50 GREATEST GOLDEN BEARS - #23 - SHERMAN WHITE

#23 - SHERMAN WHITE - DEFENSIVE TACKLE (1969-1971)
I became an earnest Cal football fan in 1978, in the days of Rich Campbell and John Tuggle. Wanting to learn more about Bears history and CFB in general, I bugged my parents to buy me a glossy encyclopedia book that happened to include photos of all the Kodak All-America teams. There was Chuck Muncie, Steve Rivera - I knew their names. And then there was an enormous defensive tackle named Sherman White, who made the 1971 team. Who was Sherman White?

• He was big enough to excel at defensive tackle, but quick enough to start at defensive end for 11 years in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills.
• He came to Berkeley after a year at Laney JC in 1969 and immediately cracked the starting lineup as a sophomore.
• He played his best against Stanford, including an interception return for touchdown in the 29-28 near-miss loss in 1969 and a dominating effort in 1970's 22-14 upset of the Rose Bowl-bound Indians.
• He was twice voted first-team all Pac 8, and was a consensus choice as All-America in 1971.

And he's #23 on the 50 Greatest Golden Bears list. That's who Sherman White is.