William White (American football)

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For the coach and college athletics administrator, see William C. White (American football).
Not to be confused with Will White (American football).

William White
White at a 2019 Lima Senior High School event in his honor
Born:(1966-02-19)February 19, 1966
Lima, Ohio, U.S.
Died:July 28, 2022(2022-07-28) (aged 56)
Career information
Position(s)Safety
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight205 lb (93 kg)
CollegeOhio State
NFL draft1988, Round: 4, Pick: 85
Career history
As player
1988–1993Detroit Lions
1994–1996Kansas City Chiefs
1997–1998Atlanta Falcons

William Eugene White (February 19, 1966 – July 28, 2022) was an American professional football player who was a safety for eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, and Atlanta Falcons from 1988 to 1998.

Early life[edit]

White was born in Lima, Ohio, on February 19, 1966.[1] He attended Lima Senior High School in his hometown,[1] playing on its football and basketball teams before graduating in 1984.[2][3] He then studied at Ohio State University, where he played as defensive back for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He served as its co-captain during his senior year, when he was named to the All-Big Ten Conference team. He played on the 1984 and 1986 teams that won the Big Ten Conference championship.[3] During the 1985 season, he had the second-most interceptions (6) in the conference after Jay Norvell, before finishing third in interception return yards (85) and fifth in interceptions (5) two years later.[4] White was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the fourth round (85th overall) of the 1988 NFL Draft.[5][6]

Professional career[edit]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 9+3⁄4 in
(1.77 m) 		189 lb
(86 kg) 		9+1⁄2 in
(0.24 m)		 4.57 s 1.60 s 2.68 s 4.22 s 33.0 in
(0.84 m)		 9 ft 3 in
(2.82 m)		 11 reps
All values from NFL Combine[7]

White made his NFL debut with the Lions on September 4, 1988, at the age of 22, in a 31–17 win against the Atlanta Falcons.[8] He played in 16 games during his rookie season and recorded 16 tackles.[1] He became part of the Lions starting lineup the following year,[5] when he was tied for the second-most fumble return touchdowns and eighth-most non-offensive touchdowns (one apiece) in the league.[1] During the 1990 season, White finished third in the NFL in interception return yards (120), tied-fourth in interceptions returned for touchdown (1), eighth in non-offensive touchdowns (1), and tied-tenth in interceptions (5). He started all 16 games in the regular season from 1990 to 1993.[1] He ultimately started 79 of 95 games in his six seasons with the Lions and recorded 450 tackles with 13 interceptions,[5] before being traded to the Kansas City Chiefs on July 12, 1994, in exchange for Reggie Brown.[1][9]

In his first season with the Chiefs, White played 15 games (14 starts) and recorded 60 tackles. However, he was limited to just 7 starts over the next two seasons.[1] After the 1996 season, he became an unrestricted free agent and subsequently signed a two-year contract with the Falcons in March of the following year.[10] He started all 32 games during his two seasons with the franchise,[5] and finished tied-second in the league in fumble return touchdowns (1) in 1998.[1] He intercepted two passes during that year's NFC divisional playoffs.[11] The Falcons went on to reach the Super Bowl XXXIII, losing to the Denver Broncos despite White making a team-high nine tackles in the championship game,[5][11] which was the final game of his 11-year career in the NFL.[5]

Personal life[edit]

White was married to Nikol until his death. He had three children: William Jr., Brendon, and Brea. Brendon also played for Ohio State and was named defensive most valuable player of the 2019 Rose Bowl.[2][3]

After retiring from professional football, White returned to Ohio and worked as an engineer.[12] He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2016.[13] Two years later, he was part of the inaugural class inducted into the Lima Senior High School Athletic Hall of Fame.[14] His alma mater also retired his uniform number.[2] White died of ALS on July 28, 2022, at the age of 56.[3][5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "William White Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Naveau, Jim (July 29, 2022). "White battled on gridiron, against ALS". The Lima News. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d "Former Team Captain, William White, Dies". Ohio State Buckeyes. July 29, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  4. ^ "William White College Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Gordon, Grant (July 29, 2022). "Former Lions safety William White dies at 56 after battle with ALS". National Football League. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  6. ^ "1988 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  7. ^ "William White, Combine Results, SS – Ohio State". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  8. ^ "William White 1988 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  9. ^ "1994 NFL Transactions. Trades – July". National Football League. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  10. ^ Pasquarelli, Len (March 14, 1997). "Falcons Notebook: Falcons add ex-Chief White to mix at safety". The Atlanta Constitution. p. G3. ProQuest 413617605. Retrieved July 31, 2022 – via ProQuest.
  11. ^ a b Axson, Scooby (July 29, 2022). "Former Detroit Lions safety William White dies at 56 after battle with ALS". USA Today. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  12. ^ "Detroit Lions safety William White through the years: Photos". Detroit Free Press. July 29, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  13. ^ Murphy, Patrick (August 21, 2017). "Former Buckeye William White to begin new treatment for ALS". Bucknuts. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  14. ^ "Roundup: Ex-Lima Senior, OSU star White dies". The Lima News. July 28, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.

External links[edit]

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