Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/752868
ests at heart. I didn't feel I was dealing with used car salesmen." A myth has evolved over the years that White was such a borderline stu- dent that he had to be tutored by Pa- terno's wife, Sue, before he was given a scholarship. "Not true," White said. "I already had the scholarship, but run- ning scared, I wondered what this col- lege thing was all about. College was foreign to me. So I showed up that summer and said I wanted to hit the ground running. I wanted to get accli- mated, to make sure I got into the rhythm of being able to do what I wanted to do. It wasn't so much tutor- ing by Sue, but she helped me under- stand what college is all about." College was one thing. A possible pro football career came a few years later. After the euphoria dissipated from win- ning the national championship in the Fiesta Bowl, White played in the 1987 Senior Bowl, the most prestigious of the postseason all-star games and a haven for NFL scouts. The San Francisco 49ers drafted him in the sixth round. However, the NFL was in turmoil with a players' union strike in the preseason that even- tually stretched into the first three games of the regular season. White's agent convinced him to hold out for a better offer and he reported late for pre- L O U P R AT O ' S T O P 1 0 D E F E N S I V E E N D S November 1999 1. Dave Robinson 1960-62 2. Sam Tamburo 1945-48 3. Bob Mitinger 1959-61 4. Bruce Bannon 1970-72 5. Larry Kubin 1977-80 5. (tie) Courtney Brown 1996-99 7. John Potsklan 1941, 1946-47 8. Bob White 1983-86 9. Ed Yeckley 1902-05 10. Walker Lee Ashley 1979-82 November 2016 1. Dave Robinson 1960-62 2. Courtney Brown 1996-99 3. Sam Tamburo 1945-48 4. Tamba Hali 2002-05 5. Carl Nassib 2015 6. Bob Mitinger 1959-61 7. Bruce Bannon 1970-72 8. Larry Kubin 1977-80 9. John Potsklan 1941, 1946-47 10. Bob White 1983-86 CLASS REUNION White (left) chats with for- mer teammates John Shaffer (middle) and Shane Conlan during a reunion of the Lions' 1986 champi- onship team at Beaver Stadium in 2011. Photo by Patrick Mansell