Post by smiteedawgwv on Jan 26, 2009 14:29:43 GMT -5
Pat and Stew were in Beckley yesterday, I went to the banquet and it was great!! It also was a sellout. Pat received several standing ovations. This tournament has been going on for many years and has had several well known speakers such as Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Dick Vitale, John Elway and Dick Rod and Quincy Wilson, and had NEVER sold out before. Pat fielded some questions from the audience and a small child asked him if he would sing Country Roads, to which Pat replied " Only if you sing it with me", then broke out into the chourus which was awesome!!! Pat is awesome!!!
By Dave Morrison
Sports Editor
When quarterback Patrick White arrived at West Virginia University, inquiring minds in the state media wondered if it would collectively be able to get a sentence from the young Alabama native.
On Sunday, at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center, that question was answered emphatically.
White, the guest speaker for the Mountain State Coal Classic Tip-Off Banquet, along with WVU head coach Bill Stewart, delivered a motivational, no-notes speech to the sellout crowd, directed mainly at the basketball teams in attendance.
And once again, like he did so many times in blue and gold on fall Saturdays, the Daphne, Ala., native delivered. And then some.
“Every day you wake up, whether you are five, 10, 15 or 20 years old, is a job interview,” White said. “Every day you step outside, it’s an interview.”
White, who Saturday was named MVP of the Senior Bowl, described his week in Mobile, Ala., site of the game.
“I talked to several NFL teams,” White said. “And they all asked the same questions. It wasn’t about athletic ability, they don’t care (about that). They do care, but they asked about character. ‘Have you ever been arrested?’ ‘Have you ever been suspended from school?’ ‘Have you ever been penalized by your team?’
“Well, I have never been arrested, and I have never been suspended from school. And I have never been penalized by my team ... well, maybe once or twice.”
The only quarterback in NCAA history to win four bowl games — five counting the Senior Bowl — drew a laugh from that response.
Then, White told the youngsters on hand who were “closer to my age” that every day they go out they are on a job interview.
“What you do every day says a lot about your character,” White said. “If you are hanging around with the wrong people, stop doing it. You have to get away from that negativity.”
White noted that helping one friend do the right things could lead to them helping somebody and so on.
“That may end up helping four or five people.”
Stewart, a man known for his morals and high character, went on first and was equally motivational.
He noted that West Virginians are known for their work ethic.
And he reminded the young people to remember their roots and their legacy as state natives.
“I may ramble on about coal and brains, but the main resource in West Virginia is its people,” Stewart said in a pre-banquet press conference.
And, of course, he noted his quarterback.
“He is the No. 1 ambassador for the state,” Stewart said. “Just don’t tell Gov. (Joe) Manchin I said that. (Manchin) is No. 2.”
White, who will be in California prepping for the NFL Combine in March, said he felt the same way about West Virginia.
“From the first day I was here, until the last, people in West Virginia made me feel like I was home,” White said. “I just want everyone to know how much I appreciate that and I will never forget the memories I have in West Virginia.”
n n n
Long-time tournament director Jim Justice announced Sunday that he is resigning from the post effective Saturday evening, after the Class AAA championship.
Justice did say, however, that he has reserved the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center for a week in late January next year and is already working on teams for the tournament, which will no longer be called the “Mountain State Coal Classic.”
By Dave Morrison
Sports Editor
When quarterback Patrick White arrived at West Virginia University, inquiring minds in the state media wondered if it would collectively be able to get a sentence from the young Alabama native.
On Sunday, at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center, that question was answered emphatically.
White, the guest speaker for the Mountain State Coal Classic Tip-Off Banquet, along with WVU head coach Bill Stewart, delivered a motivational, no-notes speech to the sellout crowd, directed mainly at the basketball teams in attendance.
And once again, like he did so many times in blue and gold on fall Saturdays, the Daphne, Ala., native delivered. And then some.
“Every day you wake up, whether you are five, 10, 15 or 20 years old, is a job interview,” White said. “Every day you step outside, it’s an interview.”
White, who Saturday was named MVP of the Senior Bowl, described his week in Mobile, Ala., site of the game.
“I talked to several NFL teams,” White said. “And they all asked the same questions. It wasn’t about athletic ability, they don’t care (about that). They do care, but they asked about character. ‘Have you ever been arrested?’ ‘Have you ever been suspended from school?’ ‘Have you ever been penalized by your team?’
“Well, I have never been arrested, and I have never been suspended from school. And I have never been penalized by my team ... well, maybe once or twice.”
The only quarterback in NCAA history to win four bowl games — five counting the Senior Bowl — drew a laugh from that response.
Then, White told the youngsters on hand who were “closer to my age” that every day they go out they are on a job interview.
“What you do every day says a lot about your character,” White said. “If you are hanging around with the wrong people, stop doing it. You have to get away from that negativity.”
White noted that helping one friend do the right things could lead to them helping somebody and so on.
“That may end up helping four or five people.”
Stewart, a man known for his morals and high character, went on first and was equally motivational.
He noted that West Virginians are known for their work ethic.
And he reminded the young people to remember their roots and their legacy as state natives.
“I may ramble on about coal and brains, but the main resource in West Virginia is its people,” Stewart said in a pre-banquet press conference.
And, of course, he noted his quarterback.
“He is the No. 1 ambassador for the state,” Stewart said. “Just don’t tell Gov. (Joe) Manchin I said that. (Manchin) is No. 2.”
White, who will be in California prepping for the NFL Combine in March, said he felt the same way about West Virginia.
“From the first day I was here, until the last, people in West Virginia made me feel like I was home,” White said. “I just want everyone to know how much I appreciate that and I will never forget the memories I have in West Virginia.”
n n n
Long-time tournament director Jim Justice announced Sunday that he is resigning from the post effective Saturday evening, after the Class AAA championship.
Justice did say, however, that he has reserved the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center for a week in late January next year and is already working on teams for the tournament, which will no longer be called the “Mountain State Coal Classic.”
