Dan White (quarterback)

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Dan White
No. 16
Position:Quarterback
Personal information
Born: (1972-09-14) September 14, 1972 (age 51)
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school:Point Loma
(San Diego, California)
College:Arizona
Undrafted:1996
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career Arena statistics
TDINT:3–3
Passing yards:240
Completion %:48.9
Passer rating:53.94
Player stats at ArenaFan.com

Dan White (born September 14, 1972) is a former American football quarterback. He 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[edit]

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[edit]

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 defeat of 10th-ranked Miami, the first 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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

  1. ^ a b Maisel, Ivan (1994-06-20). "White and the Wildcats are ready for Pasadena". The Sporting News. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
  2. ^ "23rd Annual Fiesta Bowl". Fiesta Bowl Official Website. 1994-01-01. Archived from the original on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
  3. ^ Finley, Ryan (2008-08-24). "Will he be the one?". Arizona Daily Star. Archived from the original on 2012-11-06. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
  4. ^ Edens, Bennie (1996). "Sports Wrap-Up" (PDF). PLHS Alumuni Newsletter. Retrieved 2008-11-20.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ Arlie Rahn (April 24, 1996). "White joins Oilers as free agent". Arizona Daily Wildcat. Retrieved Sep 6, 2011.
  6. ^ Brad Allis (May 4, 2011). "Arizona Idol: Quarterbacks". Tucson Citizen. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved Sep 6, 2011.
  7. ^ "Dan White". ArenaFan.com. Retrieved Sep 6, 2011.
  8. ^ Glick, Shav (1993). "It Can't be as Easy as She Makes it Seem". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-12-27.