Russell White facts for kids
White in November 2008
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | December 15, 1970 Pacoima, California, U.S. |
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| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 216 lb (98 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Crespi Carmelite (Encino, California) |
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| College: | California | ||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1993 / Round: 3 / Pick: 73 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||
Russell Lamar White (born December 15, 1970) is a former American football player. He was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). Russell White played college football for the California Golden Bears. He was known as a top college player, earning the title of All-American. After college, he played for the Los Angeles Rams.
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Early Life and High School Football
Russell White was born in Pacoima, California. He went to Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino, California. There, he played for the Crespi Carmelite Celts high school football team.
When he was a sophomore in 1986, Russell helped his team win a state championship. He ran for 256 yards in that important game. Even though he had some injuries in his senior year (1988), he still ran for 1,379 yards. He also caught 43 passes for 529 yards and scored 25 touchdowns. He was named to California Football's all-state team.
By the end of his three years in high school, Russell had amazing records. He ran for 5,998 yards and scored 94 touchdowns. He also earned 568 points. All of these were California state high school records! USA Today and Scholastic Coach named him a high school All-American in both 1986 and 1987. He was also named the Cal Hi Sports California High School Football Player of the Year twice. In 2023, he was honored by being put into the first California High School Football Hall of Fame.
College Football Career
Russell White earned a special athletic scholarship to attend the University of California, Berkeley. He played for the Golden Bears from 1990 to 1992. He first joined the university in 1989. However, he could not play as a freshman. This was because of a rule called Proposition 48. It meant he did not score high enough on the SAT college entrance exam.
Later, doctors found out he had dyslexia, which makes reading and learning harder. He received extra help with his studies. Because of this, he was able to meet the school's academic rules and play football in 1990. In his very first college game on September 15, 1990, against the Miami Hurricanes, he made an amazing play. The first time he touched the ball, he returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown!
In 1991, as a junior, he ran for 1,177 yards and scored 14 touchdowns. He was recognized as a top player across the country, earning first-team All-American honors.
During his three years in college, Russell gained 3,367 rushing yards. He averaged 5.1 yards every time he carried the ball. This made him the Golden Bears' all-time leading rusher. He also scored 35 rushing touchdowns, which is the most in the team's history. He had fifteen games where he ran for 100 yards or more. Russell graduated from the university in 1993 with a degree in social welfare. In 2003, he was added to the University of California Hall of Fame.
Professional Football
The Los Angeles Rams picked Russell White in the third round of the 1993 NFL draft. He played for the Rams for one season in 1993. He appeared in five games, mainly returning kicks. Later, he signed with the Green Bay Packers in 1995, but he did not play in any regular season games for them. He finished his professional career with the San Francisco 49ers in 1996.
Life After Playing Football
After his playing career, Russell White became an athletic director and head football coach. He worked at Desert Chapel High School in Palm Springs, California. He led the Eagles to win two CIF Division titles in 2002 and 2003.
Russell White is now a teacher. On April 30, 2010, he became the new head football coach at Castlemont High School in Oakland, California. He is also the commissioner for the Oakland Section of CIF. On March 18, 2016, he was announced as the new head football coach and Assistant Athletic Director at Flintridge Preparatory School.
Russell White comes from a family of talented football players. He is the nephew of Charles White, who was a famous running back for the University of Southern California and won the Heisman Trophy. He is also the cousin of Kermit Alexander, who played defensive back and returned kicks for UCLA and the San Francisco 49ers.
