Lorenzo White

Lorenzo Maurice White (born July 12, 1966) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Houston Oilers (1988–1994) and Cleveland Browns. He was voted to the Pro Bowl in 1992, recording his best season with 1,226 rushing yards and 1,867 yards from scrimmage.

White played college football for Michigan State Spartans from 1984 to 1987, and was a consensus All-American in 1985 and 1987. He won the Big Ten Most Valuable Player in 1987, currently the last Spartan to be selected. He also continues to hold Michigan State records for rushing yardage in a career (4,887), rushing yardage in a season (2,066), rushing touchdowns in a career (43), rushing attempts in a season (419) and rushing attempts in a career (1,082).

White was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2019. He has also been inducted into the Michigan State University Hall of Fame (2010), the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame (2022) and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame (2023).

Early life White was born in 1966 in Hollywood, Florida. As a senior, he led the Dillard Panthers to a district title and was named the Broward County Offensive Player of the Year after gaining 1,255 yards and scoring 19 touchdowns. His coach, Otis Gray, said: "He is the kind of kid that comes along once in a lifetime. Not only a super athlete, but a super kid." One sports writer described White's impact: "White quickly emerged as the best running back the Panthers had ever seen. He was big, had great moves and unbelievable talent. Three years later, every college scout in the country was inquiring about him." He received more than 100 scholarship offers, finally narrowing his list to Michigan, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Indiana, and Georgia. As a freshman in 1984, he appeared in 11 games for the Spartans and led the team with 616 rushing yards. Against Northwestern on November 3, he totaled 170 rushing yards and scored two touchdowns.

1985 season In 1985, White led the nation with 2,066 rushing yards. He averaged 4.9 yards per carry and scored 17 touchdowns. Purdue (244 yards and two touchdowns on 53 carries); Iowa (226 yards on 39 carries); and Wisconsin (223 yards and one touchdown on 42 carries). In the 1985 Hall of Fame Classic, White rushed for 158 yards, but fumbled late in the fourth quarter to set up Georgia Tech's game-winning touchdown.

White was the first Big Ten player to rush for over 2,000 yards and the fifth player in Division I FBS history to reach the mark. and finished fourth in the 1985 Heisman Trophy voting, which was won by Bo Jackson. He was the first player to reach 2,000 rushing yards without winning the Heisman Trophy.

1986 season As a junior in 1986, White sprained his left knee on October 4, missed two games, and was also impaired by recurring right ankle problems. He finished the season with 634 rushing yards, an average 3.9 yards per carry, and scored six touchdowns. In the 1988 Rose Bowl, White's final game for Michigan State, he rushed for 113 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Spartans to a 20–17 victory over #16 USC.

At the end of the regular season, White won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the most valuable player in the Big Ten Conference and finished fourth in the voting for the 1987 Heisman Trophy. He was also selected for the second time in his career as a consensus first-team pick on the 1987 All-America football team and the 1987 All-Big Ten Conference football team.

At the time his college football career ended, White's 4,887 rushing yards ranked second in Big Ten Conference history, trailing only Archie Griffin. His 1,082 carries ranked first in conference history, though that record has since been surpassed.

Professional career 1988 and 1989 seasons White was selected by the Houston Oilers in the first round (22nd overall pick) of the 1988 NFL draft. During the 1988 and 1989 seasons, White had limited playing time as a backup to Mike Rozier and Alonzo Highsmith. He tallied 115 rushing yards in 1988 and 349 yards in 1989. For the season, he totaled 702 rushing yards, averaging 4.2 yards per carry, caught 39 passes for 368 yards, and scored a career-high 12 touchdowns.

1992: White's Pro Bowl season White regained his role as the Oilers' starting running back in 1992, starting all 16 games for the club. He tallied a career-high 1,226 rushing yards (4.6 yards per carry), caught 57 passes for 641 yards, and scored eight touchdowns. He also earned his first berth in the Pro Bowl after the 1992 season.

1993 and 1994 seasons White held out during training camp in 1993, seeking a contract paying him $2 million for the 1993 season. In late August, he signed a one-year contract for the price they had originally offered -- $1.53 million. He also sustained a torn hamstring at midseason, lost the starting job to Gary Brown and was limited to eight games as a backup, gaining 465 yards and averaging 3.5 yards per carry. He appeared in 15 games (eight as a starter) for the Oilers in 1994. He totaled 757 rushing yards, the second best season total of his NFL career. White appeared in 12 games for the Browns (two as a starter) and tallied 163 rushing yards for a career-low 2.6 yards per carry. but he was released in late August.

Over eight years in the NFL, White recorded 4,242 rushing yards, averaging 4.0 yards per carry, caught 192 passes for 1,738 yards, totaled 5,980 yards from scrimmage, and scored 30 touchdowns.

College Year Team GP Rushing Receiving Att Yds Avg TD Rec Yds TD 1984 MSU 11 142 616 4.3 4 8 44 0 1985 MSU 12 419 2,066 4.9 17 6 28 0 1986 MSU 11 164 633 3.9 6 11 78 0 1987 MSU 12 357 1,572 4.4 16 12 115 0 Career 46 1,082 4,887 4.5 43 37 265 0

In January 2019, in his ninth year on the ballot, White was named to the College Football Hall of Fame. He was the 10th Michigan State player inducted into the Hall. the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 2022, and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.