In my last post, I made a humorous remark that went something like "I wish that no Packer fans drop dead of heart attacks this holiday season. Evidentially some one was listening. Instead, Reggie White dropped dead.
Reggie White was the best defensive end I ever saw. He came to the Packers in 1993 as the biggest free agent signing the league had ever seen. Prior to White's arrival, Green Bay was a virtual Siberia for NFL players, the team the coach threatened to trade you to if you didn't perform. Reggie White changed all of that. When everyone thought he would go to a successful franchise like San Francisco, White chose Green Bay and 17 million dollars to be his home. That was the moment that changed the franchise, well that and the trade for Favre.
White was a deeply religious man who during his free agency said he would go where God told him to go. In response to this Packer head coach Mike Holmgren called White's answering machine and left the following message: "Reggie, this is God. Sign with Green Bay. Reggie thought it was hysterical, and promptly signed. He promised to bring a Super Bowl championship to Green Bay, and he did.
White was a leader on and off the field, but his career was not without controversy. In a speech to the Wisconsin State Assembly, White made several remarks that were considered racially insensitive. In fact, they were an attempt by a very simple man to explain a very personal and complex view of God's creation. And the words came out all wrong. When all was said and done, White should have left well enough alone. After all he did as a football player, here we are still talking about the speech.
It was said that he died of a massive heart attack the day after Christmas. I can't imagine anything sadder for his family, except if he had passed the day before. Reggie White was a simple man, a gifted athlete, and by all accounts a good man with a big heart. He just turned 43 last week.
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