White, Ragone Drafted in NFL Early Rounds
April 26, 2003 | Football
April 26, 2003
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - University of Louisville defensive end Dewayne White and quarterback Dave Ragone were taken in the first three rounds of the National Football League draft on Saturday.
Selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, White was the final pick of the second round and the 64th choice overall. He was the Bucs first selection in the draft.
"I'm really excited," said White. "Tampa Bay has long been my favorite team and Warren Sapp one of my favorite players. For a rookie defensive lineman to come into the league and have an opportunity to learn from the best in guys like Sapp and Simeon Rice is like a dream come true."
The Houston Texans nabbed Ragone with the 24th pick of the third round and 88th overall. He is one of five players taken by the Texans within the first three rounds.
A relentless pass rusher who became the U of L and C-USA leader for career sacks and tackles for loss midway through his junior campaign, Dewayne White joins the ranks of the NFL after anchoring a Cardinal defense which ranked among the nation's best during his three-year tenure in the Derby City.
The 2001 C-USA Defensive Player of the Year, White tallied 37.5 sacks to rank second nationally to Arizona State's Terrell Suggs over the last three seasons. During his first two seasons, in which White led the nation with 27 sacks, the Cards led the nation with 96 sacks and ranked second nationally to Miami with 69 takeaways and 44 interceptions.
As a senior, Ragone became the first three-time individual award winner in the history of Conference USA after winning the league's Offensive Player of the Year Award for the third straight season. The 6-4, 250-pound southpaw also became the winningest quarterback in school history, compiling a 27-11 record and leading the Cards to a pair of C-USA titles and bowl berths in each of his three seasons under center.
A strong armed and mobile quarterback with a linebacker's mentality, Ragone passed for 8,564 yards and 74 touchdowns while completing more than 58 percent of his passes during a brilliant collegiate career in which he helped U of L rise to national prominense and a spot among the nation's top 25 teams for an unprecedented nine consecutive weeks between the 2001 and 2002 seasons.
