Leon “Vader” White, a former All-American offensive lineman at the University of Colorado, will be posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on Friday. White played five seasons at Colorado spanning from 1973-77 and was a first-team All-American in 1977.
After he suffered a season-ending injury in the first game of his fourth college season, the Big Eight granted White an extra year of eligibility and he was able to return for the 1977 season. He started in at least one game in all five of his years at CU and is believed to be the only player in Colorado history to do so.
White graduated from CU with a degree in business administration and was picked 80th overall by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1978 NFL Draft.
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BREAKING: As first reported by @BleacherReport, Vader will be posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022. #WWEHOF https://t.co/TUhbKIzUgQ pic.twitter.com/L3lizCgCcl
— WWE (@WWE) March 7, 2022
Following an injury-shortened NFL career, White made a name for himself in professional wrestling under the nickname “Big Van Vader.” He competed in Japan, Europe and Mexico before making his way to World Championship Wrestling and eventually the WWE in 1996. He faced off against wrestling legends like Ric Flair and The Undertaker at different points in his career.
White passed away on June 18, 2018, at the age of 63. Now four years later, he will be enshrined forever as a member of the 2022 WWE Hall of Fame Class. The induction ceremony will be on Friday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
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