| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Reggie White, nicknamed "The Minister of Defense" (December 19, 1961-December 26, 2004) was a legendary professional football player who played Defensive End for the Green Bay Packers (1993-1998). One of the most decorated players in National Football League (NFL) history, White left the Philadelphia Eagles (1985-1992) and signed with the Packers in 1993, saying he was inspired by God to do so. With quarterback Brett Favre and head coach Mike Holmgren, White was influential in leading the Packers to victory at Super Bowl XXXI, setting a single game record with 3 sacks. During his professional career, he became famous not only for his outstanding play, but also for his Christian ministry as an ordained Evangelical minister. This led to his aforementioned nickname, "The Minister of Defense". White had his number 92 jersey retired in 2005, the year after he died from a heart attack on December 26, 2004, making him the 5th Packer to have his number retired. The Eagles also retired his jersey number making him the first player to have his number retired by two NFL teams. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006, two years after his death.
White was a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, winning the award in his final season with Green Bay in 1998. He was also a 13-time Pro Bowl, 12-time All-Pro selection, and holds 2nd place all-time amongst career sack leaders with 198 (behind Bruce Smith's 200 career sacks) and was selected to the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team, NFL 1990s All-Decade Team, NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, and the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.
He also played his first two professional seasons in the United States Football League for the Memphis Showboats. After the league folded, he was drafted by the Eagles in the 1985 Supplemental Draft.
Career history:
Memphis Showboats (1984-1985)
Philadelphia Eagles (1985-1992)
Green Bay Packers (1993-1998)
Carolina Panthers (2000)