Chris Spielman gives his honorary jacket to former Ohio State and Detroit Lions teammate William White during halftime of a Oct. 31, 2021, game in Detroit when Spielman was inducted as a member of the franchise’s “Pride of the Lions.”
AP photo
He was a midget football legend. His number resides in retirement at Lima Senior. He was a starter from the first game of his freshman season at Ohio State.
He was probably underappreciated in the 1988 NFL draft when he was selected in the fourth round, but played 11 years in the pros and finished his career by playing in the Super Bowl in his final game.
William White, who died at 56 on Thursday after a six-year battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, was all of those things and more.
And even in the time he had left after being diagnosed with that dreaded disease he was exceptional. Exceptional in how he dealt with it above all.
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, causes a person to gradually lose the ability to control their muscles. There is no cure.
“When there was no cure, I said, ‘It’s all in God’s hands,’ ” White said in a 2018 Ohio State video to promote ALS research.
Former OSU quarterback Greg Frey, a teammate of White’s in 1986 and 1987, recognized that attitude when he saw a dramatic difference in White’s physical appearance but nothing else seemed different recently.
“It’s a horrific disease. But close your eyes and he’s William,” Frey said about his last meeting with White.
White’s football journey began as a 9-year-old starter on a team of mostly 10-year-olds and 11-year-olds for the Lima Midget League’s Bulldogs who went undefeated for four years in a row.
In a story in The Lima News before White played for the Atlanta Falcons in the 1999 Super Bowl, midget league teammate Rev. B. Lamont Monford said, “He was awesome even as a 9-year-old. We knew back then that he was a man among boys.”
White started three years at Lima Senior and rushed for 1,444 yards as a senior for the Spartans.
“Every time he touched the ball in high school was special,” former Lima Senior coach Barry Blackstone said on Friday.
“He knew what he wanted and he was from a great family. William was obviously very bright, very disciplined and a great athlete. That’s a combination that’s rare. He always treated people right. He was a special guy.
“We had lunch two weeks ago and I knew what was coming, unfortunately. He’s been very special to me,” he said.
Ohio State and Michigan were White’s top two choices when he was being recruited. He committed to the Buckeyes during his senior season of basketball.
In his four years as a starting cornerback at OSU, White had 16 career interceptions. He had five interceptions as a senior and had three of them against West Virginia that year. He was first-team All-Big Ten in 1987 and was a team captain.
Ohio State won Big Ten championships in 1984 and 1986 and beat Michigan in 1984 and 1987.
Frey said, “As a freshman I got to play quarterback on the scout team and faced him on the first team defense every day. His personality just stood out. He was so full of energy.
“He liked to talk a lot of smack. But he was also a very cerebral guy who was very intelligent. He just had a fun loving spirit. He had such a big smile, always was high energy. He was a tremendous guy to be around and I have so much respect for him. What a great guy,” he said.
The Detroit Lions selected White in the fourth round of the 1988 NFL draft. He played six seasons for the Lions before being traded to the Kansas City Chiefs. He played three years for the Chiefs and finished his career with two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons.
He had five interceptions in 1990 and four in 1992 for the Lions and ended his pro career with 20 interceptions.
White is survived by his wife, Nikol, sons William Jr. and Brendon, and daughter Brea. Brendon played three years of football at Ohio State before transferring to Rutgers.
Some other reactions to White passing away:
In a statement, Chris Spielman, a teammate at Ohio State and with the Detroit Lions: “I loved William. We shared experiences of joy and sorrow on and off the field. He was and always will be my brother … I can’t wait to see him again when he will be free from ALS. May God’s peace rest upon his family.”
Former Lima Senior boys basketball coach Ron Niekamp: “He was a heck of a basketball player as well as a great football player. I think William has to go down as one of the all-time greats from Lima and Lima Senior.
“I remember him just as a happy-go-lucky high school kid who loved to play sports, was very competitive, wanted to become a better player and a better person. It’s a sad story but I have a lot of fond memories of him and his teammates and those great games from that era.”
On Twitter, former Lima Senior football coach Andre Griffin: He was one of the greatest guys I’ve ever known. When I was Lima Senior’s head coach he was was one of my biggest supporters. The world will miss you big bro. Much love to the White Family. We lost a legend.”
Former Lima Senior football coach Mike Fell: “My first year as Lima Senior’s coach William came back and talked to all of my prospective freshman football players at the junior high. His talk was all about school, grades and being good representatives of your family and school.”
