A South Florida native, Mike White has been spotted at Florida Panthers games long before he signed with the Miami Dolphins
It’s always a cool story when an athlete gets the opportunity to play for his hometown team.
Sometimes fans forget that while, yes, these guys are professionals, many of them started the same way everyone else did, as young kids watching the game and rooting for their favorite players and teams.
One such story is unfolding in South Florida, and of course it has a Florida Panthers connection.
Earlier this year the Miami Dolphins signed quarterback Mike White to a two-year deal, essentially to serve as backup for starter Tua Tagovailoa.
White grew up in Broward County and attended high school at NSU University School in Fort Lauderdale.
Speaking to CBS Miami’s Steve Goldstein after a training camp practice earlier this week, White said the idea of playing for the Dolphins always seemed like a dream.
In a few weeks, that dream will become a reality when White suits up in aqua and orange, puts on his Dolphins helmet and takes the field for an NFL football game.
“It’s going to be unbelievable,” White said. “I hope the camera’s not on me because I might shed a tear.”
How deep do White’s roots as a Dol-fan go?
This might be his first Dolphins training camp on the field, but it’s far from the first time he’s attending August practices under the sweltering summer heat.
“Coming out here and seeing the fans at practice...I used to go to practice at the old Davie facility,” White said. “Just coming out to practice is cool, so I can only imagine what it's going to be like going into now-Hard Rock...back when I used to go it was Pro Player.”
Growing up in South Florida, White’s fandom wasn’t exclusive to just the teams of the sport he played.
He’s also grown into a pretty big hockey fan, and naturally has quite a bit of love for his hometown team, the Florida Panthers.
White was there to bang the pregame drum before a second-round game against the Toronto Maple Leafs during Florida’s amazing run to the Stanley Cup Final last year. He said he thoroughly enjoyed cheering the Cats on every step of the way, despite the stress that came along with it.
“That was the most fun I’ve ever had, and also the most nervous I’ve ever been watching games,” he said.
One of the best things about the Panthers last season was the group itself. The friendship and camaraderie that blossomed in that locker room was something special.
It was discussed quite a bit in the media during the run, and as enjoyable as those stories were to hear, imagine having the perspective of a fellow-pro athlete who knows exactly what those kind of bonds can feel like.
“Being an athlete, you can tell when a group of guys are close and care and play for one another, and you could tell that's what they did,” White said. “And it sounds super corny and cheesy, but I do think that's what makes them so special. On top of their countless talented guys, the core belief in that team is so much fun to watch.”
With White under contract with the Dolphins for at least the next two years, and the Panthers set up to compete for the foreseeable future, don't be shocked to see White show up around FLA Live Arena once hockey season gets going again.
"I'm not going to try and say I'm this longtime, longtime hockey fan, but I've been watching them for quite some time now," he said. "I'm just starting to learn the ins and outs of it. The X's and O's I still have to grind, I have to get my hockey playbook, but it's just so much fun watching."