The Grave of NFLs Reggie White The Minister of Defense

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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 evangelical 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.

White was born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He was raised by his mother until age eight when he was placed with his grandmother, Mildred Dodd. He played high school football at Howard High School under Coach Robert Pulliam, a former defensive lineman at Tennessee. During his senior year with the Hustlin' Tigers, White recorded 140 tackles (88 solo) and 10 sacks, and received All-American honors. He was rated the number one recruit in Tennessee by the Knoxville News Sentinel.

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.

White played college football at Tennessee from 1980 to 1983. He had worked hard into the starting lineup by the end of his freshman year, in which he registered 51 tackles (32 solo) and two sacks, recovered two fumbles, and blocked a punt that set up Tennessee's first score in the team's 23–10 win over then-rival Georgia Tech. He was awarded the Andy Spiva Award, given annually to the Vols' most improved defensive player.

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.[10] 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. 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.

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". 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. He had eight tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble in Tennessee's 28–22 loss to Iowa in the 1982 Peach Bowl.

Determined to improve upon what he considered a disappointing junior campaign, 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. 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. 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. 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, and he twice sacked Alabama quarterback Walter Lewis in Tennessee's 41–34 win over the Tide.