Rachaad White finally had the chance to step inside Arrowhead Stadium, just about 10 minutes from where he grew up. He also got to score a touchdown in the end zone.
On Monday night, White turned one of his three carries for 19 yards into a touchdown while playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against his hometown team, the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Bucs lost 30-24 in overtime, despite a strong comeback from Baker Mayfield, who tied the game with a touchdown with just 27 seconds left. However, that didn’t take away from White’s excitement.
“Obviously it was my first ever game here,” White said. “I liked it, the electricity that was going on with the fans. It was fun.” The 25-year-old running back’s path to the NFL has been a tough one.
White grew up in a rough area as one of four boys raised by a single mother. His family didn’t have enough money to take him to a Chiefs game, so he would dream of playing for them while running around outside, imagining himself dodging defenders like his hero, Jamaal Charles.
At Center High School, White played both basketball and football and was clearly the most talented player on the team. However, no Division I schools offered him a scholarship, so he went to Division II Nebraska-Kearney.
Even there, White had to redshirt because he wasn’t going to play right away. Eventually, he moved to a junior college in California.
White started to shine at Mt. San Jacinto College, earning an offer from Arizona State. He continued to impress with the Sun Devils, and by the time the 2022 NFL Draft came around, Tampa Bay selected him in the third round.
Over the summer, White returned to Kansas City to host a camp for elementary and middle school kids at Center High School. But it wasn’t until Monday night, when the Buccaneers visited, that White finally stepped inside Arrowhead Stadium.
“A good amount. I can’t even count right now,” White said when asked how many friends and family were in the stands.
His touchdown run in the second quarter gave the Buccaneers a 7-3 lead, and White celebrated by throwing the ball into the crowd.
The lead changed a few times during the game. Tampa Bay went ahead 17-10 in the second half, but Kansas City responded with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to take a 24-17 lead. Then, Baker Mayfield threw a touchdown pass to Ryan Miller, tying the game and sending it to overtime.
White and his teammates never got the chance to take the field on offense for a chance at a winning touchdown.
The Chiefs won the coin toss and got the ball first. Patrick Mahomes completed all five of his passes on the drive. Kareem Hunt capped off his 106-yard rushing performance by running for a 2-yard touchdown in the rain to end the game.
“Just little mistakes and they made more plays than us,” White said.
