Adrian Darnell White (born April 6, 1964) is an American former college and professional football player who was a

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly dif ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) for seven seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. White played college football for the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

, and thereafter, he played professionally for the New York Giants, Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots of the NFL. He became an assistant coach after his playing career ended.

Early years

White was born in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

in 1964.Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players
Adrian White
Retrieved July 26, 2010. He attended Orange Park High SchooldatabaseFootball.com, Players
Adrian White
. Retrieved July 26, 2010. where he played high school football for the Orange Park Raiders.

College career

White began his college career at

Southern Illinois University Southern Illinois University is a system of public universities in the southern region of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its headquarters is in Carbondale, Illinois. Board of trustees The university is governed by the nine member SIU Board of Tr ...

in Carbondale, Illinois, and he played football for the

Southern Illinois Salukis The Southern Illinois Salukis are the varsity athletic teams representing Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The nickname comes from the Saluki, the Royal Dog of Egypt and the Persian greyhound, which ties into the fact that southern Illin ...

for a single season in 1983. He transferred to the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida where he was a walk-on for coach Charlie Pell's

Florida Gators football The Florida Gators football program represents the University of Florida (UF) in American college football. Florida competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division o ...

team from

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal enter ...

.
2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide
'', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 88, 96, 154, 186 (2011). Retrieved September 1, 2011. White was a three-year starter for the Gators, and a key member of the Gators' defense during the

and

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

seasons, when the Gators posted identical 9–1–1 overall win–loss records and led the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities o ...

(SEC) with best-in-the-SEC records of 5–0–1 and 5–1. He was a first-team All-SEC selection and a second-team All-American as a senior in 1986. White was also a two-year

Florida Gators track and field The Florida Gators track and field program represents the University of Florida in the sport of track and field. The program includes separate men's and women's teams, both of which compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic As ...

letterman as a sprinter and anchored the Gators' 4x100-meter relay team that included Olympian

Dennis Mitchell Dennis Allen Mitchell (born February 20, 1966) is an American former college and international track and field athlete, who was a member of the gold medal-winning team in the 4 x 100 meters relay race at ...

. White graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice in 1993, and later earned a master's degree in education from

Fairleigh Dickinson University Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university with its main campuses in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University currently offers more than 100 degree programs to its students. In addition to its tw ...

in Teaneck, New Jersey.

Professional career

The New York Giants selected White in the second round (fifty-fifth overall pick) in the 1987 NFL Draft, and he played for the Giants from to .National Football League, Historical Players
Adrian White
Retrieved July 26, 2010. White finished his NFL playing career with single-season stints with the Green Bay Packers () and the New England Patriots (). During his seven-season NFL career, White played in 70 regular season games, started five of them, and had four interceptions.

Coaching career

White was the assistant coach for defensive quality control promoted to assistant defensive backs coach for the Buffalo Bills, and his responsibilities included opposition scouting and self-scouting, as well as working with the Bills' defensive backs corps.Buffalo Bills, Coaches
Adrian White
. Retrieved April 24, 2012. He was one of three assistants retained from the previous coaching staff by the Bills' new head coach,

Chan Gailey Thomas Chandler Gailey Jr. (born January 5, 1952) is a former American football coach. Most recently in 2020, he was the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). Gailey has previously served as the hea ...

, having previously been a Bills assistant for two years. He was with the Bills from 2008 to 2012, when he, along with the entire Bills coaching staff, was dismissed on December 31, 2012.

References

Bibliography

* Carlson, Norm, ''University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators'', Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). . * Golenbock, Peter, ''Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory'', Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). . * Hairston, Jack, ''Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told'', Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). . * McCarthy, Kevin M.,
Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football
', Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (2000). . * Nash, Noel, ed., ''The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football'', Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois (1998). .

External links

Adrian White
– Buffalo Bills coach profile {{DEFAULTSORT:White, Adrian 1964 births Living people People from Orange Park, Florida Players of American football from Florida Southern Illinois Salukis football players Florida Gators football players New York Giants players Green Bay Packers players New England Patriots players American male sprinters Track and field athletes from Florida Track and field athletes in the National Football League Florida Gators men's track and field athletes Coaches of American football from Florida Southern Illinois Salukis football coaches Rhein Fire coaches Indiana State Sycamores football coaches Berlin Thunder coaches Buffalo Bills coaches Jacksonville Sharks coaches Orange Park High School alumni American expatriate sportspeople in Germany Fairleigh Dickinson University alumni Ed Block Courage Award recipients