somewhere along the line, someone told me that Duquesne wanted to offer me a scholarship,'' Lloyd recalled. "My reaction? Why in the hell should I leave heaven ... to go to Pittsburgh.''
In the audience, by the way, was Fairmont native and current Duquesne basketball coach Ron Everhart.
Retton, the other Hall of Fame inductee, talked about the thrill it was to stand on the awards podium between two Romanians after winning the all-around gymnastics gold medal at the 1984 Olympics and how it was the moment in time she had worked for all her life.
"But I have to say, yes, I was an American and, yes, I was an Olympian,'' said the 40-year-old Retton, who was accompanied to the dinner by her husband and four daughters from their home in Houston. "But deep in my heart I was a West Virginian.''
Track athlete of the year Chelsea Carrier of Buckhannon-Upshur wasn't at the banquet for a very good reason - she was proving that she deserved the award.
Earlier Sunday Carrier, now a freshman at WVU, won the Big East 100-meter hurdles title in the league's championship in Philadelphia, a day after finishing fourth in the multi-event heptathlon.
In addition to the awards already on the program, Jefferson baseball coach John Lowery was recognized as a national coach of the year. Lowery this spring became the first West Virginia coach in any sport to win 1,000 games.
Also recognized at the dinner were Kennedy Award winner Jordan Roberts of Scott, Hunt Award winner (lineman of the year) Josh Jenkins of Parkersburg, Huff Award winner (defensive player of the year) Rodney Hudson of George Washington, high school players of the year in girls basketball (Jolysa Brown of Summers County), boys basketball (Bryant Irwin of Bridgeport), baseball (Arik Sikula of Hurricane) and wrestling (Seth Easter of Nitro), and coaches of the year in college (Huggins) and high school (Ron Kidd of Woodrow Wilson).
To contact staff writer Dave Hickman use e-mail or call 348-1734.
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