University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Fan Feature: Shelia White
7/29/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The Gulf Park campus is an invaluable part of The University of Southern Mississippi. What makes this campus such an integral part of Golden Eagle Nation is the people. Shelia White, our featured fan this week, is a prime example of how Gulf Park serves the Golden Eagle faithful and inspires passion for The University of Southern Mississippi.
Shelia grew up knowing she would attend Southern Miss. As a native of Long Beach, the Gulf Park Campus was a perfect fit for Shelia. She was able to remain closer to home, earn her degree and work full-time on campus during the day. She elaborated on her choice saying, "I chose Southern Miss for my degrees because the university offered the program I was wanting with a good academic reputation. The location of the Gulf Park Campus was perfect for me."
In 1977, she embarked upon her college career and campus job. In the 39 years since she enrolled as a student, Shelia has been an ardent fan of the Golden Eagles. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration in 1982 and went on to earn her Master's degree in Education in 1987. Following her time as a student, Shelia went on to spend 37 years working for her beloved university as the Director of University Communications at the Gulf Park Campus. Shelia arrived at Gulf Park five years after USM acquired it, and she stayed for the long haul to help the campus grow and serve the Golden Eagle family on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Above and beyond her professional service to the university, Shelia helped to grow Golden Eagle nation by passing on her love for Southern Miss to her family. She and her husband Greg have been attending home football games for 30 years. Shelia spoke about her family saying, "They grew up around Southern Miss. We have always loved the Black and Gold and always will." Their two children, Lauren and Tyler, grew up loving Southern Miss and became Golden Eagles themselves. Lauren earned her degree in nursing from USM in 2007 and Tyler is a student on the Hattiesburg campus.
The Whites love the Golden Eagles and the unique game day experience in Hattiesburg. Shelia elaborated by saying, "I just love every aspect of it – the game, the Pride of Mississippi, the Dixie Darlings, the Cheerleaders, the Eagle Walk, the stadium and the infectious Black and Gold chant. Just looking at The Rock you can see the history and we even appreciate where you can see the additions and some steps are wider than others, it has its own character and personality." Like any true fan, tailgating is dear to her heart. However, her favorite pregame festivity is the Eagle Walk. Shelia expounded upon this further by saying, "We love the Eagle Walk because it just causes so much excitement. We love to line up under the grandstands so that the band echoes extra loud and we can experience that atmosphere."
After 30 years of fandom, Shelia has seen legends come through Hattiesburg. She refused to narrow down a favorite and shared a list of beloved players. In reference to her favorite players, Shelia stated, "I always admired Southern Miss players like Brett Favre, Ray Guy, Michael Boley, Sammy Winder and Reggie Collier, particularly as their careers advanced into the NFL. For the current team, I am excited to see Nick Mullens this year. We have watched him throughout his career at Southern Miss and his skills have improved each year. Ito Smith is a player with great speed and Brandon Farmer is our Gulfport native."
Over the years, The Rock has showcased fantastic games against high-profile opponents. For Shelia, the famous showdown with TCU in 2003 is her all-time favorite game. The Golden Eagles stunned the Top-10 ranked Horned Frogs and sparked a frenzy at M.M. Roberts Stadium. The favored team went down and the Golden Eagle faithful took the goal posts with them.
Although they have been unable to attend many road games over the years, Shelia and Greg are going to Baton Rouge to see the Golden Eagles take on SEC foe LSU this season. She even recruited several friends to join her in the Southern Miss section for the game to cheer on her beloved team.
Shelia and her family have been coming to home games for decades. As a former administrator, she deeply understands the importance of supporting Southern Miss Athletics. She commented on this saying, "Being there for support is our sign of respect for the players and coaches and so many people behind the scenes that are putting work into the game day experience. A strong athletic program with an exciting atmosphere is essential to building up a university. The game day experience plays a vital role in recruitment both of student-athletes and academics alike."
The Whites are proud members of the Eagle Club that supports scholarships for student-athletes and football season ticket holders. They also love the baseball team and made it to the C-USA Championship game this season. Shelia's love for USM is clear in her support of athletics and how her family as a whole has embraced the Golden Eagles. She has truly devoted her lift to Southern Miss as she evidenced by her recent retirement from her post at the Gulf Park Campus after 37 faithful years of service. Shelia White is a valued member of the Golden Eagle family and we thank her for all she has done, and continues to do, for The University of Southern Mississippi.
