CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — When Mike White was hired as the new Illinois football coach in December 1979, he promised to make Fighting Illini football fun again. The following summer in his first game against Northwestern, he called for quarterback Dave Wilson to throw a pass as far as he could down the field. Even though the ball fell to the ground as an incomplete pass, the Fighting Illini faithful stood and gave the team a standing ovation. That play started nearly a decade of West Coast Offense that changed the way of thinking about football in the Big Ten and Midwest.
White passed away Sunday at the age of 89, leaving a legacy of incredible passing records and exciting football.
White was the head coach of the Fighting Illini from 1980-87, guiding Illinois to a 47-41-3 record. He led Illinois to three bowl games, including the 1984 Rose Bowl game after a 10-1 record in the 1983 regular season and a perfect 9-0 record in Big Ten games. The 1983 team is the only team in Big Ten history to have defeated every other conference opponent in the same season.
White was named the Walter Camp Coach of the Year and Big Ten Coach of the Year in 1983.
White's teams virtually rewrote the Illinois passing records and brought Illinois back to Big Ten contender status. He coached some of the all-time great Illini quarterbacks in Wilson, Tony Eason, and Jack Trudeau, and the Illini's all-time leading receiver in David Williams. A College Football Hall of Fame inductee in 2005, Williams still holds Illinois records for career receptions, season receptions, career touchdown receptions, season touchdown receptions, career receiving yardage, and season receiving yardage.
White's three bowl games coached at Illinois is tied for the most in program history. The 1982 squad (7-5, 6-3 Big Ten) played in the Liberty Bowl against Alabama in the legendary Bear Bryant's final game as Crimson Tide head coach, while the 1985 Illini (6-4-1, 5-2-1 Big Ten) appeared in the Peach Bowl. White's 1982 team was Illinois' first to reach a bowl game since its 1964 Rose Bowl appearance.
White was also the head coach at California (1972-77) and the Oakland Raiders (1995-96). He coached California to a Pac-8 championship with a nation-leading offense (459 yards per game) in 1975. White later helped the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl championship during the 1999 season as a member of the offensive staff.
