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Reginald Howard White (December 19, 1961 – December 26, 2004) was an American professional football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. White played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers, earning unanimous All-American honors. After playing two seasons for the Memphis Showboats of the United States Football League (USFL), he was selected in the first round of the 1984 NFL Supplemental Draft, and then played for the Philadelphia Eagles, the Green Bay Packers and the Carolina Panthers, becoming one of the most awarded defensive players in NFL history.
The two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Super Bowl XXXI champion, 13-time Pro Bowl, and 13-time All-Pro selection holds second place all-time among NFL career sack leaders with 198. He was selected to the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, NFL 1990s All-Decade Team, and the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team. During his professional career, White is credited with pioneering free agency in sports. Outside of football he was also known for his Christian ministry as an ordained Evangelicalism minister, leading to his nickname, " the Minister of Defense". White is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Reggie's mother, Thelma Collier, told Sports Illustrated that when he was 12 years old he announced to his family that he wanted to be two things: a football player and a minister.
As a sophomore during the 1981 season, White registered 95 tackles (61 solo), a team-leading eight sacks, and a team-leading seven tackles-for-loss (of yards). He also blocked three extra-point attempts." 1981 Defensive Statistics ", 1982 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide (University of Tennessee, 1982), p. 92. He had 10 tackles and two sacks, one of which resulted in a safety, against Memphis State, and was named the team's "outstanding defensive player" for the game." 1982 Squad ", 1982 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide (University of Tennessee, 1982), p. 58. For his performance in Tennessee's 10–7 win over Georgia Tech, which included a late fumble-recovery that sealed the Vols' victory, he was pronounced "Southeast Lineman of the Week" by UPI. White had eight tackles in Tennessee's 28–21 victory over Wisconsin in the 1981 Garden State Bowl, and was named the game's "Best Defensive Player". At the end of the 1981 season, he was named to the Sophomore All-American team by The Football News." 1981 Honorees ", 1982 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide (University of Tennessee, 1982), p. 94.
White was named a Preseason All-American going into the 1982 season, but was consistently bothered by an ankle injury, and his production dropped off. While he registered only 47 tackles (36 solo), he nevertheless led the team with seven sacks, and was third only to teammates Mike Cofer and Carlton Peoples in "big plays"." 1982 Defensive Statistics ", 1983 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide (University of Tennessee, 1983), p. 90. His best game of the season came in the Vols' 24–24 tie against LSU, in which he registered eight tackles, including a sack and a fourth-down stop." 1983 Squad ", 1983 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide (University of Tennessee, 1983), p. 59. He had eight tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble in Tennessee's 28–22 loss to Iowa in the 1982 Peach Bowl." Bowl Halls of Fame ", Records (University of Tennessee, 2012), p. 384.
Determined to improve upon what he considered a disappointing junior campaign,Tim Hix, " Vol Profile: Reggie White", 1983 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide (University of Tennessee, 1983), pp. 47–48. White erupted during his senior season in 1983, registering 100 tackles (72 solo), a school single-season record 15 sacks, 9 tackles-for-loss, and an interception." 1983 Defensive Statistics ", 1984 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide (University of Tennessee, 1984), p. 92. Although Pittsburgh defeated Tennessee 13–3 in the season opener, White consistently kept the Panthers' offense off balance, in spite of being lined up against the Panthers' All-American offensive lineman Bill Fralic.Tim Hix, " Reggie White: Minister of Defense ", Tennessee vs. Georgia Tech Football Program (University of Tennessee, 1983), pp. 47–48. Reggie had two sacks in Tennessee's 31–6 win over New Mexico, and a school single-game record four sacks in the Vols' blowout win over The Citadel." Orange Overpowering in Romp at Memphis ", Tennessee vs. LSU Football Program (University of Tennessee, 1983), p. 16. White was named "Southeast Lineman of the Week" for his performance – which included 12 tackles and three sacks – in Tennessee's 20–6 win over LSU," 1983 University of Tennessee Season Review ", 1983 Citrus Bowl Press Guide, pp. A10–A12. and he twice sacked Alabama quarterback Walter Lewis in Tennessee's 41–34 win over the Tide. In Tennessee's 30–23 win over Maryland in the 1983 Florida Citrus Bowl, White sacked heralded Maryland quarterback Boomer Esiason in the second quarter, knocking him out of the game." Victory Over Terps in Florida Citrus Bowl Climaxes Best UT Campaign Since 1972 ", 1984 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide (University of Tennessee, 1984), p. 90. White was a consensus All-American, SEC Player of the Year, and a Lombardi Award finalist." 1983 Honorees ", 1984 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide (University of Tennessee, 1984), p. 94.
During his tenure at the University of Tennessee, White registered 293 tackles (201 solo), 32 sacks, 19 tackles-for-loss, four fumble recoveries, and seven batted-down passes." Tennessee Football Career Statistics ", UTSports.com. Retrieved: July 30, 2013. His 15 sacks in a season (in 1983) remain a school record. His mark of 32 career sacks remained a school record until it was broken by Derek Barnett in 2016. His school single-game record of four sacks (against The Citadel in 1983) stood until 2013, when Corey Miller had four and a half sacks against Kentucky.
He played with the Eagles for eight seasons, he played in 121 games and picked up 124 sacks, becoming the Eagles' all-time sack leader. He also set the Eagles' regular-season record with 21 sacks in a single season (1987, a season shortened to 12 games). The lowest number of sacks he ever recorded in Philadelphia was 11 in 1989. White also became the only player ever to accumulate 20 or more sacks in just 12 games. He set an NFL regular-season record during 1987 by averaging the most sacks per game, with 1.75. Over the course of his tenure with the Eagles, White actually accumulated more sacks than the number of games he played. In 2008, he was voted by ESPN Sportsnation as the greatest player in Eagles' franchise history. In 1991, he set the record for most passes defended in a single season by a defensive lineman with 13, a record that has been since broken by J. J. Watt.
| NFL Defensive Player of the Year | |
| Won the Super Bowl | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
On May 18, 1997, White wrestled his only professional wrestling match for WCW at Slamboree. He wrestled fellow NFL (and LT's All-Star teammate) alumnus Steve McMichael. The two men emulated football tackles during their bout. White received a warm response from the professional wrestling crowd in Charlotte, North Carolina, but nonetheless lost to McMichael after being hit with a steel Zero Halliburton briefcase secretly given to McMichael by his Four Horsemen teammate, Jeff Jarrett.
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 the Torah and Torah-observant Messianic theology. White also studied Hebrew under Nehemia Gordon. In October 2003, White was interviewed by Messianism 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. White went on to co-produce Rood's half-hour "A Rood Awakening From Israel" TV programs. Following White's death, the January 2005 edition of Messianic magazine Yavoh was dedicated to him as a "Messianic believer", leading to confusion regarding White's religious beliefs. Some reported – incorrectly – that White had abandoned Christianity and was studying Judaism.
White was touched by the African American church arson scares during the mid-1990s. The Inner City Church in Knoxville, Tennessee, where White was an associate minister, was burned to the ground in 1996. More than $912,000 was collected to rebuild it, including $250,000 in small donations from Wisconsin fans, but the structure was never rebuilt and the congregation was dissolved. No explanation or accounting was ever offered and his reputation suffered. ("Where Did The Money Go?" The Green Bay News-Chronicle, December 8, 2000).
Also in 1996 he starred with Pat Morita in Reggie's Prayer, a Christian film. He played protagonist Reggie Knox, a football player who retires after the 1996 season to become a 10th grade history teacher and head coach of a high school football team in Portland, Oregon. The film also had appearances by his Packers teammates Brett Favre and Mike Holmgren as janitors, and Keith Jackson as an assistant coach. M.C. Hammer plays a park ranger. Full Cast and Crew for Reggie's Prayer, IMDb.com. Retrieved: August 14, 2013.
In an interview with ABC's 20/20, White made comments about gays and lesbians. White became an ally of organizations opposed to homosexuality; he appeared in a newspaper advertising campaign to convince gays and lesbians that they could "cease," or end, their homosexuality. As a result, CBS withdrew a 5-year, $6-million contract for being a part of The NFL Today because of his statements calling homosexuality a sin. 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.
On March 25, 1998, White was invited to address the Wisconsin Legislature and, in an infamous speech, stunned the assembly by reiterating his belief that homosexuality was sinful and a "decision," while also using racial tropes to stress why God made different races. He said that blacks are gifted at worship and celebration, Japanese and other Asians "can turn a TV into a watch," Hispanics are gifted at the "family structure" and "can put 20, 30 people into one home," Indians are gifted in spirituality, and "you guys (meaning the predominately white legislature) do a good job of building businesses and things of that nature, and you know how to tap into money." On April 2 he faxed the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel asking for forgiveness, but in 2000, shortly after signing with the Carolina Panthers, he reversed course by saying "I wouldn’t change anything" about the speech.
White's widow, Sara, in conjunction with the Sleep Wellness Institute, founded the Reggie White Sleep Disorders Research and Education Foundation, dedicated to all people having access to treatment for sleep disorders, regardless of their socio-economic status.
"Crescent Rising" is another program of the Reggie White Foundation, begun in May 2007, that offers free demolition services to homeowners in the metropolitan New Orleans area affected by Hurricane Katrina. The Crescent Rising program was created to expedite demolition through the encouragement of private sector involvement in order to speed the recovery of the community from hurricane damage. Weil & Associates Teams Up With Reggie White Foundation's Crescent Rising Program Forbes. May 24, 2007. Accessed August 7, 2007. The foundation demolished its first home in June 2007.
The University of Tennessee retired White's jersey at a halftime presentation on October 1, 2005, during a game against Ole Miss, the 3rd of such retirement in the modern era of football at the school; a commemorative sign was also unveiled in the south end of Neyland Stadium. During a half-time presentation at Lambeau Field on September 18, 2005, White became the 5th Green Bay Packer to have his number retired by the franchise. On December 5, 2005, the Philadelphia Eagles retired his jersey in a halftime ceremony during the Eagles' Monday Night Football game against the Seattle Seahawks, which were coached by Mike Holmgren, White's former coach in Green Bay. White became the first and only player (as of January 2025) in NFL history to have his number officially retired by multiple teams. The Packers and the Eagles also wore a Football helmet decal honoring White for the remaining games in the season.
White was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005, and the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. He was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 2006.
Reggie White Way in Green Bay, Wisconsin, is off Lombardi Avenue near Lambeau Field.
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