'Rah Rah': Jawara White wins James Owens Courage Award

'Rah Rah': Jawara White wins James Owens Courage Award'Rah Rah': Jawara White wins James Owens Courage Award

AUBURN, Ala. – If you're looking for Jawara White, chances are you'll find him in Florida.

The former Auburn football player traverses the Sunshine State, extolling the benefits of Auburn University to high school students.

"I explain the admissions process about Auburn, and explain what Auburn is about," said White, in his third year as an Auburn University admissions advisor. "It's a tremendous opportunity because I get to see all the alums of Auburn and you can see the passion that they have for Auburn and why it's such a special place."

White also recruits Conecuh and Escambia counties in Alabama. His goal? Encourage prospective students to visit Auburn.

"That's when I see it pay off because once you visit Auburn, I've never heard anything negative from any of my students," he said. "Every time they visit Auburn, they always leave with a smile and they always leave extremely happy about what we have going on at Auburn.

"That's a great feeling knowing I'm able to help students. That's the biggest accomplishment I get out of it, helping students and watching them develop and grow into young adults."

A member of Auburn's 2010 signing class out of Charles Henderson High School in Troy, Alabama, White played in 10 games as a redshirt freshman linebacker in 2011, starting twice and making a career-high nine tackles in a 41-23 win vs. Ole Miss.

In April 2012, White's football career ended after injuries to his neck and spine.

"I was just thankful for Dr. Goodlett," White said of Auburn's team doctor. "Dr. Goodlett and that training staff with Joe-Joe Petrone. They took care of me, and I will forever be thankful for that because that was a life or death situation. They knew how I was handling it mentally, and I'm thankful that I was able to lean on them and my family as well to get me through that process.

"Coach Malzahn was very supportive of me, even though I wasn't an offensive player, but I would have liked to have been one. The whole coaching staff went above and beyond to make sure I was fine, I was taken care of. Coach Malzahn played a big role. The little jokes he made with me, just walking through the hallway of the complex, just messing with me when I was going through that process, helped me develop to be a better person. Travis Williams as well because he was a GA during that time. He was in my corner the whole time, supporting me."

In 2015, White earned his Auburn University degree in public administration. Before Auburn's game against Mississippi State, he returned to Pat Dye Field to receive the James Owens Courage Award, presented annually to a current or former Auburn football player who displays courage in the face of adversity.

"It's a blessing," White said. "It's a tremendous honor. If you met James Owens, you know what he stood for, you know type of person he was."

Jawara White, with Gloria Owens, Director of Athletics Allen Greene, and the Owens and White families

Thanks to his former teammate, LaDarius Owens, White met James Owens, Auburn's first African-American football player.

"His uncle would drop a lot of knowledge and wisdom on us, about life in general," White said. "He pushed us to be great fathers, great people, and great men in general. That's one of the things I love and respect about Mr. James Owens.

"It makes it extremely special, especially because by me working in admissions, I'm able to work with minority students and I see how far we've come since Mr. James Owens played football at Auburn. To see how Auburn has developed and grown to this day, it's a tremendous opportunity. For me to be able to see it on the recruiting side, it's even more special to me."

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer