Jason White (American football)

Jason White (born June 19, 1980) is a former American football quarterback who played for the University of Oklahoma from 1999 to 2004, during which he won the 2003 Heisman Trophy. White is currently a business owner in Oklahoma.

Early life

White was raised in Tuttle, Oklahoma and played high school football for the Tuttle Tigers.

College career

1999

White played in a reserve role his true freshman season. Josh Heupel was the starting quarterback.

2000

White redshirted his sophomore season in 2000. The Sooners went on to win the 2001 Orange Bowl and a national championship. The team was led at quarterback by senior Josh Heupel.

2001

Nate Hybl beat out White for the starting quarterback job in 2001 in an attempt to defend the national title. Hybl hurt his right side in the first quarter of the Sooners' 14-3 win over No. 5 Texas and did not return. Jason White replaced him and was 16-of-23 for 108 yards and ran 12 times for a team-high 38 yards. White's performance excited Sooner fans for both the immediate and long-term future of the QB position. Jason White started the next week against Kansas, throwing 4 TD passes to Nate Hybl's roommate, TE Trent Smith. White continued to start the following games for the Sooners including a showdown with Nebraska, featuring the top 2 teams in the BCS for the second consecutive year. During the second quarter Jason White injured his ACL while completing a long pass to RB Quentin Griffin. He would be unable to return the rest of the year, giving Nate Hybl the chance to start once again. Hybl eventually led the Sooners to the 2002 Cotton Bowl Classic. White ended up getting to throw the ball 113 times during the 2001 season as Hybl's backup.

2002

The 2002 season started out with a preseason battle for the starting QB spot between Jason White and senior QB Nate Hybl. White eventually won a close a battle and was named the starter for the first game against Tulsa. After a slow start, the offense finally got rolling and they easily cruised to a shut out win. In the second game, the Alabama Crimson Tide came to Norman. White again went down with a knee injury, this time tearing the ACL in the opposite knee. Hybl came in as a backup and led the team to a hard-fought come-from-behind win, but the offense experienced some struggles in the second half. White would again be out for the season and Hybl led the team to a Big 12 championship and a victory over Washington State in the 2003 Rose Bowl game, being named MVP.

2003

After suffering from consecutive anterior cruciate ligament tears, White had reconstructive knee surgeries on both knees during the 2001 and 2002 seasons. Despite the fact that White could not scramble and the Sooners had to run every offensive play out of a shotgun formation, White won the Heisman Trophy in 2003 after throwing 40 touchdown passes and 8 interceptions. White was also the recipient of the Associated Press Player of the Year, consensus All-American, consensus Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, the Davey O'Brien Award and the Jim Thorpe Courage Award in his 2003 season. He was also the 2003 NCAA QB of the Year as awarded by the Touchdown Club of Columbus.^[1] He was awarded a medical hardship by the NCAA and allowed to play a second senior year in 2004.^[2][3] He led the Sooners to the Big 12 championship game in 2003, which they lost to Kansas State.^[4]

• 2004 BCS National Championship Game - Oklahoma 14, LSU 21

2004

White was granted a medical hardship for the 2004 season. White was again a finalist for the Heisman Trophy in 2004, trying to become just the second player after Archie Griffin to win the honor twice, but instead finished third behind his Sooner backfield mate, runner-up Adrian Peterson and winner Matt Leinart. White did win the Davey O'Brien Award for the second straight year, becoming the third quarterback ever to win the prestigious award two years in a row. White and Peterson led the Sooners to another national championship game, the Orange Bowl, in 2004, but lost 55-19 to Leinart's USC Trojans.^[6]) White finished his collegiate career as the University of Oklahoma's all-time leader in career passing yards (8,012) and touchdown passes (81).^[7]

• 2005 BCS National Championship Game - Oklahoma 19, USC 55

White's on-the-field accomplishments have been further honored in Tuttle with the painting of a local water tower to read "Home of Jason White 2003 Heisman Trophy Winner".^[8] This tower is readily seen from the center of town, just west of State Highways 4 and 37. Additionally, a section of Cimarron Road in the city was renamed "Jason White Boulevard".

College statistics

^[9]

NFL career

Despite his strong college career, White was not selected in the 2005 NFL Draft and did not receive a tryout from any NFL team in the first several weeks of post-draft free agency. He did eventually receive a tryout from the Kansas City Chiefs, who opted not to sign him. Eventually the Tennessee Titans signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2005,^[10] but White decided to quit professional football, citing weak knees. White has expressed an interest in coaching.^[11]

Post football life

Today, White owns and operates the Jason White Companies,^[12] which owns A Store Divided, an OU/OSU memorabilia store, and a The Athlete's Foot shoe store. ^[13] He also worked with insurance agent Steve Owens, another former Sooner Heisman Trophy winner and former athletic director at the University of Oklahoma. Prior to that, White worked briefly for a securities firm in downtown Oklahoma City. He is a co-founder and board member of St. Anthony Hospital's YourCARE Clinic community health centers.

In 2007, a bronze statue of White was dedicated on the University of Oklahoma campus in Heisman Park, commemorating his 2003 award.^[14]

References

External links

• Jason White at the Heisman Trophy