💥 BREAKING NEWS: How Reggie White’s life and career reshaped football in the complete story fans still talk about ⚡

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Philadelphia Eagles had one of the most terrifying defenses in the NFL.

Every position group boasted at least one All-Pro who played with a chip on his shoulder and their assembled ferocity resembled a junkyard dog hunting for a piece of meat.

The leader of this group was undoubtedly Reggie White.

“The Minister of Defense” tore through offensive lines and made opposing ball carriers cringe.

Unfortunately, the Philadelphia offense couldn’t replicate the success of the defense and the Eagles never made it to the Super Bowl.

White then challenged a long-standing NFL rule and became a celebrated free agent.

As a member of the Green Bay Packers, White got his championship and established himself as the preeminent defensive lineman of his time.

Not long after retiring, White passed away suddenly due to cardiac and sleep disorders.

Although he is gone, White’s legacy as a player and person continues to be celebrated.

This is the story of Reggie White.

Early Life

Reginald Howard White was born on December 19, 1961 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

From an early age, White was clearly focused on what his future would look like.

When he was 12, he told his mother that he wanted to be two things in life: a football player and a minister.

White played football as a defensive lineman at Howard High School in Chattanooga for Coach Robert Pulliam, who had played collegiately at the University of Tennessee.

The football player part of White’s future plans seemed certain when he was named an All-American after a senior year where he made 140 combined tackles and 10 sacks.

Around the same time, the second part of White’s life plan came to fruition when he became an ordained minister at the age of 17.

By the time graduation loomed, White was the top high school prospect in the state of Tennessee.

Perhaps influenced by his coach’s alma mater, and the idea of staying close to home, White accepted an athletic scholarship to play for the Volunteers.

Immediate Impact as a Vol

White arrived in Knoxville for the 1980 season ready to show his new teammates and coaches what he could do.

As the Volunteers went 5-6, White played in 10 games and delivered 51 tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.

Additionally, White blocked a punt to set up a score in a win over Georgia Tech and he was given the Andy Spiva Award, given annually to the Vols’ most improved defensive player.

In 1981, White made a huge leap in his playing ability and was named to The Football News’ Sophomore All-American team.

His stats included three blocked extra points, a team-leading eight sacks and seven tackles for a loss, and 95 total tackles, which was good for second on the team.

Tennessee improved to 8-4 under fifth-year coach Johnny Majors and won the Garden State Bowl 28-21 over Wisconsin.

White was named the most valuable defensive player in the bowl game after an eight tackle performance.

In 1982, White was slowed by an ankle injury yet was still able to get 47 tackles and a team-best seven sacks.

After Tennessee finished the year 6-5-1, White had eight tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble in the Vols’ loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Peach Bowl.

Award Winning Senior Year

As the 1983 season got underway, White was determined to improve on his junior year numbers.

His performance in 1982 did not meet his standards and White made it his mission to become one of the best defensive linemen in college for his final year.

Throughout the season, White showed what he was capable of.

In a game against New Mexico, he had two sacks and then a program-record four sacks against the Citadel.

White’s Citadel record stood for three decades.

The following week against LSU, White had 12 tackles and three sacks in the Vols’ 20-6 victory, which led to Southeast Lineman of the Week honors.

Please arrive early tomorrow to help us honor a very special member of our Tennessee Family, the late Reggie White, during pregame. Reggie’s widow, Sara – who attended ETSU – will be joined on the field by Reggie’s UT teammates Phil Stewart and Bruce Wilkerson. pic.twitter.com/ihANOBQCSA

— Phillip Fulmer (@phillipfulmer) September 7, 2018

Against the Alabama Crimson Tide, White sacked Tide quarterback Walter Lewis twice to help lead Tennessee to a 41-34 win.

When the regular season concluded, the Volunteers faced the University of Maryland in the Citrus Bowl.

During the contest, White sacked Terps quarterback Boomer Esiason in the second quarter and knocked him out of the game.

The loss of Esiason helped Tennessee to a 30-23 win, White’s second bowl victory as a Vol.

White’s pre-season goals were realized when he was awarded a consensus All-American nod along with being named SEC Player of the Year and a Lombardi Award finalist.

His career totals at Tennessee include 293 tackles (201 solo), 32 sacks, 19 tackles-for-loss, four fumble recoveries, and seven batted-down passes.

His 15 total sacks in 1983 remain a school record.

Furthermore, White’s 32 career sacks remained a program record until broken by Derek Barnett in 2016.

White becomes a Showboat

As a standout defensive lineman with no character issues, (his faith and humble lifestyle led to White’s Tennessee teammates giving him the moniker “The Minister of Defense”) White was in high demand by several NFL general managers.

At the same time, however, the United States Football League was enticing college players and NFL stars to join their ranks.

One of the USFL teams, the Memphis Showboats, was practically in White’s backyard and he liked the idea of staying home to play pro ball.

After some wheeling and dealing, Memphis signed White to a five-year, $4 million contract.

He was raw and didn’t have a lot of pass rush moves, but White ended his rookie season with 12 sacks.

By the end of the year, teammates and opponents were in awe of White’s skill set.

“Reggie didn’t know how strong he was,” said Alan Reid, a Memphis running back. “And fast, too. The guy ran a 4.65 40, he could slam a basketball. Off the field, as mellow as can be. On the field, a beast.”

“Lawrence (Taylor) revolutionized the game, but Reggie changed offenses. Whatever they had planned was based upon his existence,” said linebacker Mike Whittington.

During his time in Memphis, White still found time to preach the gospel on and off the field.

In a game against the Birmingham Stallions, the Stallion’s center made a cut block on White.

White let the player know that wasn’t appropriate and the Birmingham player shot back with an expletive.

On the next play, White purposely lined up over the center and asked his opponent about Jesus.

White said, “Hey, Tom, you ever meet Jesus?”

When the ball was snapped, White gave his man a little payback.

“Reggie picked that guy up where only his toes were touching the ground,” said Sam Clancy, a Memphis lineman. “He pushed him back 10 yards and slammed him into (quarterback) Cliff Stoudt for the sack. Nobody could believe it.”

White becomes an Eagle

In 1985, White made 11.5 sacks for the Showboats and was named first-team All-USFL.

He then signed a $1.65 million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles when the USFL folded.

Initially, Eagles owner Norm Braman asked then coach Marion Campbell whether Campbell thought White would be worth a big contract.

“Whatever it costs you, Mr. Braman, it’ll be worth it. He was the best player coming out of college and he’s still the best,” said Campbell.

Braman then paid the remaining amount of White’s Memphis contract before signing him to his new Eagles contract.

The Minister of Defense was headed to Philadelphia.

Rookie of the Year

Because his second season with the Showboats ended in early fall of 1985, White did not join the Eagles until Week 4.

That week, Philadelphia was at home taking on Coach Bill Parcells and the Giants.

White was popular in the USFL but relatively unknown in the NFL.

That wouldn’t last long.

By the end of the game, New York quarterback Phil Simms knew exactly who White was after he was dropped by White 2.5 times.

White made 10 more tackles that day and the crowd at the Vet began chanting his name.

“We were all taken aback by just how dominant Reggie was,” said John Spagnola, a tight end on that Eagles team. “We had heard his name and read good things about him, but most of us took a wait-and-see attitude. Once he stepped on the field, though, it was clear he was something special.”

Unfortunately, the Philly offense couldn’t get anything going and the Eagles would lose 16-10 in overtime.

Nevertheless, Reggie White was now a known commodity throughout the league.

“I had never seen anyone that big and that strong who could move that fast,” said Herman Edwards, who was playing cornerback that season. “He was so explosive. He drove (blockers) back like they were on roller skates.”

As the Eagles ended the season 7-9, White collected 13 total sacks along with 100 combined tackles and was named NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Buddy Ryan Arrives

During the offseason after White’s rookie year, Braman fired Campbell and replaced him with Buddy Ryan.

Ryan was an outgoing coach who thrived on defensive play.

He had created the famed “46 defense” while the defensive coordinator with the Chicago Bears and helped that franchise win Super Bowl XX in 1985.

Ryan was so popular with his Bears players, that both he and head coach Mike Ditka were carried off the field after the Super Bowl victory.

It didn’t take him long to mold the Eagles defense in his image when he arrived in Philly.

With White already entrenched at one defensive end spot, Ryan drafted defensive end Clyde Simmons of Western Carolina University in the ninth round of the 1986 draft.

He also grabbed UTEP linebacker Seth Joyner in the eighth round of the draft.

Then, Ryan let loose the talents of veteran safeties Andre Waters and Wes Hopkins on opposing receivers.

Although the defense was starting to come together, the offense was still a work in progress and the Eagles went 5-10-1 in 1986.

White sacked opposing quarterbacks 18 times and added 98 total tackles.

He was then voted to the first of 13 consecutive Pro Bowls and was named a first-team All-Pro for the first of eight times.

NFL Sack Leader

In the 1987 NFL Draft, the Eagles selected Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Jerome Brown with their first pick in the draft.

They also grabbed University of Arizona linebacker Byron Evans in the fourth round while adding former Houston Oilers defensive tackle Mike Golic.

The team improved slightly, going 7-9 while White took off like a rocket.

That year, he led the NFL in sacks with 21, had a fumble recovery for a touchdown, and added 76 combined tackles.

White was then named NFL Defensive Player of the Year and NFC Defensive Player of the Year for his troubles.

1988 was more of the same as White once again led the league in sacks with 18 and had 133 total tackles.

The Eagles offense began to soar with second-year quarterback Randall Cunningham leading the offense to a 10-6 record.

On defense, the team added cornerback Eric Allen from Arizona State University in the second round of the 1988 draft.

The ‘88 Eagles faced Ryan’s former team, the Bears, in the Divisional round and lost 20-12.

Inconsistent Eagles

In 1989, the Eagles defense jumped from 14th in the league in 1988 to fifth, surrendering only 274 total points.

Even though the offense went from fifth to 13th in the span of a year, Philadelphia still posted an 11-5 record in 1989.

White had 11 sacks and 123 total tackles but couldn’t help the Eagles get past the LA Rams in the 1989 Wild Card playoffs.

In 1990, the offense improved to third in the league while the defense dipped to 12th as Philly took a 10-6 record into the playoffs.

White had 14 sacks and his first interception in the regular season as an Eagle.

Then, for the third year in a row, the Eagles failed to advance past the first round of the post season when they fell to the Washington Redskins in the Wild Card round.

With their loss to Washington, Ryan was fired after the season.

White and the Eagles Defense Set the Tone

In 1991, new head coach Rich Kotite joined the Eagles.  That season, he led the franchise to a 10-6 record but missed the playoffs.

White and the fifth-ranked defense played well with the Minister of Defense getting 100 tackles, 15 sacks, and one interception.

He also set a record for most passes deflected in a single season by a defensive lineman with 13.

J.J. Watt would break the record decades later.

White’s incredible year culminated by being named the NFC Defensive Player of the Year for a second time.

Sadly, before the 1992 season began, White’s linemate, Jerome Brown, was tragically killed in an automobile accident that also claimed the life of Brown’s nephew.

The loss was devastating to White (who was a close friend of Brown’s), his teammates, and the community as Brown was an outgoing personality who rallied those around him.

The 1992 Eagles defense played inspired ball that year and ranked sixth in the NFL while Cunningham and the offense ranked fifth.

This time, the success of both squads helped lead Philly to an 11-5 record and the team’s first playoff victory in 12 years when they dispatched New Orleans 36-20 in the Wild Card round.

The following week, the Dallas Cowboys ended the Eagles’ season with a resounding 30-11 win.

Although White played well in Philly, and had several good friends on the team, he wanted something different.

In eight seasons with the Eagles, he had 124 sacks in 121 games, becoming the franchise’s all-time sack leader.

However, Philadelphia perpetually struggled to advance in the playoffs and White didn’t want to end his career without a title.