|
By Mark Wright
Danny White Returns to Utah With Arena Football
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH -- An active member of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints, Danny White has had a very long and
successful career in football. During his stellar college career, he
only suffered through 4 defeats. One of those losses, to the
University of Utah, still brings back vivid memories, not all of
which are good.
The Arizona Sun Devils lost to the Utes by the score of 36-31 and
that made the overall visit to Utah even less memorable. "The
sidelines were big banks of snow and the field was like concrete,"
said White. "I obviously remember the feeling after we lost that
game, because it was miserable. With Frank Kush as our coach, losing
was not fun." White didn't suffer the wrath of Coach Kush very often
since he finished his career at ASU with an overall record of 32-4.
After his highly successful college career, White went on to a
stellar career as the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys where he also
served as the punter for many seasons.
Now, as head coach of the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football
league, White recently returned to try once more to conquer the state
of Utah. This time however, White wasn't playing against a Utah team
and his mission was to bring the audience to the show. White's
Rattlers defeated the Houston Thunderbears 77-67 in a wild football
game that featured more points than most BYU basketball games.
This showdown between the Rattlers and the Thunderbears marked a
first-ever appearance for the Arena Football League in the state of
Utah where the league is test marketing the concept of Arena Football
in possible expansion cities. According to Commissioner David Backer,
"I have always felt that Salt Lake City has the great potential to be
a really great arena football city." The win was also historic in
another sense because it gave White his 100th career win in the Arena
Football league, with all wins coming during his 10 years at the helm
of the Rattlers. Only one other coach in Arena Football history has
ever reached that plateau before, placing White in a very elite group.
A long-time resident of Arizona, it's not surprising that the Arena
Football League would bring the game to Utah and attempt to
capitalize on White's LDS following by advertising him as "Utah's
own." Given the tremendous popularity and fan recognition of Danny
White, it's probably a pretty smart move. Danny White is the kind of
guy that everybody wants to claim as one of their own. So now, at
least until the next time he leaves Arizona and returns to compete
north of the border, Danny White has some better memories to
associate with the great state of Utah.
Source:
White Has Bad Utah Memories, Arena Football League coach recalls loss to Utes
Salt Lake Tribune 30Jun01 S2
By Patrick Kinahan: Salt Lake Tribune
|
