CULTURETECHLENSReggie White
VERIFIED evidence grade — build store (JSON graph)
Combined Graph record U-07898 · provenance: build store (JSON graph), record CTL-E-7026.
Reggie White (December 19, 1961 – December 26, 2004), born in Chattanooga, Tennessee and known as "The Minister of Defense" — an ordained minister as well as a defensive end — was the most decorated defensive lineman of his era. White starred at the University of Tennessee, began his professional career in the USFL, and joined the Philadelphia Eagles in 1985. His 1987 season — 21 sacks in twelve games — remains a benchmark. In 1993 he became the defining prize of the NFL's new free-agency era, signing with Green Bay and leading the Packers to victory in Super Bowl XXXI, in which he recorded three sacks. White retired after 2000 with 198 sacks, then the NFL record (since passed by Bruce Smith), thirteen consecutive Pro Bowl selections, and two Defensive Player of the Year Awards (1987, 1998). His death at forty-three, a week after his birthday, from cardiac arrhythmia associated with sarcoidosis, cut short a post-career ministry career. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006, his first year of eligibility.
Answer summary · this record in brief, from its own record text
Reggie White (December 19, 1961 – December 26, 2004), born in Chattanooga, Tennessee and known as "The Minister of Defense" — an ordained minister as well as a defensive end — was the most decorated defensive lineman of his era. White starred at the University of Tennessee, began his professional career in the USFL, and joined the Philadelphia Eagles in 1985. His 1987 season — 21 sacks in twelve games — remains a benchmark.
The record
- Also known as: Reginald Howard White, The Minister of Defense
Notes
Sports Encyclopedia roster CTL-SPE-0376. Firsts disposition: no 'first' asserted; the sack record is stated as the record at retirement, expressly since surpassed, per the Hall of Fame. Identity note: the Commons search also returned Reggie White Jr. (his son, a receiver) — refused at clearance. Curator's Judgment (DRAFT): White's free-agency signing re-priced defense itself; the graph keeps the minister and the market force in one record. Photo: CLEARED (1998, Lambeau Field, CC BY 2.0).
Referenced by
- University of Tennessee — has alumnus → this record
Sources
- Pro Football Hall of Fame. "Reggie White." Accessed 2026-11-03. (primary source · build store)
- Wikipedia. "Reggie White." Accessed 2026-11-03. (build store)
Photograph · rights-cleared record, CultureTechLens Photo Rights Log
19981213 28 Reggie White, Lambeau Field
19981213 28 Reggie White, Lambeau Field — David Wilson, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Source: CultureTechLens · view at source
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Record CTL-E-7026 · Combined Graph record U-07898 · CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph · 2 sources · 1 mapped relationship.
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Researched and maintained by the CultureTechLens research program · CultureTechLens Combined Graph, Release 2026-11-04. Corrections are public: the corrections log.
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Chicago: CultureTechLens. “Reggie White (CTL-E-7026).” CultureTechLens Combined Graph. Chicago, IL: CultureTechLens, 2026. https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-7026/
APA: CultureTechLens. (2026). Reggie White (CTL-E-7026) [Entity record]. CultureTechLens Combined Graph. https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-7026/
MLA: CultureTechLens. “Reggie White (CTL-E-7026).” CultureTechLens Combined Graph, 2026, https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-7026/
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