 White signs autographs in 2014 | |||||||
| No. 54 | |||||||
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| Position | Defensive tackle | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born | (1953-01-15)January 15, 1953 (age 72) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||
| Weight | 257 lb (117 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school | McKean(Wilmington, Delaware) | ||||||
| College | Maryland (1972–1974) | ||||||
| NFL draft | 1975: 1st round,2nd overall pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Randall Lee White (born January 15, 1953), nicknamed "the Manster", is an American former professionalfootball player who was adefensive tackle for theDallas Cowboys in theNational Football League (NFL) from 1975 to 1988. He playedcollege football for theMaryland Terrapins from 1972 to 1974. He is a member of theCollege Football Hall of Fame (1994), thePro Football Hall of Fame (1994) and theDelaware Sports Hall of Fame (1994[1]).
Playing both defensive end and linebacker atThomas McKean High School inWilmington, Delaware, White is considered to this day the "Best All-Time Player" in the history of Delaware high school football.[2] Graduating in 1971, he was a star player in the state's 15th annual Blue-Gold All-Star high school football game played each year since 1956 at theUniversity of Delaware stadium to benefit DFRC and its programs to provide services to Delawareans with intellectual disabilities.[3][4]
White wasrecruited by theUniversity of Maryland and played as afullback for theTerrapins during his freshman year. Maryland finished the year with only two wins and White did little worth noting during that year. During his sophomore season, newhead coachJerry Claiborne moved White todefensive end, noting that he had the skill to be "one of the best five linemen in the U.S." The move was a natural fit, as by his senior year, he was, as Claiborne put it, "as fast as some of the offensive backs I had coached." In that senior year (1974), he won numerous awards and honors, including theOutland Trophy, theLombardi Award, and theAtlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year. Though Maryland lost in theLiberty Bowl that season toTennessee, White was named the game's Most Valuable Player. In 1994, he was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame and in 2000 was named toABC sports All-timeAll-America Team.[5][6] In 1999,Sports Illustrated included him on its All-Century Team for college football.[7]
White was the Dallas Cowboys' first pick and the second player selected in the1975 NFL draft, and was moved tomiddle linebacker, where he was a backup to Cowboy legendLee Roy Jordan, playing mostly onspecial teams his first two seasons, including his rookie season when Dallas lost to thePittsburgh Steelers inSuper Bowl X.[citation needed] Jordan retired following the 1976 season, and his slot was filled byBob Breunig, who held the position the next nine seasons. During his third season (1977), White was moved to rightdefensive tackle, the same position formerly occupied by "Mr. Cowboy",Bob Lilly, from 1961 through 1974, a move which in turn moved veteranLarry Cole back to his natural defensive end position (backing upEd "Too Tall" Jones andHarvey Martin, though he did play left defensive tackle after the retirement ofJethro Pugh.[citation needed]
That year proved to be his breakout year; he was named to his firstAll-Pro team, his firstPro Bowl, and (on his 25th birthday) was named co-MVP ofSuper Bowl XII with teammateHarvey Martin, making him one of ten defensive players to win that honor. In 1978, White was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Year, and was named to nine consecutive All-Pro and Pro Bowl teams. He retired in 1988 (coincidentally, also the last season on the sidelines for original Cowboys coachTom Landry), having played 209 games in 14 seasons, missing only one game during that span. At the time of his retirement, he had played the second most of any Dallas Cowboy in history. During those 14 years, he played in threeSuper Bowls, sixNFC Championship Games, and accumulated 1,104 tackles (701 solo) and 111sacks.[8] His highest single season sack total was 16 in 1978.[9] He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994.[8] On the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the naming of the only co-MVPs in Super Bowl history,Super Bowl XLVII, which like Super Bowl XII was played inNew Orleans, Louisiana, was dedicated to White. Harvey Martin had died in 2001.
Gradually, the accumulation of injuries began to limit White's effectiveness. He was credited with only 64 tackles in the 1987 season (a season in which White made the controversial choice to cross the picket line during the players' strike); this followed shoulder surgery the previous year and a bulging disc in his neck that worsened. In 1988, he played in a backup role, not assuming a three-point stance because of the disability. White openly and honestly acknowledged his frustration that he could no longer play at the level at which he was accustomed, and he decided to retire after the 1988 season.[10]
White married Dallas model Vicci Haney, in 1978.[11] They have one child together, daughter Jordan.[12][13]
White is nicknamed "The Manster" (half man, half monster).[6] He studiedThai Boxing underChai Sirisute, the founder of the Thai Boxing Association of the US. White'sround kick reportedly registered 400psi on a gauge after two months of training.[14]