CHADRON, Nebraska — Former Green River High School safety and wide receiver, Cole White, has been busy working hard in the classroom and out on the football field. White may no longer wear green and black, but he currently is a member of the Chadron State College Eagles.

White, who is one of 19 Wyoming players on the Eagles, is wrapping up his redshirt freshmen year. Although he hasn’t caught much action out on the field, the Green River native continues to chase his dream as a college football player.

A Kid and a Ball

White’s passion for football stems from his first experience playing football when he was in the second grade. Despite not being old enough to play, he snuck his way into the youth football league in Colorado. After his first taste of the sport, he and his pigskin were inseparable. Winter couldn’t even stop him from finding a way to play.

“One winter I spent hours shoveling snow out of my yard just so I had a place to run routes,” White said. “I wound up getting the flu and had to miss a week of school because of it.”

Sacrifice for his favorite sport deepened White’s love for the game. Eventually, he realized that above anything else he desired to just play football.

“My dream ever since I first started playing was to play college ball,” White said.

High School Memories

The biggest accomplishment for White and his teammates during his high school career was making it to the 2015 state championship game his sophomore year. The Wolves went on to lose against Star Valley.

“Obviously that game did not go the way we wanted it to, but the fact that we were even there said a lot about us as a team. We were picked to finish last in the state at the beginning of the year, and were even 2-4 at one point. We fought through all of that and made it somewhere Green River football hadn’t been in a long time,” White said.

The cherry on top for White’s high school career was receiving the Pat Tillman Award during the Wolves’ end of the season banquet. The award recognizes players who embody similar Pat Tillman qualities such as leadership, character, accountability, courage and so forth.

“The fact that my teammates recognized what kind of teammate, player, and person I was meant the world to me. After all, those were the guys that meant the world to me,” White said.

Taking it Day by Day

White is currently working towards finding more time on the field. Recently he received some playing time against Adams State University which has left him hungry for more. Throughout the process of earning playing time, he has learned that it takes a great deal of work.

“Before coming here, I thought I worked hard, but I found out I could work harder. I thought I was a good student, then I found out I needed to be an even better student. At the next level, everything gets amped up. If you don’t dig in and find that little extra bit of gas in your tank, you won’t go anywhere,” White said.

While White still has a long road ahead of him, he is focused on getting better on a daily basis. The quickest way for him to get out on the field more will be through special teams. By doing so, he believes that he will ultimately reach his goals and achieve his dream of playing college football.

“My focus this offseason will be developing the techniques and mentality to get myself on those teams, while also continuing to develop as a receiver. I came to play, and I won’t consider my dream achieved until I play and see this thing through until the end,” White said.

Although Chadron State College holds the key to his dream, White has gained a more intimate appreciation for his roots in Green River.

“… ever since leaving almost two years ago, I have a newfound appreciation for Green River. All through high school, I was in such a hurry to leave that I did not realize how amazing Green River and the whole community truly was. I did not think that I would miss late night walks around the island, or the view from Edgewater Park when the sun rises, or just how supportive and caring everyone is. I know now that there will never be another place that compares to home. Our little town is truly an oasis amid all the chaos,” White said.