Photo by: Ben Solomon (National Football Foundation)
Lorenzo White Officially Inducted Into College Football Hall of Fame
12/11/2019 12:26:00 AM | Football
NEW YORK – Former Michigan State two-time All-American running back Lorenzo White was officially inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday night at the 62nd annual National Football Foundation Annual Awards Dinner, held at the New York Hilton Midtown's Grand Ballroom.
"Well, it means the world to me," said White. "This award is really for my mom for me. I actually did it and I didn't do it by myself, with the help of my teammates, and I got a chance to thank them as well. But this is one of those awards, this is where you say your family and your mom put so much time into you, and for me, that's what it means to me; me giving something back to her. It's the ultimate. Anytime that you're picked to be the ultimate or one of the great players of college football."
In addition to White, the star-studded 2019 College Football Hall of Fame Class also included Terrell Buckley (DB, Florida State, 1989-91), Rickey Dixon (DB, Oklahoma, 1984-87), London Fletcher (LB, John Carroll, 1995-97), Jacob Green (DL, Texas A&M, 1977-79), Torry Holt (WR, North Carolina State, 1995-98), Raghib Ismail (KR/WR, Notre Dame, 1988-90), Darren McFadden (RB, Arkansas, 2005-07), Jake Plummer (QB, Arizona State, 1993-96), Troy Polamalu (DB, USC, 1999-2002), Joe Thomas (OL, Wisconsin, 2003-06), Patrick Willis (LB, Mississippi, 2003-06) and Vince Young (QB, Texas, 2003-05), and coaches Dennis Erickson and Joe Taylor.
White is the 10th former Michigan State player inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, joining halfback John Pingel (inducted in 1968), tackle Don Coleman (1975), linebacker George Webster (1987), defensive end Bubba Smith (1988), safety Brad Van Pelt (2001), wide receiver Gene Washington (2011), linebacker Percy Snow (2013), running back Clinton Jones (2015) and wide receiver Kirk Gibson (2017). Former Spartan head coaches Clarence "Biggie" Munn (1959), Charles Bachman (1978), Duffy Daugherty (1984) and Frank "Muddy" Waters (2000) are also members of the College Football Hall of Fame.
ABOUT LORENZO WHITE
Lorenzo White is the most accomplished running back in the rich history of Michigan State football, ranking first in the school record books in rushing yards (4,887), rushing attempts (1,082), rushing touchdowns (43) and 100-yard games (23).
The two-time first-team All-American and All-Big Ten selection (1985, 1987) finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy balloting in both of those seasons. His 4,887 rushing yards ranked second in Big Ten history following his departure from East Lansing and still rank eighth all-time in league history. He was named the No. 1 running back in the Big Ten in the 1980s by the Big Ten Network and led the Spartans in rushing four consecutive seasons (1984-87).
As a sophomore in 1985, White rushed for a school record and then-Big Ten record 2,066 yards. His 1,908 yards during the regular season at the time was the fourth-best single-season rushing total in the history of college football and the highest by a sophomore. He rushed for 200 or more yards on four occasions, including a 286-yard effort against Indiana, and his 11 100-yard games in 1985 are still a school record. White was named the UPI Big Ten Co-MVP and also the college running back of the year by the Touchdown Club of Columbus and the Washington, D.C. Touchdown Club. He also earned MSU's George Alderton Award for male athlete of the year and the team's Governor's Award for Most Valuable Player.
During the 1987 season, White helped MSU to its first Rose Bowl since 1966 by rushing for 1,572 yards, second in school history at the time and still fourth in the Spartan record book. His 132.6 rushing yards per game during the regular season ranked No. 6 nationally. In the Rose Bowl win over USC, White ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns. White earned his second Big Ten MVP award from UPI in 1987 and was also named the Chicago Tribune Silver Football winner, which is given annually to the best player in the Big Ten.
Along the way to the Rose Bowl, White rushed for 100-plus yards seven times in 1987. His most remarkable performance fittingly came in his last home game at Spartan Stadium with the Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl berth on the line against No. 16 Indiana. He established a school record for attempts in a game with 56 against Indiana – one shy of the NCAA record – while finishing with a career-high 292 yards on the ground, which is the second-highest total by a Spartan. His dominating showing led MSU to a 27-3 victory over the Hoosiers to clinch the Big Ten Championship.
"My favorite touchdown would be when we played against Indiana in 1987 to go to the Rose Bowl," said White. "We had to beat them to go to the Rose Bowl, and just scoring that last touchdown and knowing that it was going to be the last touchdown that I scored in Spartan Stadium. The fans and everybody in the city was like my family, and that was the greatest thing, so I wound up keeping the ball for that."
White is perhaps known most for his endurance he displayed throughout his career. He carried the ball 1,082 times while wearing the Green and White, which set a Big Ten record at the time and is still third most in conference history. His 419 attempts in 1985 still stands as the most in a Big Ten single-season.
"Just being in a position to carry the ball a lot," White said of what he remembers most from all the records he set at Michigan State. "Just knowing that everybody always had the question, 'You don't think you're going to get hurt?' I always go by, when people say that, think about playing on the street or playing at the park. What did we want to do? If you're a running back, you want to carry the ball. So I always had that motto about carrying the football and you know, just putting myself in good shape."
As MSU's latest inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame, White's name was added to Spartan Stadium's "Ring of Fame" on Sept. 28, 2019, against Indiana.
"Well, it means the world to me," said White. "This award is really for my mom for me. I actually did it and I didn't do it by myself, with the help of my teammates, and I got a chance to thank them as well. But this is one of those awards, this is where you say your family and your mom put so much time into you, and for me, that's what it means to me; me giving something back to her. It's the ultimate. Anytime that you're picked to be the ultimate or one of the great players of college football."
In addition to White, the star-studded 2019 College Football Hall of Fame Class also included Terrell Buckley (DB, Florida State, 1989-91), Rickey Dixon (DB, Oklahoma, 1984-87), London Fletcher (LB, John Carroll, 1995-97), Jacob Green (DL, Texas A&M, 1977-79), Torry Holt (WR, North Carolina State, 1995-98), Raghib Ismail (KR/WR, Notre Dame, 1988-90), Darren McFadden (RB, Arkansas, 2005-07), Jake Plummer (QB, Arizona State, 1993-96), Troy Polamalu (DB, USC, 1999-2002), Joe Thomas (OL, Wisconsin, 2003-06), Patrick Willis (LB, Mississippi, 2003-06) and Vince Young (QB, Texas, 2003-05), and coaches Dennis Erickson and Joe Taylor.
White is the 10th former Michigan State player inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, joining halfback John Pingel (inducted in 1968), tackle Don Coleman (1975), linebacker George Webster (1987), defensive end Bubba Smith (1988), safety Brad Van Pelt (2001), wide receiver Gene Washington (2011), linebacker Percy Snow (2013), running back Clinton Jones (2015) and wide receiver Kirk Gibson (2017). Former Spartan head coaches Clarence "Biggie" Munn (1959), Charles Bachman (1978), Duffy Daugherty (1984) and Frank "Muddy" Waters (2000) are also members of the College Football Hall of Fame.
ABOUT LORENZO WHITE
Lorenzo White is the most accomplished running back in the rich history of Michigan State football, ranking first in the school record books in rushing yards (4,887), rushing attempts (1,082), rushing touchdowns (43) and 100-yard games (23).
The two-time first-team All-American and All-Big Ten selection (1985, 1987) finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy balloting in both of those seasons. His 4,887 rushing yards ranked second in Big Ten history following his departure from East Lansing and still rank eighth all-time in league history. He was named the No. 1 running back in the Big Ten in the 1980s by the Big Ten Network and led the Spartans in rushing four consecutive seasons (1984-87).
As a sophomore in 1985, White rushed for a school record and then-Big Ten record 2,066 yards. His 1,908 yards during the regular season at the time was the fourth-best single-season rushing total in the history of college football and the highest by a sophomore. He rushed for 200 or more yards on four occasions, including a 286-yard effort against Indiana, and his 11 100-yard games in 1985 are still a school record. White was named the UPI Big Ten Co-MVP and also the college running back of the year by the Touchdown Club of Columbus and the Washington, D.C. Touchdown Club. He also earned MSU's George Alderton Award for male athlete of the year and the team's Governor's Award for Most Valuable Player.
During the 1987 season, White helped MSU to its first Rose Bowl since 1966 by rushing for 1,572 yards, second in school history at the time and still fourth in the Spartan record book. His 132.6 rushing yards per game during the regular season ranked No. 6 nationally. In the Rose Bowl win over USC, White ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns. White earned his second Big Ten MVP award from UPI in 1987 and was also named the Chicago Tribune Silver Football winner, which is given annually to the best player in the Big Ten.
Along the way to the Rose Bowl, White rushed for 100-plus yards seven times in 1987. His most remarkable performance fittingly came in his last home game at Spartan Stadium with the Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl berth on the line against No. 16 Indiana. He established a school record for attempts in a game with 56 against Indiana – one shy of the NCAA record – while finishing with a career-high 292 yards on the ground, which is the second-highest total by a Spartan. His dominating showing led MSU to a 27-3 victory over the Hoosiers to clinch the Big Ten Championship.
"My favorite touchdown would be when we played against Indiana in 1987 to go to the Rose Bowl," said White. "We had to beat them to go to the Rose Bowl, and just scoring that last touchdown and knowing that it was going to be the last touchdown that I scored in Spartan Stadium. The fans and everybody in the city was like my family, and that was the greatest thing, so I wound up keeping the ball for that."
White is perhaps known most for his endurance he displayed throughout his career. He carried the ball 1,082 times while wearing the Green and White, which set a Big Ten record at the time and is still third most in conference history. His 419 attempts in 1985 still stands as the most in a Big Ten single-season.
"Just being in a position to carry the ball a lot," White said of what he remembers most from all the records he set at Michigan State. "Just knowing that everybody always had the question, 'You don't think you're going to get hurt?' I always go by, when people say that, think about playing on the street or playing at the park. What did we want to do? If you're a running back, you want to carry the ball. So I always had that motto about carrying the football and you know, just putting myself in good shape."
As MSU's latest inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame, White's name was added to Spartan Stadium's "Ring of Fame" on Sept. 28, 2019, against Indiana.
.@DantonioMark is at the @nffnetwork Awards Dinner in New York City to celebrate Lorenzo White's induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. #SpartanLegends pic.twitter.com/UU7gt8NsyM
— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) December 11, 2019
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