WATCH: Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame’s Gerald White’s Legendary Career Began at Titusville High

SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME

SPACE COAST DAILY TV: While helping Titusville High overcome opponents to win the Class 3A football title in 1982, 2013 Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame inductee Gerald White suited up for legendary high school coach Al Werneke.

GERALD WHITE – 2013 INDUCTEE

• Cog For University of Michigan
• Played For Cowboys & Dolphins
• High School All American

PLAYED FOR SOME OF THE GREATEST COACHES IN HISTORY

Gerald White has always trusted in himself and his abilities on and off the football field.

He’s done it all, from businessman to raising a family, but his athletic accomplishments on the playing field will be rewarded in May as White will be enshrined in the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame.

While helping Titusville High overcome opponents to win the Class 3A football title in 1982, White suited up for legendary high school coach Al Werneke.

Then when his prep playing days ended, he accepted a scholarship to play for another legendary coach, Bo Schembechler, at the University of Michigan.

Upon graduation from Michigan, White played briefly for Coach Tom Landry and the Dallas Cowboys. He followed that with a brief stint as a player for Coach Don Shula and the Miami Dolphins, who were always his favorite team while growing up.

DOMINANT TWO-WAY PLAYER 

White was born in Titusville but moved to Orlando, where he played football for Memorial Junior High School.

After his sophomore season at Boone High School, his family moved back to Titusville, and White enjoyed 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 alone in the first half and punted for a 46.5-yard average on two kicks.

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.

His outstanding 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 Terriers’ 33-0 win at Draa Field in Titusville.

During that championship season, White also starred in the defensive backfield for Werneke and was later voted one of the top 100 players in Florida high school history.

Joining the football team at the University of Michigan, White played in three games as a freshman and gained 64 yards on 20 carries.

As a sophomore in 1984, he started two games and appeared in seven games, rushing 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.

BIG BLUE MACHINE

Schembechler converted White to fullback as a junior. Initially, he didn’t like changing positions, but later, he praised the move and credited it with helping him learn more about the game.

He started each of Michigan’s 12 games as a junior that season as the Wolverines compiled a 10-1-1 record.

Michigan was ranked No. 2 in both the final polls for AP and UPI. It outscored its opponents by a commanding 342-98 margin. As a junior, White rushed for 564 yards on 133 carries. He also caught 18 passes for 123 yards. White ran 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 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.

In his senior season in 1986, Michigan posted an 11-1 regular-season record and was ranked No. 8 by AP and No. 7 by UPI.

As a senior, White rushed for 323 yards and five touchdowns on 88 carries. He also 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 but tried out for the Dallas Cowboys in 1987 and played in three games for the team that year. He caught five passes for 46 yards.

1989 White joined the Miami Dolphins, playing in all their preseason games.

White owns and operates Gerald White International, which he formed in 2005, and advises other firms about the best way to use digital and social network marketing media services.

FOR INFORMATION about the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame, call 321-615-8111 or e-mail Contact@SpaceCoastDaily.com

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