William White death: How did NFL great and ex-Ohio State captain die?

Former NFL defensive back and football legend William White passed away on Thursday at just 56 years old. He is survived by his wife and three children.

After an outstanding high school football career in Lima, Ohio, William White joined the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Buckeyes were his hometown college football team and one of the best programs around, prior to the start of the 1984 season. He immediately contributed, earning consistent playing time as a defensive back during his freshman year.

White carved out a role in all four seasons during his time with Ohio State, appearing in 26 total games. He recorded an impressive 16 interceptions during his college football career, two of which he returned for touchdowns. His 16 career interceptions rank among the top ten in Big Ten conference history over the last 50 years.

After his impressive run with the Buckeyes, White was selected by the Detroit Lions with the 85th overall pick in the 1988 NFL Draft. He spent the first six years of his NFL career with the Lions before spending three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. He also had two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. He played his entire career as a defensive back, logging most of his time as a safety.

William White retired following 11 seasons in the NFL. He recorded 20 career interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown. He also made 721 total tackles. Following his playing career, he joined NBC as a college football analyst, where he covered his alma mater, the Ohio State Buckeyes.

William White' cause of death

William White was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in 2016 after experiencing major health complications. He battled for six years before passing away at 56 years old.

In an interview with Eleven Warriors in 2018, White had this to say about his battle and how it may have been related to his football career:

“It may have something to do with it, but hey, it don’t matter. If I knew I would have got this, I would have still played the game, because I loved it, and smacking people in the mouth was fun to me."

What is ALS?

According to the ALS Association's official website, ALS is defined as:

"ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord."

It attacks the motor neurons in the nervous system:

"When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. When voluntary muscle action is progressively affected, people may lose the ability to speak, eat, move and breathe."

The symptoms are progressive and usually become extremely debilitating, often leading to death.

If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Eleven Warriors, the ALS Association and H/T Sportskeeda.