reggie white

reggie white (http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2004/12/sleep-apnea-reggie-whites-cardiac-arrest.html ())

The most feared name in the NFL was Reggie White, the minister of defense. Reggie is one of the greatest football players to ever play in the NFL. "White was born and raised in Tennessee. He went to college there--at the University of Tennessee--and he called that state home his entire life" ("Reggie White." Contemporary Black Biography). Reggie soon went on to play football outside of school "joining the NFL He joined Eagles after the 1985 season had begun, missing the first few games. When he finally did start, he made ten tackles and two-and-a-half sacks" (Gale Biography). "In 1993, White joined the Green Bay Packers and helped turn the team around, raising their defense ranking from 23 to 2 in one season. He set new sack records" (Boyer). "Reggie White was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a first-ballot inductee, Feb. 4, 2006" (Hall of Famers." Packers.com.)  Therefore, Reggie White is a hero because he was caring, a good football player and was a leader.

Reggie White was always prepared to play.  That's what made him one of the best player of all time. "By season's end he had turned in 13 sacks in as many games, and he was named NFC defensive rookie of the year" (Reggie White." Sports Stars). Just even starting as a rookie means you're good but to get rookie of the year you must be better than all the other rookies. You only get one chance which means you have to prepare to play pro football in college. "At the end of the 1998 season, and shortly before White announced his retirement in early 1999, he was named NFL defensive player of the year by the Associated Press. It was the second time that he had received that honor in 14 years. After he retired, the Green Bay Packers organization held a celebration to honor White by retiring his uniform jersey number, 92, so that no other player will ever wear that number for Green Bay." (Reggie White." Sports Stars.) This shows he was one of the greatest players.  He won defensive player of the year twice, which means they thought he was the best defensive player at the time. To get your number retired means the team loved him so much that they think no one should wear his number again. This shows that Reggie white is a hard worker and it paid off because he is in the hall of fame.

Reggie White (http://gcobb.com/2010/11/05/reggie-white-named-no-7-all-time-nfl-list/ ())

Off the field, Reggie White cared not only for his team but about his community. "Along with his wife, he built Hope Place, a shelter for unwed mothers, on a property near their home in rural Tennessee. Also, he continues his missionary work among teenage gang members, abused children, and young women who are pregnant." (Reggie White." Contemporary Black Biography.) This shows that Reggie White was not only a great football player but a great man off the field by helping his community. Reggie also was a humble man because of all the people he helped. Also Reggie preached the gospel.  "Off the field, White was an ordained, Baptist minister whose work with the underprivileged is nearly as noteworthy as his football career. Although he drew controversy for some of his strong views, he was beloved by his congregation." (Boyer). Reggie White was a football player and a had his own church where he taught each church member how to be a better person. Tons of people came to see the minister preach. This shows he was a true leader. This is also how he got his nickname the minister of defense because he was a mister and played football. We can tell that White was a great man even without records.

Throw his records people looked to white as a leader he was always holding people accountable for their actions and always picking people up "White emerged as a team leader. As one of the team-voted union representatives, White worked hard to keep his fellow Eagles united in the face of "replacement" teams and fan apathy" (Reggie White." Contemporary Black Biography.). This shows that Reggie White is a true leader not only on his work but his ability to bring people together. White became a respected leader and people looked up to him on the team. "Under White's leadership that year, Green Bay reached the summit, finishing as the NFL's top-ranked unit for the first time since 1967" (Hall of Famers." Packers.com.)  This shows that not only was White a good player but he was a leader. He goes to a new team and right off the bat he was leading the team. White always put the team first and cared about them.

White is a hero because he is humble helping out his community, a great player because he is in the hall of fame, and a leader, always putting the team first.   He is a true hero to me and a lot of football players around the world because of his hard work and leadership. The impact Reggie White had on the game of football will never be forgotten.