Tue, 17 Mar 2020 03:26:43 -0500WeeblyMon, 04 May 2015 05:00:00 GMThttps://www.ekaberon.com/go-backstage-on-whites-great-night/go-backstage-on-whites-great-nightIt had been 51 years since Chicagoans were able to see the Bears select a draft choice in their own backyard, so what was five more minutes? Once the New York Jets phoned in the sixth pick in Thursday night’s first round—at 7:46 p.m.—the Bears went on the clock. New general manger Ryan Pace didn’t need much time to think about it, and by 7:51 p.m., the Chicago pick was in the hands of a league official at the Auditorium Theater. 

As the crowd was driven into a frenzy by a team highlight video and chants of “Let’s Go Bears” echoed through the theater, commissioner Roger Goodell walked to the podium at 7:53 p.m. and announced that with the seventh overall pick, Chicago had selected West Virginia wide receiver Kevin White. 

​Just three years earlier, White was playing at Lackawanna College in Pennsylvania, calling and emailing coaches on a daily basis, pleading with them to just take a look at his tape. Now he was at that end of that road, as he’d achieved his dream of reaching the NFL.

His name may have been called, but at 7:55 p.m., as the final notes of his walk-up song—“Ball Drop” by Fabulous—were being heard, White’s draft night was just beginning. In the following three-and-a-half hours, the rookie shook hands, answered questions, posed for pictures, picked a uniform number, grabbed a bite to eat, introduced himself to Bears fans and got a peek at what it will be like to represent Chicago in this football-mad city.

Here’s a minute-by-minute recap:

7:57 p.m.: After meeting Goodell and receiving a Bears hat and No. 1 jersey, White conducts a pair of TV interviews on the draft stage, first with ESPN’s Suzy Kolber and then the NFL Network’s Deion Sanders.

“I’m ready to win,” White tells Sanders, as the crowd responds again with a huge ovation. “I plan on doing big things on the field. I’m tired of talking about it.”

Unfortunately for White, there’s a whole lot more talking to do.

8:01 p.m.: White is taken backstage, where he, his family and his girlfriend pose for photos. Wearing a cream colored jacket with a navy tie and vest, the receiver and his entire family are all smiles. That is, until White realizes that some of his aunt’s makeup has smeared a bit on his coat. He dips a towel in some water and begins to pat down his jacket, hoping to erase the splotch. 

Was his tie being the same color as the Bears jersey just a coincidence? “Oh no, I was ready,” White says. 

8:06 p.m.: As his family heads back to their hotel, a trek up a back flight of stairs leads White to a quiet dressing room. There he is able to take a seat, sip a bottle of water and regain his thoughts for a little bit. “I’m so ready for this,” he says. “I told my parents after I visited the Bears I wanted to play here. I didn’t tell anybody else, but this is where I knew I’d end up.”

8:10 p.m.: A conference call with Chicago reporters stationed at Halas Hall gives White his first introduction to the local media. “I love it here,” he tells them. “It’s very clean, a lot of atmosphere. I love the city.”

8:19 p.m.: Still in the dressing room, White takes another call, this one from Bears equipment manager Tony Medlin. The topic of conversation is the rookie’s jersey number. White wore No. 11 in college, but that number is currently taken by Chicago receiver Joshua Bellamy. After Medlin goes over which numbers are currently available, White settles on No. 13. 

He says that before his senior season at West Virginia, he considered switching to 13, so he’s quite comfortable with that being his number in the pros.

8:28 p.m.: Before leaving the dressing room, White has one final call to take, this one for Chicago Bears Draft Central Live. He tells hosts Chris Boden and Dan Jiggetts that hearing his named called by the commissioner was a dream come true and that the emotions of the moment hit him hard.

“I wanted to cry so bad, but I kept the tears in. Words can’t describe it, I’m just so happy to be a Chicago Bear,” White says. 

8:33 p.m.: At the end of the interview, an image on the dressing room TV catches White’s eye. Minutes before, the Minnesota Vikings selected cornerback Trae Waynes. It hits the new Bears receiver that Waynes is now somebody he may have to line up against twice a year. 

“Oooh boy, that’ll be fun,” White says, a giant smile on his face.

8:35 p.m.: The rookie takes off his jacket—the tiny, mostly un-noticeable stain is still bothering the receiver, who clearly has a great attention to detail. He begins the next round of his media tour, answering questions from NBC Sports Network.

8:44 p.m.: After going through the backstage area again and down a couple flights of stairs, White reaches Radio Row, where he conducts three more interviews, with ESPN Radio, Sirius XM and Westwood One. As he’s answering a question about already feeling at home in Chicago, a large contingent of Bears fans spot him and begin chanting his name.

“My experience here already has been awesome,” White says. “I’m already getting love in this city. I really like being here.”

9:00 p.m.: A quick elevator ride takes White through the Fan Walk, en route to another press conference, this one with the national media. The newest Bear is greeted once again with loud cheers, and he soaks it in, signing autographs and slapping high-five with eager onlookers. 

9:08 p.m.: Drafted to be a skilled player on the field, White also shows he is skilled in the interview room. When asked how being in the NFL will change him, the receiver says, “I don’t care how much money I get or how many girls want me now. I’m going to be the same guy.” 

9:23 p.m.: Following a large, group interview with Chicago television and radio outlets, White does one final appearance, chatting with a reporter from West Virginia.

“To hear my name called, in front of all these fans, it was just an awesome experience,” White says. “It really hasn’t sunk in yet.”

9:27 p.m.: Down another hallway from the press center is a photo shoot area, sponsored by Tide. Posing with the jersey and hat handed to him before he met the commissioner, White smiles and flexes, showing off a goofy side for the camera. He then reviews the pictures and tweets them out to his nearly 30,000 followers. 

9:32 p.m.: White’s obligations inside the Auditorium Theater are done, but he still has to meet the thousands of fans waiting across Michigan Avenue in Draft Town. The receiver hops on the back of a golf cart with St. Louis Rams draft pick Todd Gurley, and is taken behind an NFL Network set. After standing in awe for a moment at the grand scale of the event, White is brought out to the stage, as he is once again given a loud, joyous ovation by the Bears fans in attendance.

9:44 p.m.: Following an interview and selfie with Network hosts Scott Hansen and Curtis Conway, White hops in the back seat of a Lincoln Navigator, which is waiting to take him nearly a mile north to Bears Draft Headquarters at the Park Grill. 

“I'm very excited to play in front of these fans,” White says during the ride. “They're loving it, and I'm loving it as well. It’s a big city, and I love it here already. Very happy I don't have to go on a plane and go somewhere else, just drive right over.”

Before getting to the next event, White asks for an update on the draft and wants to know if many of his fellow wide receivers have been selected. 

9:56 p.m.: No introduction to Chicago would be complete without some bad traffic, but eventually White reaches the event. As he is walking through Millennium Park and admiring the skyline in front of him, a Bears official gives the rookie something. It’s a navy No. 13 jersey and an official go-ahead from the team to announce his uniform number.

“Wow, this is really a dream come true,” he says, admiring his own name on the back of the jersey.

10:04 p.m.: The jersey isn’t in his hands for long. He signs the back and it is auctioned off, with the money headed to Bears Care. Scott Knight, a longtime Bears fan, has the winning bid, paying $3,200 for the rookie’s new gear.

“I bought Kyle Long’s jersey at this event two years ago,” Knight says. “Add this one to the collection.”

10:09 p.m.: Before the party ends, White addresses the crowd. “I’m excited to play in front of you all,” he says. “I can’t wait to do great things. Bear Down!”

As he walks off the stage, “Bear Down, Chicago Bears” plays in the background, with fans blissfully singing along.

10:18 p.m.: White slips inside the Park Grill and is given a chance to rest. He grabs some food from a buffet—a cheeseburger slider, some chicken tenders, a few celery sticks—before a chef spots the newest Bear. “You hungry? Want a steak?” Thirteen minutes later, an enormous, medium-rare T-bone is brought out. 

White eats some of it before putting his fork down. “I weighed 215 at the Combine. I don’t want to come in to camp at 250,” he jokes. 

10:32 p.m.: The emcees of the Draft Headquarters event, “Inside the Bears” hosts Anthony Adams and Lyndsay Petruny, sit and chat with the rookie. After spending just a little bit of time with him, Adams knows White will fit in well in Chicago.

“It’s not an act with Kevin, he’s just really down to Earth,” Adams says. “The fans here are just going to love this guy.”

10:53 p.m.: After the rookie phones into a radio show hosted by the Bears broadcast team of Jeff Joniak and Tom Thayer, Petruny shows White video from her phone of the crowd’s reaction of his pick hours before. He can’t believe how excited Bears fans were to hear his name called.

“My gosh, that’s crazy,” White says. “That’s just, I don’t know, that’s really cool to see.”

11:03 p.m.: Before calling it a night, White has two final interviews. First he talks with Fox Sports 1, and then heads over to Comcast SportsNet Chicago’s set.

“With hard work and dedication, anything is possible,” the rookie tells CSN’s Jen Lada. “I’m here now, and I just can’t wait to get going.”

11:20 p.m.: At long last, White’s obligations are complete. He walks through a quiet Millennium Park, his head up, looking at the bright city surrounding him. A black SUV is waiting for him on the corner, ready to take him back to his hotel. There, nearly 60 family members, friends, former coaches and teammates are waiting, ready to celebrate the end of one road the spectacular start to a different one. 

“The draft was amazing, just a dream come true,” White says. “I want to get some rest, but shoot, I don't want this day to let up. It's definitely been the best night of my life, hands down.”]]>