White Dazzles As College Fullback For Michigan Wolverines
By Jeff Navin // February 27, 2013
SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME
BREVARD COUNTY • TITUSVILLE, FLORIDA – Gerald White believes successful football players can become successful businessmen.
He’s done it all, but his athletic accomplishments on the playing field have led to his enshrinement this May in the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame.
While helping Titusville High plow through the competition to win the Class 3A football title in 1982, White played for the legendary coach Al Werneke.
Then, he accepted a scholarship to play for legendary coach Bo Schembechler at Michigan.
After graduating from Michigan, White played briefly for Tom Landry and the Dallas Cowboys.
He followed that with a brief stint as a player for Don Shula and the Miami Dolphins. That was always his favorite team while growing up.
Now, White owns Gerald White International, his company, which he formed in 2005, advises other firms about the best way to use digital and social network marketing media services.
It also provides public relations and marketing advice. Some of his clients include the National Athletic Association, the Ludacris Foundation, Beliza Design and Tequila Don Modesto.
In Atlanta
White also worked two years for Hooters in Atlanta before becoming the manager of promotions for Champion, a sportswear company.
Before the money began to roll in, White’s family briefly lived in Las Vegas. While there, White was fascinated with the Stardust Hotel. Stardust later became his nickname.
When White’s family returned to Florida where White was born in Titusville, they lived in Orlando and White played football for Lou Fiorelli at Memorial Junior High. Fiorelli later became Oak Ridge’s head coach.
After one year at Boone High, the family moved back to Titusville and White had two standout seasons playing football for Werneke.
In 1982, during the fall of his senior year, White was named a Parade High School All-American after leading the Terriers to the Class 3A state title.
The 5-foot-11, 223-pound White rushed for 178 yards and two touchdowns in a 33-0 playoff victory against Lake Wales. He had 138 yards in the first half. He also punted for a 46.5-yard average on two punts.
In the Class 3A state semifinals, White gained 118 yards and scored two touchdowns. He also booted a 27-yard field goal as Titusville rolled to a 29-0 victory against Homestead.
The fine play carried over to the state championship game against Kissimmee Osceola, where White rushed for 139 yards on just 12 carries. He scored one touchdown in the 33-0 romp at Draa Field in Titusville.
During that championship season, White also starred in the defensive backfield. He later was voted one of the top 100 players in Florida high school history.
Michigan Wolverines
After graduation, White joined the football team at the University of Michigan. He played three games as a freshman and gained 64 yards on 20 carries.
In 1984 as a sophomore, White started two games and appeared in a total of seven games. He rushed for 345 yards on 91 carries. His top game was an 89-yard effort in a 22-14 victory against the University of Miami in the Wolverines’ season opener.
White was converted to fullback as a junior. Initially, he didn’t like changing positions. But he later praised the move and credited it with helping him learn more about the game.
He started each of Michigan’s 12 games that season as the team compiled a 10-1-1 record. Jamie Morris was the halfback and Jim Harbaugh was the starting quarterback.
Harbaugh now is the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers after a successful tenure as Stanford’s head coach.
Michigan was ranked No. 2 in both the final polls for AP and UPI. It outscored its opponents by a commanding 342-98 margin. White rushed for 564 yards on 133 carries. He also caught 18 passes for 123 yards. White rushed for seven touchdowns and added four receptions for touchdowns.
White’s top game that season was against bitter rival Ohio State. He had 110 yards rushing on 29 carries and he added three receptions for 23 yards as the Wolverines prevailed 27-17.
In the Fiesta Bowl against Nebraska, White scored the go-ahead touchdown in a 27-23 triumph.
Harbaugh, Morris and White retained their starting spots for the 1986 season as Michigan posted an 11-1 regular-season record and was ranked No. 8 by AP and No. 7 by UPI.
Rose Bowl
But the Wolverines fell 22-15 to Arizona State in the Rose Bowl. White caught a pass from Mike Gillette off a fake kick for a two-point conversion in the game.
As a senior, White rushed for 323 yards and five touchdowns on 88 carries. He added 38 catches for 408 yards and three touchdowns.
After the season, White played in the Hula Bowl.
During his career with Michigan, White rushed for 1,296 yards and 12 touchdowns on 332 carries in the regular season. He had 64 receptions for 564 yards and seven touchdowns. He returned three kicks for 62 yards.
White was not taken in the 1986 NFL Draft.
After being waived by the Dallas Cowboys in 1987, White later returned to the team and played in three games. He caught five passes for 46 yards. He only carried the ball once for a loss of 4 yards.
White was one of the final cuts by the Cowboys after the 1988 preseason in which he played all of the preseason games before the squad whittled the roster to 47 players.
In 1989, White joined the Miami Dolphins.
He played in all of their preseason games before he was waived. Although he did not play a regular-season game for the Dolphins, White did get to wear No. 22, which was the number of his idol – former Dolphins running back Mercury Morris.
