Dan White (quarterback)
Dan White (born September 14, 1972) was the starting quarterback for the University of Arizona football team from 1993–1995, a span which included the Wildcats' only Pac-10 championship to date, as well as a record-setting Fiesta Bowl victory.
High school
White began his football career at Point Loma High School in San Diego, CA, where he was the starting quarterback for a powerhouse team that included gifted wide-receiver Brett Callan, as well as future NFL stars J. J. Stokes and La'Roi Glover. The team was coached throughout White's four years by local legend Bennie Edens.
College career
After high school, White attended Penn State, hoping to play for hall-of-fame coach Joe Paterno, but he never saw significant playing time. After one season, he transferred to the University of Arizona, where he spent a redshirt year before winning the starting quarterback role in 1993.[1]
That season, with White at the helm, the Wildcats rolled to a 10-2 record and broke a 15-year drought to tie for their first (and, to date, only) share of the Pac-10 championship.[1] The Wildcats wrapped up the season in the Fiesta Bowl, where White threw for 2 touchdowns en route to a 29-0 drubbing of 10th-ranked Miami, still the only shutout in Fiesta Bowl history.[2]
White would continue as starting quarterback until 1995, finishing with 40 touchdown passes for his career and, perhaps more importantly, an unbeaten 3-0 record against the Wildcats' arch-rival ASU Sun Devils, throwing 7 touchdowns and only one interception in those three games. A 2008 editorial in the Arizona Daily Star ranked him as one of the Wildcats' 10 best quarterbacks of all time.[3]
Pro career
After college, White was not taken in the NFL draft, but signed with the Houston Oilers as a free agent immediately following the draft.[4][5] He was subsequently traded to the Atlanta Falcons before finishing his pro career in the Arena Football League, where he played for the Tampa Bay Storm during the 1997 season.[6][7]
Quotes
White's inconsistent play inspired this memorable quote by ABC announcer Mark Jones: "Against USC, he looked like Dan Marino. Against Washington State, he looked like Dan Quayle."[8]
References
- 1 2 Maisel, Ivan (1994-06-20). "White and the Wildcats are ready for Pasadena". The Sporting News. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
- ↑ "23rd Annual Fiesta Bowl". Fiesta Bowl Official Website. 1994-01-01. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
- ↑ Finley, Ryan (2008-08-24). "Will he be the one?". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
- ↑ Edens, Bennie (1996). "Sports Wrap-Up" (PDF). PLHS Alumuni Newsletter. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
- ↑ Arlie Rahn (April 24, 1996). "White joins Oilers as free agent". Arizona Daily Wildcat. Retrieved Sep 6, 2011.
- ↑ Brad Allis (May 4, 2011). "Arizona Idol: Quarterbacks". Tucson Citizen. Retrieved Sep 6, 2011.
- ↑ "Dan White". ArenaFan.com. Retrieved Sep 6, 2011.
- ↑ Glick, Shav (1993). "It Can't be as Easy as She Makes it Seem". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-12-27.