Sammy White (American football)
No. 85 | |||||||
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Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | Winnsboro, Louisiana, U.S. | March 16, 1954||||||
Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Richwood (Ouachita Parish, Louisiana) | ||||||
College: | Grambling State | ||||||
NFL draft: | 1976 / Round: 2 / Pick: 54 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Sammy White (born March 3, 1954) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 10 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL).
After playing
College career
White played at Grambling from 1972 to 1975, playing on the same team as future NFL quarterback and Super Bowl XXII MVP Doug Williams during his final two seasons. He was a first-team All-Southwestern Athletic Conference selection in 1973 and 1975. As a senior, White caught 37 passes for 802 yards and 17 touchdowns.[2]
Playing career
White started each game of his rookie season of 1976, serving as both receiver and kick returner on occasion. In his first game against the New Orleans Saints on September 12, he caught three passes for 71 yards, with one of the catches going for a touchdown thrown by
The following season saw him catch 41 passes for 760 yards with nine touchdowns, which was good enough for a second (and last) Pro Bowl selection. In the playoffs, White didn't catch a pass in the Divisional Round versus Los Angeles that saw them play Dallas for the NFC Championship. White caught three passes for 46 yards with a kick return for 37 yards, but the Vikings lost 23–6. White, along with Randy Moss and Justin Jefferson, are the only wide receivers to make the Pro Bowl in their first two seasons with the Vikings. His third season (the first under the 16-game structure and also the last with Tarkenton as quarterback) saw him catch 53 passes for nine touchdowns on 741 yards. In the playoffs versus the Rams, he recorded no catches in the 34–10 loss. White played in 15 games for 1979 and caught 42 passes for 715 yards with four touchdowns as the Vikings (under newly installed starter Tommy Kramer) missed the playoffs for the first time in White's career. He caught 53 passes in 1980 for 887 yards with five touchdowns as the Vikings sneaked into the playoffs. Playing Philadelphia in the Divisional Round, White started the scoring off with a 30-yard reception for a touchdown. The Vikings had a halftime lead, but the Eagles eventually prevailed 31–16, with White catching only one further pass in the game.[8] In the 1981 season, White had career highs in receptions and receiving yards, catching 66 passes for 1,001 yards that resulted in 3 touchdowns. In the strike-shortened 1982 season, he caught 29 passes for 503 yards and five touchdowns in six games. The Vikings reached the playoffs again and played in the Wild Card versus Atlanta. White caught a 36-yard pass (one of only two on the day) from Kramer to give the Vikings a 10–7 lead in the second quarter as the Vikings eventually won 30–24.[9] White caught one pass in the ensuing Divisional Round loss against Washington, which was his last playoff appearance. In his next two seasons, he played less frequently, scoring five touchdowns combined. He closed out 1984 as just one of 44 players with 50 career receiving touchdowns.[10] In his final season in 1985, he did not start a single game and caught eight total passes on the year.
After retirement
After receiving an invitation to join the coaching staff at Grambling State from his old teammate Doug Williams, who became GSU's head coach in 1998, White worked as a receivers coach (1998-2003 and 2007–2009) and offensive coordinator (2004-2006). During that time Grambling won six Western Division titles and five SWAC championships. White was inducted into the SWAC Hall of Fame in 2004.[11]
References
- ^ "Sammy White". pro-football-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ^ "Grambling greats: Sammy White". 20 October 2006.
- ^ "Sammy White figured Vikings' Justin Jefferson 'for sure' would break his Vikings' single-game record". Twin Cities. 2022-09-13. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
- ^ "Sammy White 1976 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
- ^ "Divisional Round - Washington Redskins at Minnesota Vikings - December 18th, 1976". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
- ^ "Sammy White Playoffs Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
- ^ "Super Bowl XI - Oakland Raiders vs. Minnesota Vikings - January 9th, 1977". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
- ^ "Divisional Round - Minnesota Vikings at Philadelphia Eagles - January 3rd, 1981". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
- ^ "Wild Card - Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings - January 9th, 1983". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
- ^ "NFL Career Receiving Touchdowns Leaders Through 1984". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
- ^ Deriso, Nick (2009-12-02). "Grambling legend Sammy White will not return as receivers coach". The Deriso Report. Retrieved 2024-02-13.