Jun 6, 2008 9:27 pm US/Eastern
Former Teammates Remember Dwight White
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
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Former Steelers Defensive End Dwight White passed away this morning
KDKA
Family, friends and fans are mourning the death of former Steeler Dwight White.
White, 58, died after developing a blood clot following back surgery.
White was a constant presence during the Steelers' decade of dominance during the 1970's as a member of the Steel Curtain defense.
What the players accomplished during that decade bonded them as a team and they maintained that connection throughout the years.
"He had a great sense of humor. He liked to kid people," former Steelers Linebacker Andy Russell recalled. "He was one of the more outspoken fellows on that defensive line."
"He was a character. I mean he kept the team loose, he kept the locker room loose and he was a big part of the things we were able to do," former Steelers Cornerback Mel Blount said.
White had a strong sense of humor, but on the field he was tough.
"As soon as they broke the huddle, he started abusing the guy he was going to play against," Russell said. "He loves that story because it was his nature - he had to make it a street fight.
"In other words, it's mono y mono and I'm not being Mr. Nice Guy."
As they lined up in those days, it was White on the line, Russell behind him in linebacker and Blount behind Russell at cornerback.
"And occassionally I would get confused and make a mistake and he had so much fun giving me the needle about, 'Come on, you know how to do this,' and he always did it in a nice way and I appreciated his style and his sense of humor," Russell said.
"He was a Steeler and ... Dwight really was a Pittsburgher as well," Blount said. "His wife was a Pittsburgh lady and you know this was home for him and Dwight embraced the community, got involved in the community, got involved in the business world and he has touched a lot of lives and he's had impact on a lot of people and so there are a lot of fond memories of this guy.
"It's too bad that we've lost him at such an early age," Blount added.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Remembering Dwight White
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