Alongside New York, the City of Los Angeles has seen arguably more star athletes than any other major market in the country.
But on Wednesday, it lost one of its all-time best, with former USC Heisman Trophy winner and Los Angeles Rams running back Charles White passing away at the age of 64 after a battle with cancer, the school announced.
White helped lead the Trojans to a national championship in 1978, rushing for 1,859 yards and 13 touchdowns. In 1979, he was arguably the best football player in the entire country, rushing 332 times for 2,050 yards and 19 touchdowns, and bringing home the Heisman Trophy, the Maxwell Award, and the Walter Camp Award.
He was also named a unanimous All-American and the Pac-10 player of the Year in both 1978 and 1979.
To this day, despite the flurry of running backs that came through the Trojans program throughout its history, such as Reggie Bush, Marcus Allen, OJ Simpson, Ronald Jones, LenDale White, Anthony Davis, and Ricky Bell, among others, White remains the schools all-time leading rusher with 6,245 yards and 49 touchdowns on 1,147 carries.
He is also the fourth leading rusher in NCAA history behind Texas' Ricky Williams (6.279), Wisconsin's Ron Dayne (6,397) and San Diego State's Donnel Pumphrey (6,405).
And those were just his college achievements.
"Charles White was one of the all-time great Trojans," said USC athletic director Mike Bohn. "A Rose Bowl legend, a two-time unanimous All-American and an NCAA record-setter, he made USC proud donning the Cardinal and Gold. He will always be remembered by the Trojan Family for the history he made on the football field and the legacy he left at Troy. Fight On Forever!"
At the NFL level, White was drafted with the 27th pick of the first round in the 1980 NFL Draft by the Browns, playing five seasons in Cleveland.
White then joined his former USC coach, John Robinson with the LA Rams from 1985-1988.
In 1987, White led the NFL in rushing with the Rams, racking up 1,387 yards and 11 touchdowns, and earning the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year Award.
"He was the toughest player I've ever coached," said John Robinson, White's former USC and Rams head coach. "He was really unusual in that regard. He was a great player and just loved playing the game. Those are the things I remember the most. He was a really tough guy, and he was an extremely gifted athlete. But the toughness…wow!"
White is survived by his ex-wife Judianne White-Basch, their children Nicole White, Julian White, Tara White, Ashton White, Sophia White, and granddaughter Giovanna Hemmen.
You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan
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