| White with the New England Patriots in 2015 | |||||||||||||||
| Benet Academy Redwings | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Head coach | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | February 3, 1992 Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Wisconsin (2010–2013) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2014: 4th round, 130th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||||||
Assistant running backs coach | |||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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James Calvin White (born February 3, 1992) is an American professional football coach and former running back who is the assistant running backs coach for the Illinois Fighting Illini. He previously played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons with the New England Patriots. White played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers and was selected by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft. A three-time Super Bowl champion, he set the Super Bowl records for receptions and points scored in Super Bowl LI; he also is tied for the record for the most receptions (15) in a playoff game.
White attended the St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. While there, he played high school football for the Raiders. White was a part of the 2008 St. Thomas Aquinas National Championship team. [2] At Aquinas, he primarily split time with Giovani Bernard, who later became a running back for the Cincinnati Bengals and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As a senior, White rushed for over 1,000 yards and over 20 touchdowns and was chosen to the (Broward) All-County team. He also played and lettered in baseball.
White came out of St. Thomas Aquinas as the 70th-ranked running back in his class, and as a three-star recruit by Scout.com . [3] White chose Wisconsin over Clemson, Michigan State, and South Florida, among others. He was given the nickname "Sweet Feet". [4]
White attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison from 2010 to 2013. [5]
White was named the 2010 Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Year. [6] He finished the season with 156 carries for 1,052 yards and 14 touchdowns to go along with 11 receptions for 88 yards, leading the Badgers to the 2011 Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. [7]
As a sophomore in 2011, White had 141 carries for 713 yards and six touchdowns to go along with 15 receptions for 150 yards. [8]
As a junior in 2012, White finished with 125 carries for 806 yards and 12 touchdowns to go along with eight receptions for 132 yards and a touchdown. [9]
On November 16, 2013, White ran for a career-high 205 yards against Indiana and set a Wisconsin record for longest run from scrimmage (93 yards). [10] He finished his senior season with 221 carries for 1,444 yards and 13 touchdowns to go along with 39 receptions for 300 yards and two touchdowns. [11]
White rushed for over 100 yards a game on 17 different occasions during his college career despite splitting carries with John Clay, Montee Ball, and Melvin Gordon for most of his career. [12]
| Season | Team | Rushing | Receiving | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2010 | Wisconsin | 156 | 1,052 | 6.7 | 66 | 14 | 11 | 88 | 8.0 | 26 | 0 |
| 2011 | Wisconsin | 141 | 713 | 5.1 | 49 | 6 | 15 | 150 | 10.0 | 40 | 0 |
| 2012 | Wisconsin | 125 | 806 | 6.4 | 69 | 12 | 8 | 132 | 16.5 | 62 | 1 |
| 2013 | Wisconsin | 221 | 1,444 | 6.5 | 93 | 13 | 39 | 300 | 7.7 | 35 | 2 |
| Career | 643 | 4,015 | 6.2 | 93 | 45 | 73 | 670 | 9.2 | 62 | 3 | |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 9+1⁄8 in (1.76 m) | 204 lb (93 kg) | 29+1⁄4 in (0.74 m) | 8+1⁄4 in (0.21 m) | 4.57 s | 1.60 s | 2.66 s | 4.20 s | 7.05 s | 32 in (0.81 m) | 9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) | 23 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine. [13] | ||||||||||||
White was selected by the New England Patriots in the fourth round (130th overall) of the 2014 NFL draft. [14] [15] He was active for only three games for the Patriots.
During Week 4 against the Kansas City Chiefs, he made his NFL debut and finished the 41–14 loss with three carries for 21 yards and three receptions for 15 yards. [16] White was inactive for the team's 28–24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX. [17]
White emerged onto the national scene during Week 11 with a two-touchdown performance (one rushing, one receiving) in a 20–13 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football after starting running back Dion Lewis was out for the season with a torn ACL. White finished the game with 14 rushing yards and 32 receiving yards. [18] The win pushed the Patriots' record to 10–0 for the season. Two weeks later, White caught a career-high 10 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown in the Patriots' 35–28 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. [19] Overall, White finished the 2015 season with 40 receptions for 410 yards and four touchdowns to go along with 22 carries for 56 yards and two touchdowns. [20]
White had a breakout season as the Patriots primary passing back with Lewis starting the season on the physically unable to perform list.
During Week 5, which was Brady's return from suspension from Deflategate, White caught four passes for 63 yards in a 33–13 victory over the Cleveland Browns. [21] In the next game against the Cincinnati Bengals, White caught two touchdown passes from Tom Brady, a 15-yard and a six-yard while recording a team-high eight receptions for 47 yards and rushing seven times for 19 yards during the 35–17 victory. [22] The following week against the Pittsburgh Steelers White caught his third touchdown pass of the season. [23]
During a Week 11 30–17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, White caught six passes for 63 yards and recorded his fourth touchdown of the season. [24] Three weeks later against the Baltimore Ravens, White caught three passes for 81 yards, including a 61-yard catch and run from Tom Brady in the 30–23 victory. During a Week 16 41–3 victory over the New York Jets, White caught three passes for 32 yards and a touchdown, making it his fifth receiving touchdown of the season. [25] With his Week 16 performance, White became one of four running backs to have 500 or more receiving yards in the 2016 season. [26]
White finished the 2016 season with 60 receptions for 551 yards and five touchdowns to go along with 39 carries for 166 yards in 16 games and four starts. [27]
During Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons, White had 139 yards from scrimmage (29 rushing, 110 receiving). He joined Roger Craig as the only running back with more than 100 receiving yards in a Super Bowl and broke Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas's previous record for most receptions in a Super Bowl, which came in a 43–8 loss to the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII, with 14. He scored three touchdowns and a two-point conversion, setting a record for points in a Super Bowl, with 20; that record was tied for the first time in Super Bowl LVII by Jalen Hurts. [28]
All of White's 20 points in Super Bowl LI came after the Patriots trailed 28–3 midway through the third quarter. Danny Amendola's two-point conversion following White's second touchdown tied the game at 28, sending the Super Bowl to overtime for the first time ever. During overtime, White delivered the game-winning play by rushing two yards into the end zone for a touchdown as the Patriots won 34–28, [29] [30] becoming the first team in 134 tries to win when trailing by more than 17 points after 3 quarters in a postseason game (the Patriots trailed by 19). He was the first player in Super Bowl history to have a touchdown and a two-point conversion in one game. [31]
Brady, who won the Super Bowl MVP award, said that he believed White should have won the award instead. To show his thanks, Brady gave White his MVP prize, a pick-up truck, which White accepted. [32] [33] Several commentators, as well as Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell, also believed that White should have won the award. [34] [35]
White was the first player to score in overtime in a Super Bowl and the second player to score the winning touchdown in overtime in an NFL championship game after Alan Ameche, a fellow Wisconsin Badger, who did so for the Baltimore Colts in 1958. [36] [37] [38] [39]
On April 18, 2017, White, who was entering the final year of his rookie contract, signed a three-year, $12 million extension through the 2020 season. [40] [41] The contract included $4.69 million in guarantees and an additional $3 million in incentives. [41]
White finished the 2017 season with 43 carries for 171 yards to go along with 56 receptions for 429 yards and three touchdowns. [42] The Patriots finished the season with a 13–3 record and qualified for the playoffs as the #1-seed. [43] In the Divisional Round against the Tennessee Titans, White recorded a rushing touchdown and receiving touchdown. He finished with 11 rushing yards and 29 receiving yards. [44] During the AFC Championship Game, White recorded the Patriots' first touchdown of the game on a one-yard rush and the team would go on to win 24–20 and advance to Super Bowl LII. He finished the game with four rushing yards and 22 receiving yards. [45] In the Super Bowl, White had seven carries for 45 yards and scored the Patriots' first touchdown of the game on a 26-yard rush and also caught two passes for 21 yards, but the Patriots lost 41–33 to the Eagles. [46]
In 2018, White was named a team captain for the first time in his career. [47] In the season opener against the Houston Texans, White rushed five times for 18 yards and caught four passes for 38 yards and a touchdown as the Patriots won by a score of 27–20. Three weeks later against the Miami Dolphins, he rushed for 44 yards and a touchdown while also catching eight receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown in the 38–7 victory. [48] In Week 5, he tied his career-high with 10 receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown in a 38–24 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. [49] Two weeks later in a 38–31 road victory against the Chicago Bears, White rushed for 40 yards and caught eight passes for 57 yards and two touchdowns. During Week 9 against the Green Bay Packers, White finished with 31 rushing yards on 12 carries for two touchdowns and caught six passes for 72 yards. After a Week 11 bye, White rushed for a career-high 73 yards in a 27–13 road victory against the Jets.
White finished the regular season setting career-highs in rushing yards with 425, rushing touchdowns with five, receptions with 87, receiving yards with 751, and receiving touchdowns with seven. [50]
In the AFC Divisional Round against the Los Angeles Chargers, White tied the all-time single-game playoff receptions record with 15. [51] He finished the game with 97 receiving yards. During the AFC Championship Game, the Patriots went on the road to face the Chiefs. In that game, White had six carries for 23 yards and four receptions for 49 yards, including a 30-yard reception, his team's longest of the game, as the Patriots defeated the Chiefs 37–31 on the road in overtime to reach Super Bowl LIII. [52] In the Super Bowl, which was played on White's 27th birthday, rookie Sony Michel took over most of the rushing duties, leaving White in a limited role as the Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams by a score of 13–3. [53] He finished the Super Bowl with four rushing yards and five receiving yards. [54] [55]
White scored his first touchdown of the season on a 10-yard pass as the Patriots defeated the Dolphins on the road by a score of 43–0. [56] During Week 9 against the Ravens, he earned his first start of the season and rushed for 38 yards and his first rushing touchdown of the year along with catching two passes for 46 yards in the 37–20 road loss. [57] During Week 13 against the Texans on Sunday Night Football , White rushed 14 times for 79 yards including a career-long 32-yard rush and caught eight passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns in the 28–22 road loss. [58] Overall, White finished the 2019 season with 263 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown to go along with 72 receptions for 645 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns. [59]
A few hours prior to the Patriots' Week 2 game against the Seahawks on Sunday Night Football, White's father died in a car crash and his mother was left in critical condition. He was listed as an inactive player for the game. During the 35–30 road loss, teammate Devin McCourty ran up to the camera and yelled "28, we love you bro!" after recording a pick six. [60] During Week 12, White scored two rushing touchdowns in the 20–17 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. [61] He finished the 2020 season with 35 carries for 121 yards and two touchdowns to go along with 49 receptions for 375 yards and a touchdown. [62]
On March 25, 2021, White re-signed with the Patriots on a one-year, $2.5 million contract. [63] [64]
During a Week 3 28–13 loss to the New Orleans Saints, White rushed for six yards before suffering a hip injury in the second quarter. He was placed on injured reserve on October 1, 2021. [65]
On March 15, 2022, White signed a two-year, $5 million contract extension with the Patriots. [66] Despite this, he announced his retirement via Twitter on August 11. [67]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won the Super Bowl | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2014 | NE | 3 | 0 | 9 | 38 | 4.2 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 23 | 4.6 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | NE | 14 | 1 | 22 | 56 | 2.5 | 8 | 2 | 40 | 410 | 10.3 | 68 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | NE | 16 | 4 | 39 | 166 | 4.3 | 16 | 0 | 60 | 551 | 9.2 | 61 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | NE | 14 | 4 | 43 | 171 | 4.0 | 10 | 0 | 56 | 429 | 7.7 | 27 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | NE | 16 | 3 | 94 | 425 | 4.5 | 27T | 5 | 87 | 751 | 8.6 | 42 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | NE | 15 | 1 | 67 | 263 | 3.9 | 32 | 1 | 72 | 645 | 9.0 | 59 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| 2020 | NE | 14 | 0 | 35 | 121 | 3.5 | 10 | 2 | 49 | 375 | 7.7 | 34 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2021 | NE | 3 | 0 | 10 | 38 | 3.8 | 10 | 1 | 12 | 94 | 7.8 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 95 | 13 | 319 | 1,278 | 4.0 | 32 | 11 | 381 | 3,278 | 8.1 | 68 | 25 | 2 | 1 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2014 | NE | 0 | 0 | DNP | |||||||||||
| 2015 | NE | 2 | 1 | 6 | 16 | 2.7 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 84 | 12.0 | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2016 | NE | 3 | 0 | 7 | 29 | 4.1 | 10 | 2 | 18 | 137 | 9.2 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | NE | 3 | 0 | 14 | 60 | 4.3 | 26T | 3 | 9 | 72 | 7.7 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | NE | 3 | 1 | 8 | 27 | 3.8 | 9 | 0 | 20 | 151 | 7.6 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | NE | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 14 | 0 | 5 | 62 | 12.4 | 29 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2021 | NE | 0 | 0 | Did not play due to injury | |||||||||||
| Career | 12 | 3 | 36 | 146 | 4.1 | 26T | 5 | 59 | 506 | 8.6 | 30 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
Following his retirement, White was hired by Sports USA Radio Network as an NFL analyst beginning in the 2022 season. He has also appeared on the ESPN program Get Up and on SiriusXM NFL Radio's The Opening Drive. [70] In 2023, White joined Big Ten Network as a football analyst. [71]
White also co-hosts The Money Down Podcast with his former Wisconsin Badger colleagues Sojourn Shelton and Warren Herring. [72]