RIP
Posted on 06/06/2008 3:16:47 PM PDT by Dysart
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Dwight White, part of the Steel Curtain defense that led the team to four Super Bowl championships in the 1970s, has died following surgery at a Pittsburgh hospital. He was 58.
The team announced White's death Friday.
Team president Art Rooney II is calling White "an important member of the Steelers family."
Chairman Dan Rooney praised White's "relentlessness" on the field and his caring nature off it. Rooney notes White scored the team's first ever Super Bowl points in Super Bowl IX with a safety against Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton.
RIP
Sad. Is it just me, or do NFL linemen seem to die very young? I think they are just too big.
They are big. And in this case, larger than life. Peace be with him.
The body is made to recover but everything has a limit. I feel sorry for most of these guys that provide us with entertainment and leave early.
Fifty-eight is young these days. Another Steeler from the 1970s dynasty, Mike Webster, also died young and had a host of health problems resulting form his playing days.
Condolences to Dwight White’s family and friends. A great athlete with a great team.
RIP #78. You were agreat football player, and a great human being. You will be missed.
My sincere condolences to his family, friends and the Steeler organization. Dwight was a pleasure to watch on the field.
Ernie Holmes died here in Texas last year. Car accident.
He died of a pulmonary embolism following back surgery. RIP Dwight. Prayers to his family.
Thanks for the further info.
PITTSBURGH – Dwight White, the Steel Curtain defensive end known as "Mad Dog" who helped lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to four Super Bowl titles in the 1970s, died following surgery. He was 58.
He died at a Pittsburgh hospital, the team said Friday. The cause was not disclosed.
White is the second member of the original four-man Steel Curtain to die this year. Defensive tackle Ernie Holmes died Jan. 17 in a car accident in Texas.
White, a two-time Pro Bowl player, was chosen as one of the 33 members of the Steelers' 75th anniversary all-time team last season.
White was best known for climbing out of a hospital bed to play in the Steelers' first Super Bowl victory, 16-6 over the Minnesota Vikings in 1976. White lost 18 pounds after being diagnosed with pneumonia and a lung infection, yet played nearly the entire game.
White made three tackles for no yards as the Vikings ran seven of their first eight running plays his way and went on to finish with only 17 yards rushing on 21 attempts. White also accounted for the only points of the first half when he sacked Fran Tarkenton in the end zone for a safety.
White, who attended Madison High School in Dallas and East Texas State (now Texas A&M-Commerce), gained his nickname because of his intensity. He often said that playing on the defensive line was like having "a dog's life."
Steelers chairman Dan Rooney said that inner drive was the reason the 6-4, 250-pounder could play so well only hours after being hospitalized.
"He played with a relentlessness that led us to four Super Bowl titles in the 1970s," Rooney said in a statement. "Dwight refused to be denied, as was evidenced when he walked out of the hospital with pneumonia to play in Super Bowl IX and had an outstanding game. Dwight will be remembered by those who knew him even more for being a wonderful and caring person."
Rooney's son, Steelers president Art Rooney II, said the organization "lost an important member."
"He always seemed to rise to the occasion when it counted most and added an element of toughness that was synonymous with our teams of the 1970s," Rooney II said.
White's death follows a trend in which former Steelers players have died at an uncommon rate. At least 38 former Steelers players have died since 2000, with 17 of them 59 or younger, as was White.
According to a Los Angeles Times survey in 2006, one-fifth of the former NFL players from the 1970s and 1980s who died through that year were former Steelers.
White was a fourth-round draft pick in 1971 after being a first-team All-Lone Star Conference player and team captain at East Texas State as a senior.
White made his first Pro Bowl in 1972, playing on a Steelers defensive line that also featured Hall of Famer Mean Joe Greene and defensive end L.C. Greenwood.
White repeated as a Pro Bowl selection in 1973 and his 46 sacks from 1971-80 are the seventh most in Steelers history. He had 33½ sacks from 1972-75, with three in the Steelers' 21-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in the January 1976 Super Bowl.
They do die young — other positions as well — NFL players have a much shorter than average life expectancy.
I was unaware of former Steelers dying younger than other teams’ players...possibly 2006 was a fluke though.
58 is way too young.
Respects for a great player from this Browns fan.
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