Reggie White Reginald Howard " Reggie " White ( December 19 , 1961 – December 26 , 2004 ) was an American college and professional football player who was a defensive end and defensive tackle in the National Football League ( NFL ) for 15 seasons during the 1980s and 90s . He played college football for the University of Tennessee , and was recognized as an All - American . After playing two professional seasons for the Memphis Showboats of the United States Football League ( USFL ) , he was selected in the first round of the 1985 Supplemental Draft , and then played for the NFL ' s Philadelphia Eagles , Green Bay Packers , and Carolina Panthers , becoming one of the most decorated players in NFL history . The two - time NFL Defensive Player of the Year , 13 - time Pro Bowl and 12 - time All - Pro selection holds second place all - time among career sack leaders with 198 . 5 ( behind Bruce Smith ' s 200 career sacks ) and was selected to the NFL 75th Anniversary All - Time Team , NFL 1990s All - Decade Team , and the NFL 1980s All - Decade Team . During his professional career , he was also known for his Christian ministry as an ordained Evangelical minister , leading to his nickname , " the Minister of Defense " . White is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame . Early years . White was born in Chattanooga , Tennessee . He played high school football at Howard High School under Coach Robert Pulliam , a former defensive lineman at Tennessee . During his senior year , White recorded 140 tackles ( 88 solo ) and 10 sacks , and received All - American honors . He was rated the number one recruit in Tennessee by the " Knoxville News Sentinel . College career . White played college football at the University of Tennessee from 1980 to 1983 . He had worked his way into the starting lineup by the end of his freshman year , in which he registered 51 tackles ( 32 solo ) and two sacks , recovered two fumbles , and blocked a punt that set up Tennessee ' s first score in the team ' s 23 - 10 win over Georgia Tech . He was awarded the " Andy Spiva Award " , given annually to the Vols ' most improved defensive player . As a sophomore during the 1981 season , White registered 95 tackles ( 61 solo ) , a team - leading eight sacks , and a team - leading seven tackles - for - loss . He also blocked three extra - point attempts . He had 10 tackles and two sacks , one of which resulted in a safety , against Memphis State , and was named the team ' s " outstanding defensive player " for the game . For his performance in Tennessee ' s 10 - 7 win over Georgia Tech , which included a late fumble recovery that sealed the Vols ' victory , he was named " Southeast Lineman of the Week " by UPI . White had eight tackles in Tennessee ' s 28 - 21 victory over Wisconsin in the 1981 Garden State Bowl , and was named the game ' s " Best Defensive Player " . At the end of the season , he was named to the Sophomore All - American team by " The Football News " . White was named a Preseason All - American going into the 1982 season , but was consistently bothered by an ankle injury , and his production dropped off . While he registered just 47 tackles ( 36 solo ) , he nevertheless led the team with seven sacks , and was third only to teammates Mike Cofer and Carlton Peoples in " big plays " . His best game of the season came in the Vols ' 24 - 24 tie against LSU , in which he registered eight tackles , including a sack and a fourth - down stop . He had eight tackles , two sacks , and a forced fumble in Tennessee ' s 28 - 22 loss to Iowa in the 1982 Peach Bowl . Determined to improve upon what he considered a disappointing junior campaign , White erupted during his senior season in 1983 , registering 100 tackles ( 72 solo ) , a school single - season record 15 sacks , 9 tackles - for - loss , and an interception . Although Pittsburgh defeated Tennessee 13 - 3 in the season opener , White consistently kept the Panthers ' offense off balance , in spite of being lined up against the Panthers ' All - American offensive lineman Bill Fralic . He had two sacks in Tennessee ' s 31 - 6 win over New Mexico , and a school single - game record four sacks in the Vols ' blowout win over the The Citadel . White was named " Southeast Lineman of the Week " for his disruptive performance – which included 12 tackles and three sacks – in Tennessee ' s 20 - 6 win over LSU , and he twice sacked Alabama quarterback Walter Lewis in Tennessee ' s 41 - 34 win over the Tide . In Tennessee ' s 30 - 23 win over Maryland in the 1983 Florida Citrus Bowl , White sacked heralded Maryland quarterback Boomer Esiason in the second quarter , knocking him out of the game . White was a consensus All - American , SEC Player of the Year , and a Lombardi Award finalist . During his tenure at Tennessee , White registered 293 tackles ( 201 solo ) , 32 sacks , 19 tackles - for - loss , four fumble recoveries , and seven batted - down passes . As of the 2013 season , his 32 career sacks and 15 sacks in a season ( in 1983 ) remained school records . His school single - game record of four sacks ( against The Citadel in 1983 ) stood until 2013 , when Corey Miller had four and a half sacks against Kentucky . Professional career . USFL . Memphis Showboats . After college , White signed with the Memphis Showboats of the USFL . He played for Memphis for two seasons , starting in 36 games . As a member of the Showboats , he racked up 23 . 5 sacks , 198 tackle s , and seven forced fumble s . NFL . Philadelphia Eagles . When the USFL collapsed in 1984 , White was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles , which held his NFL rights . He played with the Eagles beginning in 1985 for eight seasons , during which he picked up 124 sacks , becoming the Eagles ' all - time sack leader . He also set the Eagles ' regular - season record with 21 sacks in a single season ( 1987 ) . White also became the only player to ever accumulate 20 or more sacks in just 12 games . He also set an NFL regular - season record during 1987 by averaging the most sacks per game , with 1 . 75 sacks per game . Over the course of his tenure with the Eagles , White actually accumulated more sacks than the number of games he played . He was voted by ESPN Sportsnation as the greatest player in Eagles ' franchise history . In 1991 , he set the record for most passes defended in a single season by a defensive lineman with 13 , a mark that has been since broken by JJ Watt . Green Bay Packers . In 1993 , White became a free agent . He was signed by the Green Bay Packers , where he played for six seasons . White notched up another 68 . 5 sacks to become , at the time , the Packers ' all - time leader in that category ( second now to Kabeer Gbaja - Biamila , who has 74 . 5 registered sacks ) . White was also just as valued for his role as a team leader . He helped the Packers to two Super Bowl s , including a victory in Super Bowl XXXI . That victory was the only championship in which White ever shared at any level . In 1998 , White was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year . Carolina Panthers . In 2000 , he came out of a one - year retirement and started all 16 games for the Panthers . White had five and a half sacks and one forced fumble while with the team . He again retired at the end of the 2000 season . Retirement . At the time of his retirement , White was the NFL ' s all - time sacks leader with 198 . ( He has since been surpassed by Bruce Smith , who has 200 . ) Counting his time in the USFL , White has 221 . 5 sacks in top - level professional football , making him professional football ' s all - time sacks leader . White also recorded three interception s , which he returned for 79 yard s . He recovered 19 fumbles , which he returned for 137 yards and three touchdown s . His 9 consecutive seasons ( 1985 – 1993 ) with at least 10 sacks remain an NFL record . He was named an All - Pro for 13 of his 15 seasons , including eight as a first - team selection . Professional wrestling . White appeared on screen at two professional wrestling events , wrestling one match . In April 1995 , he was ringside as part of Lawrence Taylor ' s " All - Stars " for his match against Bam Bam Bigelow at WrestleMania XI . During the show , he participated in one backstage segment with the All - Stars , calling out Money Inc . member Irwin R . Shyster . Before and during the actual match , the All - Stars and Money , Inc . teams were involved in a scuffle , in which White participated . On May 18 , 1997 , White wrestled his only professional wrestling match for WCW at Slamboree . He wrestled fellow NFL ( and LT ' s All - Star team mate ) alumnus Steve McMichael . The two men emulated football tackles during their bout . White received a warm response from the professional wrestling crowd in Charlotte , North Carolina , but nonetheless lost to McMichael after being hit with a steel Zero Halliburton briefcase secretly given to McMichael by his valet ( and then - real life wife ) Debra McMichael . Christian ministry . White became involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes while at Tennessee , and expressed an interest in becoming an evangelist as early as his sophomore year in 1981 . He became an ordained Baptist minister during this period . He had acquired the nickname " the Minister of Defense " by the time he was a senior . In White ' s last year of football , a friend reportedly gave White a teaching CD from Messianic teacher Monte Judah . Following his retirement , White began studying " Torah " and " Torah " - observant Messianic theology . White also studied Hebrew under Nehemia Gordon . In October 2003 , White was interviewed by Messianic teacher and televangelist Michael Rood , and he discussed his studies of " Torah " . The interview was broadcast on February 4 and 6 , 2005 , on the Sky Angel cable channel . Following White ' s death , the January 2005 edition of Messianic magazine " Yavoh " was dedicated to him as a " Messianic Believer " , leading to confusion regarding White ' s religious beliefs . Some reported — incorrectly — that White had abandoned Christianity and was studying Judaism . White was touched by the African American church arson scares during the mid - 1990s . The Inner City Church in Knoxville , Tennessee , where White was an associate minister , burned to the ground in 1996 . In 1996 , White starred with Pat Morita in " Reggie ' s Prayer " , a Christian film . He plays the main protagonist , " Reggie Knox " , a football player who retires after the 1996 season to become a 10th - grade language arts teacher and head coach of a high school football team in Portland , Oregon . The film also had appearances by his Packers teammates Brett Favre and Mike Holmgren as janitors , and Keith Jackson as an assistant coach . M . C . Hammer plays a park ranger . Controversy . White created a stir in March 1998 with his comments before the Wisconsin state legislature , invoking racial stereotype s of Latinos , Asians , whites , blacks , and Native Americans . He stated that these diverse " gifts " of each race , " formed a complete image of God [ . . . ] because He was trying to create Himself " . An image that society had pushed aside , leading to the aversion of racial unity . He specified that , " without assimilation , there ' s no desegregation , nor is there integration , because people of all ethnic backgrounds have to be able to compete economically in order to build their families . " In an interview with ABC ' s 20 / 20 , White made comments about gays and lesbians . White became an ally of organizations opposed to homosexuality ; he appeared in a newspaper advertising campaign to convince gays and lesbians that they could " cease " their homosexuality . As a result , CBS withdrew a five - year , $ 6 - million contract for being a part of the pregame panel because of his statements calling homosexuality a sin . Both the Green Bay Packers and the NFL objected to the ads , since White had appeared in his football uniform without the consent of the team or the league . Later versions of the ad removed the uniform . Personal . White was married to the former Sara Copeland , with whom he had two children , Jeremy and Jecolia . Death . On the morning of December 26 , 2004 , White was rushed from his home in Cornelius , North Carolina , to a nearby hospital in Huntersville , North Carolina , where he was pronounced dead . White had suffered a fatal cardiac arrhythmia . The most likely cause of this , according to the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner ' s Office , was the cardiac and pulmonary sarcoidosis with which he had lived for years . It was also stated that sleep apnea , which White was known to suffer from , may have contributed to his death . His grave site is situated at Glenwood Memorial Park , Mooresville , North Carolina . Accolades . Jersey number retirements . During the 2005 season , two NFL teams and the University of Tennessee retired White ' s number 92 jersey . The University of Tennessee retired White ' s jersey at a halftime presentation on October 1 , 2005 , during their game against the University of Mississippi , the third such retirement in the modern era of football at the school ; a commemorative sign was also unveiled in the south end of Neyland Stadium . During a halftime presentation at Lambeau Field on September 18 , 2005 , White became the fifth Green Bay Packer to have his number retired by the franchise . On December 5 , 2005 , the Philadelphia Eagles retired his jersey in a halftime ceremony during the Eagles ' " Monday Night Football " game with the Seattle Seahawks , which were coached by Mike Holmgren , White ' s former coach in Green Bay . White became the first player in NFL history to have his number officially retired by multiple teams . The Packers and the Eagles also wore a helmet decal honoring White for the remaining games in the season . Hall of Fame . White was elected to the Professional Football Hall of Fame on his first ballot on February 4 , 2006 . He was enshrined at a ceremony on August 5 , 2006 in Canton Ohio . White ' s widow , Sara White , delivered her husband ' s acceptance speech at the ceremony . She was introduced by their son , Jeremy White , who also released the first copies of his autobiography , " In His Shadow : Growing Up With Reggie White " , during the Hall of Fame weekend in honor of his father . Jeremy thanked the " God of Abraham , Isaac , and Jacob " in his introduction , echoing Reggie White ' s dedication to his faith . White was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005 , and the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame in 2007 . Named streets . The official sign hanging for Reggie White Boulevard took place on Monday , December 8 , 2008 , at 2 p . m . at the intersection of 20th and Carter Street in Chattanooga , Tennessee . White ’ s mother , Thelma White Collier , along with other family and friends , were on hand to witness the change to Reggie White Boulevard . The official name change was approved by the Chattanooga City Council on November 4 , 2008 . The Reggie White Way in Green Bay , Wisconsin , is off Lombardi Avenue near Lambeau Field .