Reggie White Era
The Minister of Defense who redefined Eagles pass rush.
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. He 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.
Quick Facts
- Role
- Defensive End
- Affiliation
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Tenure start
- 1985
- Status
- Retired (Eagles Hall of Fame)
- Legacy status
- Number 92 Retired in 2005
Lore & Background
White played for the Eagles for eight seasons, totaling 121 games, and recorded 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.
Reader's Guide
White was an ordained evangelical minister, earning the nickname 'the Minister of Defense.' He is credited with pioneering free agency in sports. He 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 Anniversary All-Time Team, NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, NFL 1990s All-Decade Team, and the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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