Charles White – Page 3 – Syndication Server

Charles White felt very close to USC in his later years, and Mike Bohn reached out to him

In his final years, Charles White’s eyes lit up whenever anyone gave him the two-finger “Fight On!” gesture. Sports are culturally powerful, and they kept White connected to USC.

The USC Trojans got some unfortunate news with the passing of legendary running back and Heisman Trophy winner Charles White on Wednesday evening.

The stories of White will surely circulate for some time, and there are a lot of details to discuss when evaluating his storied football career.

Over the summer, Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times wrote a deep feature about White, and there are quite a few things to examine from that piece.

Here’s one of them from the perspective of Mike Bohn:

“White’s one big trip a year is an escorted flight to Chicago to sign autographs and supplement his income. He could handle a day trip to USC. And it turns out, he just might get one,” Plaschke wrote.

“When Trojans athletic director Mike Bohn was contacted about this column, the door swung wide open. Bohn immediately requested contact information and welcomed a reconnection.”

Mike Bohn spoke about Charles White in Plaschke’s story:

“Charles White’s Heisman Trophy is prominently displayed on our campus, and I know that the memories and thrills he provided live on in Trojans around the world,” Bohn said. “I look forward to learning more about the challenges in his life. The opportunity to understand our former athletes and grow with them is very important to us.”

Plaschke concluded his piece with a quote from White about the “Fight On” gesture, and how instantly it not only gave happiness to White in his later years, but how it enabled him to remain connected to both USC and to the memories he forged on the football field:

“There it is!” the Heisman Trophy winner says, strongly sticking out both fingers on both hands, waving them in the air, the glorious memories seemingly flooding back. “All you have to do is do that, they know who you are.”

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The story of Charles White off the field underscored the harsh realities of football

Charles White’s family made important realizations in the years before he died. There is sadness in this, but also the knowledge White was not to blame for his troubles.

Coming to terms with the pain and disruption Charles White endured in his life is a difficult process. USC fans are fondly remembering White’s brilliance as a football player, but behind every athlete is a human being off the field. White’s life off that field was not easy, and that shouldn’t be ignored as we reflect on the USC great who died just before his 65th birthday (January 22).

The Heisman Trophy winner passed away on Wednesday. White endured a difficult life after his playing days ended. Suffering brain trauma is what caused those difficulties.

Last summer, Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times wrote a poignant piece on White, and there is a ton to share from that story.

Here’s one of the deepest quotes on White, from ex-wife Judi White-Basch, who cared for White in his final years:

“Everybody loved him, everybody wanted to be around him, but nobody had any idea,” White-Basch told Plaschke. “He had become unmanageable.”

“It was daily trauma; it was destroying our lives.”

Plaschke then wrote about the discoveries the White family made about Charles:

“After visits with several doctors, he was diagnosed with dementia linked to a traumatic brain injury, an increasingly common affliction of former football players in White’s age group,” Plaschke noted.

“The family was devastated but relieved that it finally had an answer that could help explain years of erratic behavior. Studies have shown that more than 60% of traumatic brain injury patients have a history of drug and alcohol addiction, with the abuse often increasing after the initial injury.”

Plaschke’s story is so important because it underscored the central reality that White’s off-field problems were not the product of a deficit of character or personality flaw. This was centrally the product of brain trauma:

“All we’ve been through, everybody thought his problems were strictly drug related, now we find out that it could have been directly related to the traumatic brain injury,” White-Basch said. “For so many years it didn’t make sense; now it makes sense.”

White was not a wayward soul who strayed from the right path by choice. He was a man whose brain and body were pulverized, to the detriment of his well-being. Other football players suffered the same cruel fate. Caring and providing for these athletes throughout their lives is something which ought to be done.

Our thoughts are with Charles White’s friends and family during this difficult time.

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1978 USC teammate Paul McDonald remembers Charles White

Paul McDonald was the QB of the 1978 national championship team at #USC. He remembered his teammate, Charles White.

On Wednesday evening, legendary USC Trojans star Charles White passed away.

The Heisman Trophy winner will forever live in Trojans history, and there are plenty of memories when we think about White.

Over the summer, Bill Paschke of The Los Angeles Times did a deep dive into White and his relationship with the program.

Here is one thing mentioned in the column from Paul McDonald, who was White’s teammate on the national championship team of 1978. McDonald got a first-hand look at how White impacted the game:

“Pound for pound, he was one of the toughest guys to ever play in the program,” McDonald told Plaschke. “He wasn’t super fast, but he got stronger as the game went on. He would make things happen. Tough as nails, not silky smooth but so hard to bring down. O.J. [Simpson] and Marcus [Allen] were slashers, while Charles wasn’t afraid just to run through somebody. He got belted in the head numerous times, but he would just go and go and go.”

White had a lasting impact on a lot of people, and there will be plenty of stories shared about Charles White after the unfortunate passing of the legendary running back.

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A Trojan tribute to Charles White: 1958-2023

Unforgettable moments. Special memories. Iconic photos. Legendary achievements. We remember Charles White, the ultimate Trojan workhorse.

A part of USC football’s storied past will always live on in spirit, and in the memories of the people who saw him play, but Charles White will not be able to see a game in the Coliseum again or share any more reflections on his journey.

White died on Wednesday from cancer at age 64. Much like another all-time-great USC football player, Junior Seau, White was as good as it gets on the field when he played for the Trojans, but his excellence in football carried a great cost. The physical toll of the sport led to brain trauma which affected his holistic well-being, his mental clarity, and ultimately, his behavior. We can — and should — celebrate his football career and the joy he gave to millions of USC fans, but we also can’t ignore the price attached to his shimmering and impressive football achievements.

The tributes poured forth from USC fans and college football commentators on Twitter after the news of White’s death was made public. Relive White’s exceptionally great football career in the photos, reflections, and recollections of an iconic USC Trojan:

Former Heisman winner, Rams RB Charles White dies at 64

Former Heisman Trophy winner and Rams RB Charles White died at the age of 64

Former Heisman Trophy winner and Los Angeles Rams running back Charles White died at the age of 64 on Wednesday.

White is the career rushing leader in USC Trojans history, gaining 6,245 yards during his time at the school. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1979 when he rushed for 2,050 yards and 19 touchdowns, while adding 145 yards receiving on 22 catches.

“Charles White was one of the all-time great Trojans,” said USC athletic director Mike Bohn. “A Rose Bowl legend, a two-time unanimous All-American and a NCAA record setter, he made USC proud donning the Cardinal and Gold. He will always be remembered by the Trojan Family for the history he made on the football field and the legacy he left at Troy. Fight On Forever!”

Following a decorated and successful career with the Trojans, White went on to be a first-round pick in 1980, being selected by the Cleveland Browns. He spent five years with the Browns, including the 1983 season that he missed due to an ankle injury, rushing for 942 yards and nine touchdowns in that span.

He then landed with the Rams in 1985 and put together a fantastic season in his third year in Los Angeles. In 1987, White rushed for a league-high 1,374 yards and 11 touchdowns, earning Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors. He led the NFL with 347 total touches, as well.

White was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995 and is also a College Football Hall of Famer, being inducted a year later in 1996.

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USC Heisman Trophy winner and national champion Charles White dies at age 64

Charles White took a pounding in football, which clearly affected his health and well-being. His sad, difficult journey is over. Memories of his legendary toughness remain.

Very sad news hit the USC community hard on Wednesday. Charles White, the 1979 Heisman Trophy winner and a national champion at USC, died at the age of 64 from cancer.

White is the first of USC’s eight Heisman winners to die. His holistic health and well-being were clearly and substantially affected by the physical toll of football. White was, pound for pound, the best running back in USC history. He was as tough a football player and Trojan as any who have ever lived. That toughness lifted White to the Heisman and USC to national championship heights, but it carried a significant cost. White’s erratic behavior after his USC playing days was not a product of deficient character; it was simply a product of diminished health and mental clarity. This violent, brutal sport gave White both supreme glory and profound suffering.

The memories of White’s football feats are special and luminous. The awareness of football’s merciless toll on the human brain and body is something which cannot be ignored. Both elements — the good and bad — are part of Charles White’s story.

We invite you to read Bill Plaschke’s important Los Angeles Times story on White from 2022.

We also put together a Heisman profile of White just before Caleb Williams joined him as USC’s newest Heisman winner.

Also read our retrospective on USC’s all-time greatest offensive players.

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Heisman winner, NFL running back Charles White dies at 64

Heisman Trophy winner Charles White dies at 64

Charles White, who won the Heisman Trophy at USC in 1979 and went on to become an NFL first-round pick, died Wednesday.

White, 64, succumbed to cancer in Newport Beach, California.

A two-time All-American and Los Angeles native, White won a national title in 1978 before claiming the Heisman the following season, when he captained the Trojans and led the nation in yards rushing.

In 1979, White rushed for 2.050 yards in winning the Heisman. He also scored 19 rushing touchdowns.

White led the Trojans in rushing in each of his final three seasons. He also won the Walter Camp, Maxwell, and Pop Warner Awards after his senior season.

“He was the toughest player I’ve ever coached,” said John Robinson, White’s former USC and Rams head coach. “He was really unusual in that regard. He was a great player and just loved playing the game. Those are the things I remember the most. He was a really tough guy, and he was an extremely gifted athlete. But the toughness…wow!”

White was USC’s third Heisman Trophy winner and is the school’s career rushing leader (6,245 yard) while scoring 49 touchdowns.

White was the 27th overall pick in the 1980 draft by Cleveland, and spent five years with the Browns, missing the entire 1983 season due to injury. He joined the Rams in 1985 and played four more seasons under Robinson, finishing his NFL career with 3,075 yards rushing.

He led the NFL in rushing in 1988 with 1,374 rushing yards.

Charles White: USC Heisman Trophy profile

Pound for pound, no #USC running back was tougher than Charles White. At a school known for its running backs, White stood above them all. #Heisman

O.J. Simpson created what most experts believe is the greatest, most famous play in USC football history, the 64-yard run against UCLA in 1967 to beat the Bruins in a matchup of top-four teams. That game propelled USC to a national championship, which makes O.J.’s play more significant than 4th and 9 or the Bush Push in 2005 versus Notre Dame.

However, while O.J. has the greatest play in USC football history, and while O.J. created a much bigger national name for himself, USC’s best running back ever is probably Charles White. O.J. had the better pro career, but strictly within their collegiate careers, White played more seasons and had a best season (his 1979 Heisman year) which was better than O.J.’s best season, his majestic 1968 Heisman conquest.

Charles White is simply the greatest workhorse running back at a school known for workhorse running backs. Pound for pound, no USC running back was tougher than Charles White. That statement speaks to how great he was in college. That statement also has a dark side: White’s on-field fearlessness carried a great price. The effects of the pounding White took are evident today. White has suffered brain damage and is a sad reminder of the toll this sport takes on the people who play it. It’s not something to be ignored.

In this Heisman profile, we’ll include a Bill Plaschke story from the Los Angeles Times which we noted earlier in 2022 at Trojans Wire: