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Reginald Howard "Reggie" White (December 19, 1961—December 26, 2004), nicknamed the "Minister of Defense" (a dual reference to his football prowess and to his Evangelical Christian ordination) was one of the American football's most prolific sackers in college, the USFL and the NFL.
Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Reggie White played football at the University of Tennessee, setting school records for most sacks in a career, season and game, records he still holds. After college, White signed on with the Memphis Showboats of the USFL, playing with them for two seasons, racking up 23.5 sacks, 192 tackles and seven forced fumbles in 34 starts.
After the USFL folded, Reggie White moved to the NFL and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles. He played with the Eagles for eight seasons, picking up 124 sacks and becoming the Eagles' all-time sack leader. He also set a then-record season-best with 21 sacks in 1987.
In 1993, White went to the Green Bay Packers, where he played for six more seasons. While not as prolific as his previous years, White still notched up another 68.5 sacks, becoming the Packers' all-time leader in that category. He also helped the Packers to two Super Bowls, including a victory in Super Bowl XXXI.
Following the 1998, season, Reggie White announced his retirement, but in 1999, White got the urge to play football once again and signed with the Carolina Panthers for the 2000 season. However, he had a lackluster performance, making just 15 tackles and 5.5 sacks. Following the season, White again retired.
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.
In 1998, he raised controversy when he publicly condemned homosexuality. White, an ordained minister, spoke before the Wisconsin State Assembly, saying, "We've allowed this sin to run rampant in our nation, and because it has run rampant in our nation, our nation is in the condition it's in today." He claimed that homosexuality was "hurting kids" and "killing our people", and also appeared in advertisements for ex-gay groups, and made a number of statements which were construed to be racist, such as "you can see a Hispanic person and they can put 20 or 30 people in one home," and, "when you look at the Asians, the Asian is very gifted in creation, creativity and inventions. If you go to Japan or any Asian country, they can turn a television into a watch." The press coverage following White's death mostly ignored these remarks and activities.
White was also 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. However, an outpouring of financial support, in part because of White's celebrity, helped to rebuild the church.
He was married to Sara White and has two kids, Jeremy and Jecholia. It was discovered that he was related to college football player Kevin Rollins when he arrived at one of his games. Kevin went on to play for the Miami Dolphins but broke his hand playing in Amsterdam.
Reggie White died very suddenly and unexpectedly at the relatively young age of 43 at his home in Huntersville, North Carolina on the morning of December 26, 2004. As of this writing, the cause of death is officially unknown, with initial speculation varying from a heart attack to respiratory failure due to sleep apnea.
Quotes
- "We've allowed this sin to run rampant in our nation, and because it has run rampant in our nation, our nation is in the condition it's in today."