Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
During his college coaching career, White was twice named National Coach of the Year, first in 1975 at California. He coached a team led by Joe Roth, Chuck Muncie and Wesley Walker to the
Pac-8
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Division ...
co-championship—the school's first conference title in 18 years.
White moved to the University of Illinois in 1980. He succeeded Gary Moeller, who in three seasons at Illinois finished no higher than eighth in the Big Ten Conference. White quickly turned around the Illinois football program, posting a winning season in only his second year. In 1982, he led the Illini to the Liberty Bowl, the school's first bowl appearance since the
1964 Rose Bowl
The 1964 Rose Bowl was the 50th Rose Bowl Game, played on January 1, 1964. It featured the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Washington Huskies.
Illinois was led by co-captains Dick Butkus and George Donnelly, Jim Grabowski, Lynn Stewart, and Ar ...
. The 1982 Liberty Bowl was also notable as the final game coached by University of Alabama head coach
Bear Bryant
Paul William "Bear" Bryant (September 11, 1913 – January 26, 1983) was an American college football player and coach. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, and best known as the head coach of ...
. In 1983, Illinois won its first Big Ten title in 20 years with an overall record of 10–1, including a 9–0 conference record, and played in the
1984 Rose Bowl
The 1984 Rose Bowl game, played on Monday, January 2, was the 70th edition. The unranked UCLA Bruins upset the #4 Illinois Fighting Illini by a score of 45–9.
Rick Neuheisel, UCLA quarterback, was named the Player of the Game.UPI Coach of the Year. The 1983 Illinois team is the only team in Big Ten history to beat each of the other conference teams in a single season, an achievement made possible by the fact that rarely in conference history have teams played all the other teams in a season. White also led the Fighting Illini to the 1985 Peach Bowl, which they lost to Army 31–29. In eight seasons at Illinois, White's teams had a combined record of 47–41–3, for a winning percentage of .533. Along the way, White coached future NFL quarterbacks Dave Wilson, Tony Eason, and
Jack Trudeau
Jack Francis Trudeau (born September 9, 1962) is a former professional American football player and morning show co-host on Fox Sports Radio. He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the 1986 NFL Draft. A quarterback from ...
, and record-setting wide receiverDavid Williams. White resigned as Illinois coach after the 1987 season due to recruiting violations.
NFL coaching career
White's years as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders are best recalled for the team's collapse in the 1995 season, the team's first in Oakland after a 12-year sojourn in Los Angeles, when the 8–2 Raiders went into a nosedive, losing their final six games to finish 8–8 and not make the playoffs. Following a 7-9 record in 1996, White was fired by the Raiders on Christmas Eve, being given the news by Bruce Allen though Al Davis was involved in the decision. It is likely that the call was made in the morning, allowing White's family to enjoy Christmas Eve. White was on the coaching staff of the Rams from 1997-1999, including a Super Bowl victory at the conclusion of the '99 season. White later served as the Director of Football Administration for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Personal and later life
White is a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity.
White is a board member for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, which is named after Ronnie Lott and is awarded annually to college football's Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year.