He’s a proud South Carolina State Bulldog now, but linebacker Tony White grew up a diehard Clemson Tiger fan.

At an early age, the Seneca native, who was an All-Star and an All-Western AAA selection at Seneca High School in 2003, was indoctrinated into the culture and pageantry of Tiger football. The unique post-touchdown celebrations and watching the players storm down the hill after touching Howard’s Rock left a lasting impression.

“My first game I went to, the cannons were there,” White said. “One of the players scored and you hear the cannons popping off. Before the game, you see them running down the hill and stuff. That kind of sticks out when I hear the name Clemson.”

Like other football players residing in the heart of Tiger country, White aspired to someday spend his fall Saturdays inside Death Valley and in front of 80,000 fans. Instead of staying in the Upstate and wearing orange and white colors, White’s football destiny drew him to the Garden City, where he’s proudly donned the Garnet and Blue as a mainstay in the Bulldogs’ lineup.

“When I was growing up, I used to go to the home games,” White said. “You would see how the crowd was into the games and I always wanted to play for them. That was probably my first choice and (South Carolina) State was my second choice.”

When the Bulldogs make their first visit to Death Valley Saturday to face No. 23 Clemson at 1 p.m., White will more than fulfill a childhood goal. The contest will also mark his 37th consecutive start at linebacker, the longest active streak among S.C. State players.

It’s a streak which less than a month ago appeared in dire jeopardy. A freak accident in which White’s left hand got tangled up on the face mask of an offensive lineman resulted in a spiral fracture.

The timing of the injury could not have been worse. Not only was White having, in head coach Oliver “Buddy” Pough’s words, “the best preseason camp of his Bulldog career,” he was facing the prospect of missing two weeks of action and being less than 100 percent for his “Homecoming.”

He was not about to let that happen.

After visiting a Columbia specialist, White was fitted for a 10-inch, blue protective cast which covered his hand, wrist and portions of his forearm, and enabled him to resume practice.

“It’s more than just willpower for me,” said White about his desire to stay in the lineup. “It’s just about getting up and doing it every day. Getting up and doing the same job every day, lifting weights, going to practice and preparing and stuff.

“Just my love of the game keeps me going also. I love playing football. I look forward to playing on Saturdays. I know that football is a short life, and I don’t want to miss any Saturdays or Sundays playing football.”

Despite the risk of re-injury, Pough had no reservations about allowing White to play.

“When a guy wants to play and he’s got the proper clearance from the medical staff, then heck, we’ll give him a shot,” Pough said.

At first, the protective cast proved cumbersome for White as he struggled with the tackling techniques, which made him the Bulldogs’ leading tackler two of his three seasons.

“At first, it was hard just tackling because I’m the type of person that likes to reach out and grab,” he said. “I had to learn to tackle differently and that was an adjustment I have to make.”

Having three games under his belt this year, and once again among the team’s leading tacklers (tied for fourth with 14), White said he’s grown more comfortable and confident with using the cast. In fact, he intends to continue wearing it this Saturday even after recent X-rays showed his hand has sufficiently healed enough to play without it.

With White leading the defense, S.C. State (2-1) hopes to duplicate its effort against Central Florida (holding the Football Bowl Subdivision foe to 17 points) and continuing its stifling play through three games (allowing an average of 10.6 points per game) against a Tigers’ team with a bevy of offensive weapons.

In short, White wants to keep the “cannons” that he was once so fond of silent.

“Our mindset is on winning,” he said. “We want to go in there and play our best, play Bulldog football and come out with a victory.”

n T&D Senior Sports Writer Thomas Grant Jr. can be reached by e-mail at tgrant@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5547.

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