R.I.P. to the two time Rose Bowl MVP in 1978 and 1979 and the 1979 Heisman Trophy winner Charles White! Still USC's all time leading rusher! A 9 year NFL player as well. One of the greatest college football players of all time!
Bad ass work horse! I was a full back/MLB in high school wanted to be like him #12. I loved watching him play on Saturday afternoons. Rest in peace Charles White.
My first football hero ...one of the all time greatest ever NCAA/USC..the numbers tell half the story...setting rose bowl record with broken nose ..his open field rushing and tough inside game..his cut back run to daylight/using his blockers ...he was feared by opponents as he got stronger and hungrier as games went on.....RIP #12...charles white
All of us growing up in that era and in the shadow of San Fernando High School, thought that this was the way to play football. But those hits and leading with your head will eventually take their toll on the best of us. I loved playing Pop-Warner football and in high school. The game teaches you toughness like nothing else in life. However, every time I played I knew that I was doing something that the human body was not built to do. Charles White is now living in a memory assisted home and suffers from dementia which doctors have attributed to him having played RB for 20 years as the toughest SOB on the field and never giving an inch. He died a little every time that he- like the rest of us- played and took the field. God Bless, CW! Hope you ride into the sunset in peace and, most importantly, in happiness.
He did not have break away speed if anything should’ve been a between the guards & tackle runner with the speed an Power.. NO WAY BETTER THAN BILLY SIMS The yr. he won the Heisman Trophy 🏆
Too bad was drafted and played for a weak browns team ,then was traded and brought in by Coach Robinson eventually LED THE NATION ONE YEAR ,San Fernando High School
The Cleveland Browns thought they were getting another Leroy Kelly when they drafted Heisman Winner Charles White in 1980 . He was so overrated . USC had one of the greatest Div 1 NCAA blocking offenses ever , thats why White got the Heisman . Kelly was faster, quicker , tougher , had many more moves, etc than White .
Dude, Rutigliano had no intention of running the football a majority of the time. Get Charles White a decent line, and give him the ball 20 plus times and he will get you yards. You had Brian Sipe and a top of the line passing game. It was not a smart pick. Leroy Kelly played when he got the ball and running games were dominant. White did well later with the Rams, when they traded Dickerson-and only 3 of those games were strike games. It wasn't all White's fault it didn't work out in Cleveland. I am a Ram fan and hope the Browns kick ass next year.
I agree it was not a smart pick by the Browns to take Charles White in 1980. But, that had more to do with Greg Pruitt getting injured than any wishful thinking about Leroy Kelly. Greg Pruitt blew out his knee in 1979 after being the Browns leading rusher (and a 4 time pro bowler) for years. Luckily for the Browns, they had Mike Pruitt to take over when Greg Pruitt got injured. Charles White was a smaller RB like Greg Pruitt. Both guys were about 5'10" 190 with shifty moves. The Browns figured the Heisman Trophy winner was a good pick as a potential replacement. But, they were not the same player. Greg Pruitt was a tougher runner as a pro than Charles White. And also, Mike Pruitt at 6'0" 222, was both a good runner and receiver out of the backfield and was able to keep the starting job because Charles White couldn't beat him for that spot. Another thing, the Browns did indeed run the ball under Rutigliano. Yes, they had Sipe and a passing game but Mike Pruitt rushed for over 1000+ yards in 4 out of 5 seasons during that period and the only reason he didn't have 5 straight was because of the 9 game strike shortened season in 1982. Mike Pruitt was simply a better RB for Cleveland than Charles White.
Very interesting, and that makes sense. Yes, Greg Pruitt was very good. I don't remember Mike as quite as well. Rutigliano definitely turned the team around and had them set up for a pretty successful few years during the 80's and early 90's.
The Browns never thought that. Leroy Kelly had tremendous quickness and good speed. Cleveland wanted a tough, durable back for 15 carries a game, and to catch passes. Charles White could have done that, and changed the history of the Browns. However, White had serious drug and alcohol problems and did a disservice to the franchise. Greg Pruitt was a total team player, with some of the softest hands ever. Mike Pruitt may have been a better NFL runner.