Reggie White's induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame today brings back a lot of memories.
The club move.
His infectious smile and incredibly deep voice.
The Super Bowl years.
His ill-fated speech in front of the Wisconsin Legislature.
One thing I'll never forget April 6, 1993, the day that the story broke that White -- the first major free agent in National Football League history -- had agreed to a four-year, $17 million deal with the Packers.
This was before the Internet. This was before wall-to-wall sports talk radio. ESPN was a cable channel and not the sports conglomerate that it is today.
I was working in The Milwaukee Journal sports department that afternoon. Back then, one of the functions of the sports desk was to serve as sort of a "ready reference" hotline for people looking for scores, news and the answer to bar room trivia questions. Many is the time I'd get a call, look up an answer for someone in a media guide or reference book, say the answer into the phone and hear the voice on the other say "Good. Now, tell him!" I'd repeat the answer, hang up and wonder if I'd just prevented a fistfight.
In the days before 24-hour news, blogs and Google, people would often call the newspaper (or a radio or TV station) in search of information. When word the story broke that the Packers were about to sign White to a four-year, $17 million deal, the phones started ringing. It was the middle of the afternoon and long-suffering Packers fans at offices throughout the area were hearing the report from their friends and they couldn't believe their ears. They had to get verification.
I was working in the office that day and the phones were ringing non-stop.
"Did the Packers sign Reggie White?"
"Is Reggie coming to Green Bay?"
Some people just called and asked "Is it true?"
For two or three hours, it was an avalanche. It got to the point where I would pick up the phone and say "Journal Sports -- Reggie White has signed with the Packers."
That took people by surprise. Some people just whooped and hung up. Others wanted to know if I was serious. Even when hearing it from an "authority" people had trouble believing that it was true.
The only event I recall that created that came close to creating that kind of buzz occurred about 15 months earlier. That's when Los Angeles Lakers guard Magic Johnson announced that he was retiring because he had "attained" the HIV virus. The phones rang and people were looking for verification to a story they couldn't believe. In Johnson's case, they didn't want to believe the news because it was so awful. In the case of White, they felt it was too good to be true.
From the moment he arrived in Green Bay, White was the center of attention. He was regarded as the greatest defensive player of his era, arguably of all-time (Lawrence Taylor fans can make a strong case, too), and his six years with the Packers did nothing to tarnish his reputation.
The Packers had shown flickers of life in 1992, posting a winning record under the guidance of general manager Ron Wolf, coach Mike Holmgren and Brett Favre. But, they were a long way from being considered a model franchise. The buzz throughout the football world was that African-American free agents would never sign with Green Bay. White's arrival changed that perception and when the Packers began to win games, Green Bay was no longer considered a gulag.
Every year he was with the Packers, White was named to the Pro Bowl. He set a Super Bowl record with three sacks in the victory over New England and was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 1998.
He retired after that season, then returned to play a year with Carolina. Some Packers fans were upset by that, but most continued to hold White in high regard even after the speech to the Assembly and the scandal with fundraising for church that was burned down.
Once he retired after playing for the Panthers, White seemed to be settling into post-football life when he died unexpectedly at the age of 43. It was the day after Christmas in 2004 when he suffered a fatal cardiac arrhythmia.
That announcement was shocking, too. You heard it, but it was hard to believe.
Last year, the Packers retired White's number during a ceremony at Lambeau Field. He was the fifth player to receive that honor, which also was bestowed by the University of Tennessee and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Today, White will be enshrined into the Hall of Fame. He's the fourth Packers player to be elected in his first year of eligibility, joining Forrest Gregg, Bart Starr and Ray Nistchke as well as charter members Cal Hubbard, Don Hutson, Curly Lambeau and Johnny "Blood" McNally.
He'll be presented by his son, Jeremy, and his wife, Sara, will deliver the acceptance speech. (White's daughter, Jecolia, will sing the National Anthem at the ceremony). Undoubtedly, there will be a lot of Packers fans in the audience. What would have been a joyous occasion is tinged with a bit of sadness, because White won't be around to enjoy it.
When you think about White's personality, and conviction and spirit, you know that he would have delivered an unforgettable induction speech at Canton. We won't have that specific memory to hold on to, but White left us with many, many more.
The club move.
His infectious smile and incredibly deep voice.
The Super Bowl years.
His ill-fated speech in front of the Wisconsin Legislature.
One thing I'll never forget April 6, 1993, the day that the story broke that White -- the first major free agent in National Football League history -- had agreed to a four-year, $17 million deal with the Packers.
This was before the Internet. This was before wall-to-wall sports talk radio. ESPN was a cable channel and not the sports conglomerate that it is today.
I was working in The Milwaukee Journal sports department that afternoon. Back then, one of the functions of the sports desk was to serve as sort of a "ready reference" hotline for people looking for scores, news and the answer to bar room trivia questions. Many is the time I'd get a call, look up an answer for someone in a media guide or reference book, say the answer into the phone and hear the voice on the other say "Good. Now, tell him!" I'd repeat the answer, hang up and wonder if I'd just prevented a fistfight.
In the days before 24-hour news, blogs and Google, people would often call the newspaper (or a radio or TV station) in search of information. When word the story broke that the Packers were about to sign White to a four-year, $17 million deal, the phones started ringing. It was the middle of the afternoon and long-suffering Packers fans at offices throughout the area were hearing the report from their friends and they couldn't believe their ears. They had to get verification.
I was working in the office that day and the phones were ringing non-stop.
"Did the Packers sign Reggie White?"
"Is Reggie coming to Green Bay?"
Some people just called and asked "Is it true?"
For two or three hours, it was an avalanche. It got to the point where I would pick up the phone and say "Journal Sports -- Reggie White has signed with the Packers."
That took people by surprise. Some people just whooped and hung up. Others wanted to know if I was serious. Even when hearing it from an "authority" people had trouble believing that it was true.
The only event I recall that created that came close to creating that kind of buzz occurred about 15 months earlier. That's when Los Angeles Lakers guard Magic Johnson announced that he was retiring because he had "attained" the HIV virus. The phones rang and people were looking for verification to a story they couldn't believe. In Johnson's case, they didn't want to believe the news because it was so awful. In the case of White, they felt it was too good to be true.
From the moment he arrived in Green Bay, White was the center of attention. He was regarded as the greatest defensive player of his era, arguably of all-time (Lawrence Taylor fans can make a strong case, too), and his six years with the Packers did nothing to tarnish his reputation.
The Packers had shown flickers of life in 1992, posting a winning record under the guidance of general manager Ron Wolf, coach Mike Holmgren and Brett Favre. But, they were a long way from being considered a model franchise. The buzz throughout the football world was that African-American free agents would never sign with Green Bay. White's arrival changed that perception and when the Packers began to win games, Green Bay was no longer considered a gulag.
Every year he was with the Packers, White was named to the Pro Bowl. He set a Super Bowl record with three sacks in the victory over New England and was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 1998.
He retired after that season, then returned to play a year with Carolina. Some Packers fans were upset by that, but most continued to hold White in high regard even after the speech to the Assembly and the scandal with fundraising for church that was burned down.
Once he retired after playing for the Panthers, White seemed to be settling into post-football life when he died unexpectedly at the age of 43. It was the day after Christmas in 2004 when he suffered a fatal cardiac arrhythmia.
That announcement was shocking, too. You heard it, but it was hard to believe.
Last year, the Packers retired White's number during a ceremony at Lambeau Field. He was the fifth player to receive that honor, which also was bestowed by the University of Tennessee and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Today, White will be enshrined into the Hall of Fame. He's the fourth Packers player to be elected in his first year of eligibility, joining Forrest Gregg, Bart Starr and Ray Nistchke as well as charter members Cal Hubbard, Don Hutson, Curly Lambeau and Johnny "Blood" McNally.
He'll be presented by his son, Jeremy, and his wife, Sara, will deliver the acceptance speech. (White's daughter, Jecolia, will sing the National Anthem at the ceremony). Undoubtedly, there will be a lot of Packers fans in the audience. What would have been a joyous occasion is tinged with a bit of sadness, because White won't be around to enjoy it.
When you think about White's personality, and conviction and spirit, you know that he would have delivered an unforgettable induction speech at Canton. We won't have that specific memory to hold on to, but White left us with many, many more.
Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
