White was not a top college football recruit but decided to walk-on and tryout for Georgia's football team.[2][6]The Atlanta Journal reported that he "just showed up" and impressed enough that he made the team.[6] At the end of his freshman season, he was placed on scholarship.[7] An end, he won a starting position for Georgia during the 1951 season.[8] That year, in 10 games, he recorded 18 receptions for 226 yards.[9] He then caught nine passes for 133 yards and one touchdown in 1952 while being limited by injury.[9][10] Considered one of the fastest players at his position in the Southeastern Conference, he concluded his collegiate career by catching 13 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown as a senior in 1953.[9][10] As a member of Georgia's football team, he received three varsity letters.[2] White was also a member of Georgia's track team as a hurdler.[10]
Professional career
After going unselected in the 1954 NFL draft, White signed with the Green Bay Packers.[1] After signing, the team moved him to play defensive back, as they already had several ends.[11] He added 15 pounds (6.8kg) by his first season in the NFL, standing at 6feet 3inches (1.91m) and weighing 205 pounds (93kg).[11] He made the team and appeared in nine games, eight as a starter, while missing several due to an injury sustained while blocking.[1][11] While playing for the Packers, he recorded an interception, which he returned for 20 yards, and a fumble recovery. He was awarded a watch as the team's most outstanding player of the game after he led the team in tackles and pass breakups against the San Francisco 49ers.[1][11] White left the Packers prior to the 1955 season to serve in the United States Army.[2][12]
White served in East Asia as a lieutenant and played for the Army All-Stars football team.[2] In 1956, he was part of an Army team that beat the Navy 35–0 in the Torii Bowl in Tokyo, Japan.[2] He later returned to the Packers in 1957 but was released before appearing in any games.[1]
Later life and death
After his football career, White returned to Georgia and worked in real estate. He received a post-graduate achievement award in 2010 from the Georgia chapter of the National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame. With his wife, Rene, White had a son and a daughter. He moved in 1994 to Moore County, North Carolina, and died there on July 7, 2017, at the age of 85.[2]
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