Eagles to play Raiders, pay tribute to White

By Os Davis  |   Tuesday, April 04, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Philadelphia Eagles
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With all the talk of draft picks, free agents and possible retirees in the NFL's seemingly never-ending (and just begun, believe it or not) offseason, news of actual football was nice to hear.

Last Wednesday, the news came down that the Philadelphia Eagles have been named as to play in the preseason kickoff on August 6 at the annual Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. Naturally, the game is mostly secondary to the induction ceremony of this year's six inductees to the Hall. Here too, the Eagles will play a key role when the late Reggie "Minister of Defense" White is officially inducted into the pantheon of NFL greats.

White became known as perhaps the greatest defensive end ever in a professional career that spanned seventeen seasons, including eight with Philadelphia and six with Green Bay; he holds the all-time record for both franchises (and most likely for a third, the USFL's Memphis Showboats, whom he played for after college) in career sacks. In his 121 games with the Eagles, White amassed 124 sacks for a gaudy average of just over one per game. He was twice Defensive Player of the Year, thirteen times an All-Pro and thirteen times an Pro Bowler. Upon his retirement, White had tallied 198 sacks (221.5 including USFL stats), then the NFL career record.

The accolades came in droves upon the announcing of inductees, as is usual in such circumstances, and the Minister was worthy of his share. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie stated that White's "legacy on and off the football field will never be forgotten," while Coach Reid opined, "In my mind, he will go down as the greatest defensive end in NFL history. He was a great teammate and a fun player to coach."

Having passed away in 2004 due to complications brought on by the sarcoidosis that had driven him into retirement in 2000, White unfortunately never heard the praise lavished upon him in February nor will he see what is sure to be an unemotional event in August.

Lining up against the Philadelphia Eagles are the Oakland Raiders, who will boast a new Hall of Famer of their own on that August day. Legendary coach John Madden (who was hilariously described in the NFL press release as "best known for his television announcing and video game" before acknowledging his .759 winning percentage and Super Bowl ring) will be entering the hallowed halls with the Minister of Defense. No word yet on whether Madden will actually call the game…

Joining White and Madden in Hall immortality will be Troy Aikman, Harry Carson, Warren Moon and Rayfield Wright.
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About Os Davis

Os Davis has taken a twisted route to get to RealFootball365.com in his nearly 17 years in professional writing, working in any number of capacities in the sportswriting, news reporting and film criticism worlds. In print media, Os has served as editor at a few publications, including Albuquerque's...
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