Brian White: From Harvard History Major to 25-Year Coaching Veteran
Saturday, October 22, 2011 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Brian White was a history major at Harvard, and his father, Don, who played quarterback at Notre Dame in the late 1950s, was a high school and college coach when Brian was growing up.
The combination of White's interest in history and his father's career choice prepared him well for the coach's life. Now in his third season at Florida, White originally joined former Gators coach Urban Meyer's staff in 2009 as tight ends/fullbacks coach.
After spending the 2008 season across the country at Washington, White reconnected with Meyer, his former rival.
“When I was coaching at UNLV and Urban was at Colorado State, we recruited the same areas in Southern California and stayed at the same hotels,'' White said. “We befriended each other. We were both 25 years old. It was good. He was a very aggressive recruiter and I'd like to think I was and we developed a common respect for one another.''
When Meyer resigned after last season, White faced an uncertain period so common in the coaching profession when one coach leaves and another is hired.
He didn't know Will Muschamp personally but they shared some of the same friends in coaching circles. Those friends put in a good word. White took care of the rest in talking with Muschamp, who hired White to serve as the Gators' running backs coach.
“In the transition, when you are waiting to know whether you are going to be retained or rehired, it's very anxious, particularly when you have a wife and two kids who really enjoy Gainesville,'' White said. “At the same time, you just know it's part of our profession and you just keep working hard and doing what you're doing and good things usually happen.''
White has evidently done something right since taking his first coaching job as a graduate assistant at Fordham 25 years ago this fall. He has carved out a reputation as a talented recruiter and versatile offensive mind, having coached running backs, fullbacks, tight ends, special teams, wide receivers and quarterbacks over a career that has included several stops.
He has also served two stints as an offensive coordinator, once at Wisconsin, where he was named National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2004 by the American Football Coaches Association, and from 2006-07 at Syracuse.
“Brian is a veteran coach who knows the game very well,'' Muschamp said. “To have his experience and knowledge is a big plus for our players and our coaching staff.''
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White entered coaching like his father, but if he hadn't, it would not have been a huge surprise for those who knew the White family of Haverhill, Mass. While Don White was a longtime coach, White's mother, Maureen, was a well-respected English teacher.
White's two older siblings built their careers far from a football field. White's sister, filmmaker Geralyn Dreyfous, founded the Philanthropic Initiative in Boston, an organization that guides wealthy families in strategic giving opportunities. She also won an Academy Award in 2004 for her documentary film “Born Into Brothels.”
Meanwhile, White's older brother, Kevin, didn't play football and focused on a career in business, climbing the financial ladder on Wall Street.
But after graduating from Harvard, where he was the starting quarterback for two seasons, White immediately embarked on a coaching career. His younger brother, Chris, now a special teams coach with the NFL's Minnesota Vikings, later followed in Don and Brian's footsteps.
One of the highlights of White's coaching career came at Syracuse when he and his brother worked on the same staff for two seasons together.
Kevin White told The Daily Orange, the student newspaper at Syracuse, that his younger brothers' interest in coaching came from Maureen as much as Don.
“When you think of professions that give, the teaching profession gives,'' Kevin said. “It's the gratification of watching someone develop -- that's what both of them to do. Neither one of them are coaches that stop and hang up their whistles at the end of the day.
“The kids that come in are family members. They become very, very close to their kids.''
All you have to do is watch White interact with running backs Chris Rainey, Jeff Demps or one of the other players at practice to see what Kevin is talking about. There is constant back-and-forth chatter that helps White teach and the players stay loose.
White briefly tried a career on Wall Street like Kevin, but that lasted about as long as his lunch breaks. He can't imagine doing something else for a living after a quarter of a century.
“I always felt like that if anyone ever had a better childhood than me, I'd like to meet that person,'' White said. “It was like a perpetual recess for me. Coaching is an extension of that for me. I've never felt like I've worked. I know we work very hard, but recess was always my favorite period of the day and I feel like that's what I'm doing at 47. I consider myself very lucky and blessed.”
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A Brian White Q&A:
Q: How do think you are different in your 25th year as a college coach compared to your first?
A: I'd like to think I'm not any different. I have maybe a little more wisdom obviously in terms of the game and coaching, but I hope I'm the same person and the athletes from Fordham to Notre Dame to UNLV to Wisconsin to Syracuse to Washington to here at Florida would have a common opinion of me. I hope it's a positive one.
Q: You coached Heisman Trophy-winning running back Ron Dayne at Wisconsin and other good backs. What do you enjoy about coaching the backfield compared to other positions?
A: I've always enjoyed coaching the position because it's a combination of running the ball and teaching the passing game in running routes and protection. Teaching protection is a part of the game that I've always enjoyed teaching the running backs. It's such an integral part of the game and of any offense. You have to protect the quarterback
Q: What is a skill you look for in an elite running back?
A: The first skill I look for is lower body explosion and balance. Everyone talks about speed, but I'm always looking for people that have great speed through contact. Contact speed is what you are doing when you get hit. What your balance is like and your body position. That's really important. Running backs come in all different sizes, shapes and forms, but the one common denominator is they all have lower body strength and balance.
Q: You have coached at several schools in your career. How long does it take to really know a place?
A: I'd say it takes a couple [years] to really feel comfortable in your environment and really know the players and have them really know who you are. I do feel very comfortable with our football team and our players and have really enjoyed the coaching staff that Coach Muschamp has put together. It's really a quality group of people that are fun to work with.
Q: What's your favorite meal?
A: It's definitely Italian. Anything Italian.
Q: Favorite book?
A: I'm a James Michener and David Halberstam guy. Those are my two favorite authors. To pick a favorite would be hard, but probably Halberstam's book “The Best and the Brightest.''
Q: Your perfect vacation spot?
A: Maui. My wife and I went there – she'll call it our honeymoon, I think 8 years after we were married. We bought a timeshare over there. It was awesome, just really relaxing and beautiful.''
Q: What was your best day as an athlete?
A: I'd say my senior year at Harvard when we came from behind and beat Holy Cross. We scored 21 points in 42 seconds to beat them, 28-21. It was an amazing turn of events.
Q: What is your best day as a coach?
A: I'd say the Rose Bowl experiences [at Wisconsin] were pretty special. Beating UCLA and Stanford in back-to-back Rose Bowls was pretty awesome. It's a great game, just the venue and the atmosphere and the In-N-Out Burgers.
Q: If you weren't a coach, what would you be doing?
A: I'd be doing something teaching, something affiliated with young people. What? I don't really know and hopefully I don't have to figure it out any time soon.
