Charles White, the most prolific running back in the storied history of USC and its third Heisman Trophy winner, has died of cancer. He was 64.
Even among the many great backs who would lace up for USC during the past half century, White stood alone. More than four decades after he won the Heisman Trophy in 1979, White remains the career rushing record holder at USC. The 6,245 rushing yards he accumulated during four seasons with the Trojans rank fifth all-time in the history of college football.
The Los Angeles native and former San Fernando High star was a two-time All-American and College Football Hall of Famer. White helped lift USC to a national title in 1978 and, two years later, became a first-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Rams. He even led the NFL in rushing in 1987.
All the while, White earned a reputation for his bruising style and reckless abandon on the football field.
“Pound for pound, he was one of the toughest guys to ever play in the program,” Paul McDonald, one of White’s quarterbacks during his four years, told The Times in July
But White would deal with the consequences of those collisions long after his playing career had ended.
Years of drug and alcohol abuse accelerated the end of his football career, even eventually leading him to sell his Heisman Trophy. He landed back at USC following his NFL tenure, first as a special assistant to the athletic director in 1990 and then as the Trojans running backs coach from 1993-97. But as White spiraled deeper into addiction, the relationship with one of USC’s best-ever backs deteriorated. USC cut ties completely more than a decade ago.
Soon after, following years of erratic behavior, White was diagnosed with dementia, likely a product of the pummeling the prolific back took over the years.
“Everybody thought his problems were strictly drug-related, now we find out that it could have been directly related to the traumatic brain injury,” Judi White-Basch, White’s ex-wife, told The Times in July. “For so many years it didn’t make sense; now it makes sense.”
White spent the last two years of his life in an assisted living facility, where a list of his accomplishments sat on a lampshade next to his bed and photos of his glory days at USC adorned the walls. When The Times visited White in July, he was still well aware of what he’d accomplished for the university he still loved, even if it had been years since the university had connected with the legendary back.
“USC forever,” he said.
His family had hoped the relationship with the school might be mended in time.
“It seems like a great time to open those doors back up,” White-Basch said. “It would make him feel so good just to be invited back to Heritage Hall to say hi.”
On Wednesday, in the wake of his death, USC athletic director Mike Bohn called White “one of the all-time great Trojans.”
In addition to White-Basch, White is survived by their children Nicole White, Julian White, Tara White, Ashton White, Sophia White and granddaughter Giovanna Hemmen.
