Tony White (American football)

Anthony Dewayne White II (born March 22, 1979) is an American football coach and former linebacker who is currently the defensive coordinator for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He played three seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the Ottawa Renegades and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats before getting into coaching.

Tony White
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Position:Defensive coordinator
Personal information
Born: (1979-03-22) March 22, 1979
Key West, Florida, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school:Burges
(El Paso, Texas)
College:UCLA
Undrafted:2002
Career history
As a player:
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
As a coach:
  • St. Genevieve HS (CA) (2006)
    Head coach
  • UCLA (2007)
    Graduate assistant
  • New Mexico (2008)
    Linebackers coach
  • San Diego State (2009–2010)
    Cornerbacks coach
  • San Diego State (2011–2017)
    Cornerbacks coach & recruiting coordinator
  • Arizona State (2018–2019)
    Cornerbacks coach & defensive passing game coordinator
  • Arizona State (2019)
    Defensive coordinator & secondary coach
  • Syracuse (2020–2022)
    Defensive coordinator
  • Nebraska (2023–present)
    Defensive coordinator
Career CFL statistics
Games played:16
Total tackles:46
Sacks:2.0

Early life and high school career

White was born in Key West, Florida to an American father and a Korean mother, who met when his father was serving overseas in Korea.[1] After spending most of his youth in New York City with his mother, he moved to El Paso, Texas and lived with his father for a year before moving in with the family of his best friend after his dad was reassigned to San Antonio.[2] He attended and played football at Burges High School in El Paso, and had committed to playing college football at Oklahoma State before de-committing and committing to UCLA after then-Bruins defensive coordinator Rocky Long offered him a spot at the recommendation of El Paso native and then-UCLA commit Ed Stansbury.[3][4]

College career

At UCLA, White was a three-year starter who was praised by members of the coaching staff for his ability to act as an "on-field coach", with the ability to break down an opponent on film as pay attention to who the Bruins were recruiting.[5]

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2002 NFL Draft, White signed with the Buffalo Bills for training camp but did not make the roster. He also had a preseason stint with the Calgary Stampeders but did not make the roster.

Ottawa Renegades

White was signed by the Ottawa Renegades in 2003.[6] After getting cut by the Renegades, he was quickly re-signed by the team and played the 2003 and 2004 seasons with them before getting released in 2005.[7][8]

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

White was signed by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2005, playing three games with the team.

Coaching career

After one season as the head coach at St. Genevieve High School in Los Angeles, White joined the coaching staff at his alma mater UCLA as a graduate assistant for football operations. He was hired as the linebackers coach at New Mexico in 2008 on the coaching staff of Rocky Long, his former defensive coordinator from his playing days at UCLA.[9]

San Diego State

White was hired as the cornerbacks coach at San Diego State on January 27, 2009, weeks after Long was hired as the program's defensive coordinator.[10] He was retained and added the title of recruiting coordinator when Long was promoted to head coach in 2011.[11]

Arizona State

White was named the cornerbacks coach and defensive passing game coordinator at Arizona State on January 5, 2018, joining former San Diego State defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales, who was hired as the Sun Devils defensive coordinator a few weeks prior.[12][13][14]

White was promoted to defensive coordinator before the final game of the 2019 season and served as the defensive play-caller for the Sun Devils in their appearance in the Sun Bowl after Gonzales departed Arizona State for the head coaching position at New Mexico.[15][16]

Syracuse

White was named the defensive coordinator at Syracuse on February 7, 2020 under Dino Babers, who he worked with when he was a graduate assistant at UCLA.[17][18]

Nebraska

White was named the defensive coordinator at Nebraska as reported by Pete Thamel on December 8, 2022

Personal life

White and his wife Angela have two children; Anthony III and Ava.[17]

References
  1. "Taking job at Syracuse University was life-saving decision for defensive coordinator". CNY Central. 7 February 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  2. "El Paso 'made me.' Former Burges standout Tony White comes to Sun Bowl as an ASU coach". El Paso Times. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  3. "The walk from practice: DBs coach Tony White on the rotating secondary and his UCLA roots". The Athletic. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  4. "Sun City homecoming: Arizona State's Tony White returns to coach Sun Bowl". KTSM9. 28 December 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  5. "Tony White at UCLA: 'It was like we had a coach on the field'". syracuse.com. 3 March 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  6. "Renegades Sign Linebacker Anthony White". Our Sports Central. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  7. "CFL teams make final roster cuts". CBC. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  8. "Team Transactions - June 15–19". Canadian Football League. 21 June 2005. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  9. "Tony White Named Linebackers Coach at New Mexico". University of New Mexico Athletics. 26 February 2008. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  10. "Hoke Completes Staff with Hiring of Tony White". SDSU Athletics. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  11. "SDSU Football Retains Three Assistant Coaches". SDSU Athletics. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  12. "Sun Devil Football Adds Tony White to Defensive Staff". Arizona State University Athletics. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  13. "Tony White leaves San Diego State for Arizona State". Associated Press. 6 January 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  14. "Desperate, Disappointing Arizona State Shamelessly Steals Strong SDSU Staff". Mountain West Wire. 6 January 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  15. "Secondary coach Tony White elevated to ASU defensive coordinator". Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  16. "ASU coordinators adjust to new, larger roles for Sun Bowl". El Paso Times. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  17. "Syracuse football officially hires Tony White as defensive coordinator". syracuse.com. 7 February 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  18. "Tony White to Lead Syracuse Defense". Syracuse University Athletics. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
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