REGGIE WHITE
Professional football player | Chattanooga native
Reggie White, a Chattanooga native, dominated football from high school to the NFL. A standout at Howard High School, he later earned the nickname "Minister of Defense" at the University of Tennessee. As captain in 1983, he led the Vols to a 9-3 record and a Citrus Bowl win. White was a unanimous All-American, SEC Player of the Year and a Lombardi Award finalist. He set TN records for sacks in a game (4), season (15) and career (32).
After college, White played for the Memphis Showboats in the USFL before being drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1985. He went onto a 13-year NFL career, playing for the Eagles, Green Bay Packers (where he won a Super Bowl) and Carolina Panthers. White earned 11 Pro-Bowl selections and retired as the NFL's all-time sack leader.
Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003, he was also honored by the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame before passing away at 43 in 2004.