Memory VolT: Brotherhood key for White
Running the show at quarterback in Griffin, Georgia. It was a lean and mean Fred White that had college coaches all over the country invading the small town just south of Atlanta. That's when Tennessee started to make their move with some talented assistants.
"It started out with Lovie Smith and Larry Marmie that were the two guys coming to see me on a regular basis," White said. "They both were leaving and coach Chavis started recruiting me after that. We had several guys from my high school go to Tennessee so I knew about what Tennessee offered."
Two of those former Vols were Willie Gault and Ben Talley. They left an impression on White and put Tennessee over the top.
"I knew Willie Gault and Ben Talley," White said. "Willie Gault went to high school with my mom and dad and they knew him and his wife. We had conversations about Tennessee. I knew Ben Talley because I played ball with his brother. I had great respect for both of those guys. The part that drew me to Tennessee was the bond between the players and former players. It didn't matter what position you played or what color you were. They all were cool. It just seemed like a family."
White also felt good about the Vols due to the feeling his grandfather had about John Chavis. The two hit it off and put White's mind at ease.
A library of memories from his time at Tennessee, White can recall almost everything from his five years in Knoxville. As for his greatest memory? It was a young White that felt the world crashing around him and that's when family made a goal line stand.
"One of my greatest memories, good or bad was when my dad died my freshman year," White said. "I remember going to Terry Fair's room to tell him what had happened and the hug he gave me and the love he showed me was something I'll never forget. Then when I came back from my dad's funeral, the older guys really took me in and made me their little brother. I was already a part of the team, but I felt more a part of the team after my dad died because they knew I was in pain and I was hurting. Guys like Tyrone Hines, Chester Ford, Joey Kent and those guys really looked out for me. It was real and that was family. They looked out for the young freshman and they kept me here because I didn't want to be after my dad died."
The 1998 Florida game and the battle with Notre Dame in 1999 stand out for White where he felt that he was at his best.
"I had some good games," White said. "Those two stand out to me, but I also played well against Georgia in 1999 and then Vanderbilt in both 1998 and 1999. That Florida game in 98 meant the most because I hadn't beat them until then. I had beaten all those other teams every time. That's what made Florida the rivalry for me."
White never lost to Vanderbilt and never quite viewed them as a rival for that fact. That's not the case today for this current group of Vols.
"The seniors on this football team have lost to Vanderbilt," White said. "That makes it more than a rivalry. When a team comes up and beats you when it historically doesn't then it makes a difference in my opinion. I looked at Georgia as a rival because I'm from there, but we beat them every year. I knew Alabama was our biggest rival historically, but to me it was Florida because we only beat them once. Vanderbilt has given us some losses lately and that's why I think they are more of a rival now."
Labeled the heavy hitter at safety while fellow safety Deon Grant was known as the ball-hawk centerfielder, White maintains he was more athletic than people gave him credit for during his time on Rocky Top. He totaled close to 200 tackles and was a force in the secondary.
"One of the things I always use to hear was, 'Fred White is a little slow' and I was the fastest starting DB that we had," White said. "I didn't have to show my speed as much as the other guys because they were playing the middle of the field. When the scouts came and we ran, I ran faster than both of them."
White lives and works in Knoxville. He is an analyst on the Locker Room and the Sports Animal.