Reggie White

Lore & Background

White was a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Super Bowl XXXI champion, 13-time Pro Bowl and 13-time All-Pro selection. He holds second place all-time among NFL career sack leaders with 198. He was selected to the NFL 75th and 100th Anniversary All-Time Teams, and the NFL 1980s and 1990s All-Decade Teams. He is credited with pioneering free agency in sports. Outside football, he was an ordained evangelical minister, known as 'the Minister of Defense.' He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

In Their Own Story

The noise at Soldier Field was deafening, a wall of sound that seemed to vibrate through the turf itself. Reggie White adjusted his helmet, the white number 92 stark against the dark green jersey, and stared down the opposing quarterback. He didn't need to scream; his reputation did the talking for him. As the ball snapped, he exploded off the line with a ferocity that sent the offensive tackle stumbling backward before he even made contact. In a blur of motion and shoulder pads, White stripped the ball clean from the QB's grasp, the football spiraling into the arms of a waiting linebacker as the crowd erupted in a roar that shook the stadium foundations.

Reader's Guide

White played for the Philadelphia Eagles (8 seasons, 121 games, 124 sacks, Eagles' all-time sack leader), Green Bay Packers (6 seasons, 68.5 sacks, at the time Packers' all-time sack leader), and Carolina Panthers (1 season, 5.5 sacks). He never played for the Chicago Bears.

Did You Know?

• White set an NFL regular-season record in 1987 by averaging 1.75 sacks per game.
• He recorded 21 sacks in the strike-shortened 12-game 1987 season.
• White had three sacks in Super Bowl XXXI, a single-game Super Bowl record.
• His 15 sacks in a season (1983) remain a Tennessee Volunteers school record.