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Reggie White

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Reggie White
refer to caption
White during his tenure with the Green Bay Packers.
No. 92
Position:Defensive end
Career information
College:Tennessee
Career history
Career highlights and awards

Reginald Howard "Reggie" White (December 19, 1961 – December 26, 2004) was a professional American football player. He was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee and attended Howard School [1] during high school. He then attended The University of Tennessee where he was an All-American.

Nicknamed the "Minister of Defense", a dual reference to his football prowess and his Evangelical Christian ordination, White is one of the all-time leaders in sacks in NFL history.

He was married to the former Sara Copeland, with whom he had two children, Jeremy and Jecolia. It was discovered that he was related to college football player Kevin Rollins when he arrived at one of his games; Rollins went on to play for the Miami Dolphins but broke his hand playing in Amsterdam.

College, USFL, and the Eagles

White played college football at the University of Tennessee, where he set school records for most sacks in a career, season and game. He still holds these records.

After college, White signed with the Memphis Showboats of the USFL, with whom he played for two seasons, while racking up 23.5 sacks, 192 tackles and seven forced fumbles in 36 starts.

, White moved to the NFL and went to the Philadelphia Eagles because they held his NFL rights. He played with the Eagles for eight seasons, picking up 124 sacks to become the Eagles' all-time sack leader. He also set a then Eagles regular-season record with 21 sacks in 1987. He also became the only player to ever accumulate 20 or more sacks in just 12 games. He also set an NFL regular-season record that season by averaging the most sacks per game, with an amazing 1.75 sacks per game. Over the course of his tenure with the Eagles, White actually accumulated more sacks than the number of games that he played.

Green Bay Packers

In 1993, while being wooed by several teams as a free agent, White went to the Green Bay Packers, where he played for six seasons. While not quite as prolific as in his previous years, White still notched up another 68.5 sacks, to become the Packers' all-time leader in that category. He also helped the Packers to two Super Bowls, including a victory in Super Bowl XXXI. That victory was the only championship White ever shared in at any level. White was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1998.

Retirement and return to NFL

After the 1998 season, White announced his retirement, but in 2000 he returned to the league for one season as a member of the Carolina Panthers, then retired for the last time.

Second retirement and life after retirement

At the time of his retirement, White was the NFL's all-time sacks leader with 198. He has since been surpassed by Bruce Smith who has 200. White also recorded 3 interceptions, which he returned for 79 yards, and recovered 19 fumbles, which he returned for 137 yards and 3 touchdowns. His 9 consecutive seasons (1985-1993) with at least 10 sacks remain an NFL record. He was named All-Pro 13 of 15 seasons including 10 as first-team selection

White was caught in the middle of the arson scares at predominantly African American churches during the mid-1990s. The Inner City Church in Knoxville, Tennessee, a church where White was an associate minister, was burned to the ground in 1996.

In White's last year of football, a friend reportedly gave White a teaching CD from Messianic teacher Monte Judah. Following his retirement, White began studying Torah and Torah-observant Messianic theology. White also studied Hebrew under Nehemia Gordon. In October of 2003, White was interviewed by Messianic teacher and televangelist Michael Rood, and he discussed his studies of Torah. The interview was broadcast on February 4 and 6, 2005, on the Sky Angel cable channel. Following White's death, the January 2005 edition of Messianic magazine Yavoh was dedicated to him as a "Messianic Believer."

Death

On the morning of December 26, 2004, White was rushed from his home in Cornelius, North Carolina to a nearby hospital in Huntersville, North Carolina, where he was pronounced dead. White had suffered a fatal cardiac arrhythmia most likely caused by the sarcoidosis he had lived with for years. [1] The Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner's Office ruled that White most likely died from cardiac and pulmonary sarcoidosis. [2] It was also stated that sleep apnea, which White was known to suffer from[3] may have contributed to his death.[4] Sleep apnea is known to affect large, muscular individuals like White more often than people of an average size and build.

During the 2005 season, three teams retired White's number 92 jersey. During a halftime presentation at Lambeau Field on September 18, 2005, White became only the fifth Green Bay Packer to have his number retired by the franchise. The Packers also wore a helmet decal honoring White for the remaining games in the season. The University of Tennessee retired White's jersey at a halftime presentation on October 1, 2005 during their game against the University of Mississippi, the third such retirement in the modern era of football at the school; a commemorative sign was also unveiled in the south end of Neyland Stadium. Finally, on December 5, 2005, the Philadelphia Eagles retired his jersey in a halftime ceremony during the Eagles' Monday Night Football game with the Seattle Seahawks, who were coached by Mike Holmgren, White's former coach in Green Bay.

Controversy

White's retirement was not without controversy. He created a stir in March of 1998 with his comments before the Wisconsin state legislature that invoked positive racial stereotypes of Latinos, Asians, whites, blacks, and Native Americans, explaining that all were made in God's image. Consistent with his fundamentalist understanding of Biblical doctrine and his religious beliefs, he made remarks about gays and lesbians, and subsequently became an ally of organizations opposed to homosexuality, appearing in a newspaper advertising campaign to convince gays and lesbians that they could "cease" their homosexuality. As a result, CBS withdrew a five-year, $6 million contract for being a part of the pregame announcing panel because of his statements calling homosexuality a sin.[2][3] In addition, both the Green Bay Packers and the NFL objected to the ads, since White had appeared in his football uniform without the consent of the team or the league. Later versions of the ad removed the uniform.

Confusion arose after his death over media allegations that White had abandoned Christianity and was studying Judaism.[citation needed] This may have arisen because some Christians consider Messianic theology to be a form of Judaism because it holds obedience to the Torah is an expression of one's faith, and it is frequently referred to as "Messianic Judaism."[citation needed]

Hall of Fame

White was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on February 4, 2006. He was enshrined at a ceremony on August 5, 2006 in Canton, Ohio. White's widow, Sara White, delivered her late husband's acceptance speech at the ceremony. She was introduced by their son, Jeremy White, who also released the first copies of his autobiography, In His Shadow: Growing Up With Reggie White, during the Hall of Fame weekend in honor of his father. Jeremy thanked the "God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" in his introduction, echoing Reggie White's dedication to his faith. White is the first "Messianic" believer inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame [citation needed]. Had White not have came out of retirement to play one season in Carolina, he would've likely been inducted in 2004 alongside John Elway and Barry Sanders (White was regarded a first-ballot hall of famer, regardless of the posthumous induction.), and would have been able to be inducted while he was alive.

In 1999, he was ranked number 22 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players, making him the highest-ranked player to have played for the Eagles and the third-ranking Packer behind Don Hutson and Ray Nitschke.

References

  1. ^ http://www.packers.com/history/hall_of_famers/white_reggie/
  2. ^ Berkowitz, Bill (08-09-2000). "The Return of Reggie White". Working for Change. Retrieved 2007-06-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ Zirin, Dave (12-28-2004). "The Death of Reggie White: an Off the Field Obituary". Common Dreams News Center. Retrieved 2007-06-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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Preceded by NFL Defensive Player of the Year
1998
1987 		Succeeded by

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