Stephen Gregory White (October 25, 1973 – August 30, 2022) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player who was a

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

for seven seasons with the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

and the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

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). He was later a football blogger for

SB Nation ''SB Nation'' (an abbreviation for their full name ''SportsBlogs Nation'') is a sports blogging network owned by Vox Media. It was co-founded by Tyler Bleszinski, Markos Moulitsas, and Jerome Armstrong in 2005. The blog from which the network ...

Playing career

White attended Westwood High School in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

, and played for the school's football team as a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

. He enrolled at the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

, where he played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for the

Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity college athletics, intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in NCAA Division I, ...

from 1992 to 1995 as a

. He played in 40 games for the Volunteers, starting 21 games at right defensive end. White recorded 105

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking u ...

, 20 sacks, and forced six

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...

s with Tennessee. The

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

of the

(NFL) selected White in the sixth round of the

1996 NFL Draft The 1996 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 20–21, 1996, at the Paramount ...

. The Eagles wanted White to play as a

and had him lose . The Eagles cut White before the start of the

1996 NFL season The 1996 NFL season was the 77th regular season of the National Football League and the season was marked by notable controversies from beginning to end. Most significantly, the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy resulted in a then-unique ...

and the

signed him to their

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

. The Buccaneers signed him as a defensive end and asked him to gain the 20 pounds back. In October 1996, Tampa Bay signed White to their active roster. He was a backup in his first three seasons. In the 1998 season, an injury to

Chidi Ahanotu Chidi Obioma Ahanotu (born October 11, 1970) is a former American football defensive end in the NFL. He was originally selected with the fifth pick of the sixth round of the 1993 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers out of California; he spe ...

required White to backup Tyoka Jackson at left defensive end, though he typically had played on the right side. White beat out

Regan Upshaw Regan Charles Upshaw (born August 12, 1975) is a former American football defensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) between 1996 and 2004. He was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the 1996 NFL ...

to become a starting defensive end for the Buccaneers in 1999. He started 13 games that season. In the 1999 playoffs, he recorded seven tackles, two sacks, and one forced fumble. White lost his starting job to Marcus Jones the next season, and recorded five sacks as a substitute, alternating with Jones and

Simeon Rice Simeon James Rice (; born February 24, 1974) is a former American football defensive end. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals third overall in the 1996 NFL Draft. In his 12-year NFL career, Rice recorded 122 sacks, forced 25 fumbles, recov ...

. White signed with the

before the 2002 season. He played as a backup and was waived in February 2003. In his NFL career, White played in 94 games, starting 15 games. He started 13 of those games during the 1999 season. He retired with 119 tackles and 11.5 sacks.

Later life

After his playing career, White was an assistant coach for the

University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. It is one of 12 members of the State University System of Florida. USF is ...

for one year. He wrote about the NFL for

from 2013 to 2020. White lived in

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

, after his career. He was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 2014 and he received a bone marrow transplant at the

Moffitt Cancer Center Houston Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute is a nonprofit cancer treatment and research center located in Tampa, Florida. Established in 1981 by the Florida Legislature, the hospital opened in October 1986 on the University of South ...

in April 2022. He died on August 30, 2022, at the age of 48.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:White, Steve 1973 births 2022 deaths Deaths from leukemia Players of American football from Memphis, Tennessee American football defensive ends Tennessee Volunteers football players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players New York Jets players Deaths from cancer in Florida 20th-century American people 21st-century American people