White Leaves Early for NFL Draft
January 03, 2003 | Football
Jan. 3, 2003
University of Louisville defensive end Dewayne White has announced that he will forego his final season of eligibility and enter the upcoming NFL Draft. White, the 2001 Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year, announced his decision to skip his senior campaign at U of L in a press conference Friday afternoon at Cardinal Arena.
A two-time first team All-Conference USA selection, White enters the upcoming draft after helping the Cards post a 27-11 record and snare back-to-back C-USA titles during his three-year Cardinal career.
"This was by no means an easy decision for me," White said. "I've enjoyed my time here and really owe a lot of my success and development, both on the field and off, to the University of Louisville."
White became the U of L and C-USA all-time leader for sacks midway through his junior season, tallying 37.5 in 38 career games to rank second nationally behind Arizona State's Terrell Suggs over the last three seasons. A dominant pass rusher who is also extremely effective against the run, White also snared the U of L all-time mark with 56.5 career tackles for loss.
A native of Marbury, Ala., White ranked among the nation's leaders for sacks in each of his three collegiate campaigns, tallying 12 as a freshman (No. 9 nationally), 15 as a sophomore (No. 2 nationally, tied C-USA single season record) and 10.5 (No. 8 at U of L) as a senior. He bolstered a unit which led the nation in sacks (96) and ranked second only to Miami in takeaways (69) and interceptions (44) over his first two seasons.
At the conclusion of the 2002 regular season, White was honored with the 2002 Disney's Wide World of Sports Spirit Award, which recognizes the accomplishments of college football's most inspirational student-athlete. He received the award as part of ESPN's live national television broadcast of The Home Depot College Football Awards at the Atlantic Dance Hall at Walt Disney World Resort.
