Don White, former Haverhill High School and Notre Dame Football player was born on October 3rd, 1938. From 1952-1956, White was a star quarterback and defensive halfback at Haverhill, and his talents extended once he was accepted to study and compete at the prestigious Notre Dame University. While at Haverhill, White was a part of many big game moments. The most notable; however, came during his senior year. “I think there were a lot of big moments our senior year…we were Class A Champions,” he said. “No one has won a Class A Championship since we did in 1955.” More specific moments include a personal conversation with his coach at the time, Paul Ryan. “People always ask me about when we played Malden my senior year. Our coach was a very tough, conservative coach. He always insisted on running the ball, running the ball, running that ball. It was the second game of the season…it was very hot. He told me I could throw the ball if I wanted to,” said White. Malden was in the red zone just inches away from scoring a touchdown, when they fumbled the ball, and Haverhill recovered. White had the ball in his hands and remembered what his coach had told him. “I threw the ball to Mike Conway. He was on about the 50 yard line and I hit him with the pass. We went 99 yards for the touchdown, and went on to beat Malden 28-14. Those are the moments you never forget. Everything that happened to me was just wonderful. I have nothing but nice thoughts about my town (Haverhill), my high school career, my coaches. It was a dream.” After graduating from Haverhill, White chose to attend the University of Notre Dame. Here, he would see little play time before his senior year, but White remained determined. One of his proudest moments came during the first game he ever started. The starting quarterback at the time, George Izo, had become injured, allowing White to step in to position. “One of my best moments was winning the first game I started in my senior year,” he said. White would go on to lead his team in a comeback win over Navy when the team kicked a field goal with just 10 seconds remaining in the game. Of course, with the good come the bad, and there were certainly bad moments at Notre Dame. “I can remember playing 59 minutes and 40 seconds in a game against George Tech without coming off the field, then fumbling on the last drive on the 20 yard line,” White said. “The good moments far exceed the bad moments though.” After he graduated from Notre Dame, White had a decision to make. There was an opportunity to go play in Canada, but White felt it was time to move on from football and start a career. “I decided that was probably the best thing to do,” he said. White would have four children; Geralyn, Kevin, Brian, and Chris. Two of his sons; Brian and Chris, decided they wanted to be involved in football just like their dad, as coaches. “Football has always been in my family,” White said. “My dad was a letter winning in Haverhill in the last 1920’s, and then he got a scholarship where he played football and basketball. I talk about him with great pride. My dad was probably the best athlete in the whole family.” Today, White is retired and still lives in Massachusetts. Although he is not as involved in football anymore, he still enjoys watching his sons coach. “I still enjoy being in that football atmosphere, that’s always very exciting,” he said.
Posted on: Wed, 21 May 2014 12:08:51 +0000
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