Dave2112
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As many of us now know, especially those close to the game of football, Reggie White, the dubbed "Minister of Defense" has succumbed to a surprise massive heart attack early this morning. Reggie was 43 years old.
As a life-long Vikings fan, I am genetically predisposed to hate the Green Bay Packers. However, there are four men who are or have been involved with the orginization that I have the ultimate respect for...Vince Lombardi, Bart Starr, Brett Favre...and Reggie White.
First off, the stats alone will etch Reggie into the annals of NFL history. An NFL career-record 198 sacks (at the time of his retirement). An NFL-record 9 consecutive seasons with double-digit sacks. The NFL two-time Defensive Player of the Year. Reggie retired with the career sack record but has since been passed by Bruce Smith. Reggie also hold the records for sack yardage lost and tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie called White "one of the greatest men ever to play the game of football."
"His legacy on and off the football field will never be forgotten," Lurie said in a statement.
A member of the NFL's 75th anniversary team, White was elected to the Pro Bowl a record 13 straight times from 1986-98. He was the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 1987 and 1998.
But it is the spirit and dignity of the man that will remain. A preacher off the field, he brought those values to the locker-room, the organizations he was a part of and to the game itself. A giving man, Reggie devoted most of his time off the field to charity organizations and his congregation.
Reggie had the first and largest impact in what we now refer to as the "Free Agency" era of football. Reggie's departure from the Philadelphia Eagles and signing with then-small-time Green Bay ushered in the era of big-name players having an impact with the teams they join. If you trace back the current era of football, it started with Reggie White. Green Bay had almost immediate legitimacy with the addition of Reggie White, and it was the first time that free-agency made a direct impact on a team's success. We all know what became of the Packers in the decade that followed, and Reggie White was a large part of that.
I would like to take a moment to echo the sentiments of Terry Bradshaw on today's Fox pre-game show and implore NFL Comissioner Paul Tagliabue and follow the lead set by Major League Baseball in the instance of the death of Roberto Clemente. Mr. Tagliabue, waive the five-year-retirement rule in the case of Reggie White and make him eligible for the Hall of Fame this year. Put him on the ballot.
If anyone deserves not only a place in Heaven, but an immediate spot in Canton, Ohio...it is Reggie White.
Rest in Peace, Reggie...
...and thank you, sir.
As a life-long Vikings fan, I am genetically predisposed to hate the Green Bay Packers. However, there are four men who are or have been involved with the orginization that I have the ultimate respect for...Vince Lombardi, Bart Starr, Brett Favre...and Reggie White.
First off, the stats alone will etch Reggie into the annals of NFL history. An NFL career-record 198 sacks (at the time of his retirement). An NFL-record 9 consecutive seasons with double-digit sacks. The NFL two-time Defensive Player of the Year. Reggie retired with the career sack record but has since been passed by Bruce Smith. Reggie also hold the records for sack yardage lost and tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie called White "one of the greatest men ever to play the game of football."
"His legacy on and off the football field will never be forgotten," Lurie said in a statement.
A member of the NFL's 75th anniversary team, White was elected to the Pro Bowl a record 13 straight times from 1986-98. He was the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 1987 and 1998.
But it is the spirit and dignity of the man that will remain. A preacher off the field, he brought those values to the locker-room, the organizations he was a part of and to the game itself. A giving man, Reggie devoted most of his time off the field to charity organizations and his congregation.
Reggie had the first and largest impact in what we now refer to as the "Free Agency" era of football. Reggie's departure from the Philadelphia Eagles and signing with then-small-time Green Bay ushered in the era of big-name players having an impact with the teams they join. If you trace back the current era of football, it started with Reggie White. Green Bay had almost immediate legitimacy with the addition of Reggie White, and it was the first time that free-agency made a direct impact on a team's success. We all know what became of the Packers in the decade that followed, and Reggie White was a large part of that.
I would like to take a moment to echo the sentiments of Terry Bradshaw on today's Fox pre-game show and implore NFL Comissioner Paul Tagliabue and follow the lead set by Major League Baseball in the instance of the death of Roberto Clemente. Mr. Tagliabue, waive the five-year-retirement rule in the case of Reggie White and make him eligible for the Hall of Fame this year. Put him on the ballot.
If anyone deserves not only a place in Heaven, but an immediate spot in Canton, Ohio...it is Reggie White.
Rest in Peace, Reggie...
...and thank you, sir.
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