ED WHITE

Ed White

6'1" 269

Offensive Guard

Minnesota Vikings

1969 - 1985

17 Seasons

241 Games Played

4 Pro Bowls

Edward Alvin White White was drafted in the second round of the 1969 AFL/NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings. He was the 39th player picked overall. Ed Whites high school stadium is named Ed White Stadium. In college, White played for the University of California, Berkeley Golden Bears. He was a Noseguard for the famous "Bear Minimum" defense that allowed opponents an average of only 3.6 yards per play. White was selected a consensus All-American player in 1968 for defense. White was also used as a receiver and quarterback on occasion. Ed White was inducted into the University of California, Berkeley Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993. White is also a member of the East-West Shrine Game Hall of Fame, Breitbard Hall of Fame, and College Football Hall of Fame.

White was then switched to Left Offensive Guard, against his wishes, after being drafted. He earned the starting job mid-way into his second year. He also ended up playing Defensive Tackle towards the end of the 1970 season, after injuries ravaged the defensive line. White would go on to team with Hall of Fame Left Tackle Ron Yary, and Center Mick Tingelhoff, to give the Vikings one of the best offensive lines in the NFL during the 1970's. The Vikings would appear in four Super Bowls during Whites tenure in Minnesota. Three appearances were between 1973 to 1976. The Vikings won the last NFL Championship in 1969, before the NFL-AFL merger. In 1974, he was named the the UPI 2nd team all-conference, and was named by the Newspaper Ent. Association's 1st team All-NFL. Before 1975, White was switched to Right Guard and was named to his first Pro Bowl that year. He would be named to the Pro Bowl the following two seasons as well. In 1977, White was injured and was only able to start 8 games. Before the 1978 season, he was traded to the San Diego Chargers for running back Rickey Young. He would earn his last Pro Bowl nod in 1979, and was one of the first players to be named to the Pro Bowl from both the AFC and the NFC in his career. White played with the Chargers until 1985. When injuries hit the Chargers offensive line in 1984, White ended up starting at Right Tackle for 13 games. White would then be moved to Left Guard for his final NFL season, and started every game. He was named the Chargers Offensive Lineman of the Year from 1983 to 1985. Ed White was inducted into the San Diego Charger Hall of Fame in 2004.

Ed White was more than a versatile athlete. He was extremely athletic, and incredibly strong. White was the the NFL arm–wrestling champion as well. White has said he hasn't lost an arm-wrestling match since he was in high school to a man 200 lbs heavier than him. White was also noted for his exceptional intelligence on the field. He came from an educated family, and his brother is a world renown expert and physician in anesthesiology. Ed White is an artist who also holds a degree in landscape architecture. White has often said he disliked playing on the offensive side of the line, and thought he would have been a much better player on defense. Still, he was one of the best in his era. Many of his contemporaries have long said Ed White belongs in Canton. White also made his team mates better just by practicing against him daily. Hall of Fame DT Alan Page, Gary "Big Hands" Johnson, Louie Kelcher, and Hall of Fame DE Fred Dean all have praised White for making them better players. He is universally considered as one of the finest offensive line coaches on any level of the game. White has both college and pro coaching experience as he spent seven seasons in the NFL, working with the San Diego Chargers from 1986-87 and 1989-91, the Los Angeles Rams in 1988 and 1998 with the St. Louis Rams. He also spent four seasons as the offensive line coach of San Diego State under Ted Tollner from 1994 to '97. While with the Aztecs, he developed several lightly recruited players into accomplished collegians, including NFL first round draft choice Kyle Turley with the New Orleans Saints and Ephraim Salaam with the Atlanta Falcons. Both were rookie starters in the NFL. White returned to Cal to coach the offensive line from 1999-2001. White was called by Turley, "the best coach I ever had at any level." White has recently coached at San Diego State in 2005. Ed White was one of the most complete Offensive Guards in the NFL throughout his career. Stats for guys who play his position are ignored by most. The most a fan notices a Guard is when he makes a mistake. A big mistake has been made for years, and still continues on to this day. The culprits are those who vote for the Pro Football Hall Of Fame. Ed White may not be remembered by many of them, but he is certainly respected by those who played against him, or watched him play. It is time to correct the mistake of not having inducted Ed White into Canton.

Notable Players Drafted In 1969 (* Denotes Canton Inductee)

1. O.J. Simpson, RB, Buffalo *

2. George Kuntz, OT, Atlanta

4. Joe Greene, DT, Pittsburgh *

7. Ted Kwalick, TE, San Francisco

11. Bill Stanfill, DE, Miami

13. Fred Dryer, DE, NY Giants

14. Rufus Mayes, OT, Chicago

15. Ron Pritchard, LB, Houston Oilers

16. Gene Washington, WR, San Francisco

18. Bob Babich, LB, San Diego

19. Roger Wehrli, CB, St. Louis Cardinals *

20. Ron Johnson, RB, Cleveland

21. Bob Klein, TE, LA Rams

24. Calvin Hill, RB, Dallas

26. Dave Foley, OT, NY Jets

31. Bill Bergey, LB, Cincinnati

32. Mike Montler, C, Boston Patriots

33. Ted Hendricks, LB, Baltimore *

34. Altie Taylor, RB, Denver

37. Bob Heinz, DT, Miami

41. Bobby Douglass, QB, Chicago

42. Warren Bankston, RB, Pittsburgh

45. Richard Neal, DE, New Orleans

47. Jim Yarbrough, OT, Detroit

48. Ed Podolak, RB, Kansas City

50. George Bueler, G, Oakland

56. Jon Kolb, C, Pittsburgh

58. Carl Garrett, RB, Boston Patriots

59. Larry Walton, WR, Detroit

61. Bill Thompson, DB, Denver

63. Eugene "Mercury" Morris, RB, Miami

65. Elbert Drungo, OT, Houston Oilers

69. Bill Bradley, S, Philadelphia

80. Bob Kuechenberg, OG, Philadelphia

81. Jim Mitchell, TE, Atlanta

93. Charlie Joiner, WR, Houston *

96. Roy Gerela, K, Houston

99. John Zook, DE, LA Rams

101. Jack Rudnay, C, Kansas City

120. Earl Edwards, DT, San Francisco

124. Fair Hooker, WR, Cleveland

126. Bob Stein, LB, Kansas City

135. Ken Riley, QB, Cincinnati

139. Harold McLinton, LB, Washington

191. Larry Brown, RB, Washington

192. James Harris, QB, Buffalo

238. L.C. Greenwood, DE, Pittsburgh

250. David Chapple, P, San Francisco

262. Jeff Van Note, LB, Atlanta

273. John Fuqua, RB, NY Giants

283. Sweeny Williams, DE, Dallas

314. Wade Key, G, Philadelphia

337. Carl Mauck, LB, Baltimore

338. Steve O'Neal, P, NY Jets

364. Roger Finnie, OT, NY Jets

379. Don Herrman, WR, NY Giants

401. Lloyd Mumphord, DB, Miami