Reggie White, NFL star and minister, dies_11005

Posted: 1/07/05

Reggie White, NFL star and minister, dies

By Erin Curry

Baptist Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)—Reggie White—whose life as a professional football legend and outspoken Christian witness earned him the nickname “minister of defense”—died the day after Christmas at age 43.

White was a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, was elected to the Pro Bowl a record 13 straight times, set a Super Bowl record with three sacks and retired in 2000 as the NFL's all-time leader in sacks.

"I've always believed since I was a kid that God was going to allow me to play of Jesus," White once said on "The 700 Club" on the Christian Broadcasting Network. "And, you know, that's the most exciting part about my life because God has done things in me to change my character to benefit the Kingdom."

White, who was a standout defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers for 15 total years, spoke at the Southern Baptist Convention 1999 annual meeting in Atlanta, urging messengers to unite for a common goal.

"Jesus prayed that we might be one in unity, as he and the Father are one," White said. "He also commanded us to love one another. One thing I see lacking in the church of Jesus Christ is that many of us don't love each other. We don't watch each other's back."

Paul Tagliabue, commissioner of the National Football League, called White a "gentle warrior" who will be remembered as one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history.

"Equally as impressive as his achievements on the field was the positive impact he made off the field and the way he served as a positive influence on so many young people," Tagliabue said.

White encountered much criticism following a 1998 speech to the Wisconsin Legislature in which he presented homosexual behavior as a moral choice and said it should not be equated with the civil rights movement.