RAIDER, RAM OPPONENTS : Eagles’ Reggie White Delivers a Message From Field, Pulpit

The TV news crew’s lights flashed on as soon as Reggie White strode to the pulpit of a packed Baptist church in North Philadelphia.

Curiosity had attracted perhaps a third of those in attendance, but White’s All-Pro status as a defensive end with the Philadelphia Eagles mattered little to the rest of the congregation, some of whom might have assumed that he was using the appearance to further his career.

Five minutes into White’s sermon, he had the congregation in the palm of his hand. White was enlightening and entertaining, especially when he used his array of impressions--Muhammad Ali, Elvis Presley, Clint Eastwood and Rodney Dangerfield.

“It was really remarkable,” Ray Didinger, a Philadelphia newspaper columnist, said after watching White’s sermon. “He was very powerful.”

Licensed as a Baptist minister at 17, White dreams of having his own church after he retires from the National Football League. He has preached at more than 100 churches.

“I got my (minister’s) license when I was 17, but I can honestly say that the Lord changed my life two years ago,” White, 27, said. “I thought you could dip into the world of sin and do anything you wanted and then go back to Him and ask for forgiveness. But I realized that I had to surrender myself completely to Him.”

White hopes to reach a target audience that worships at a stadium instead of the sanctuary on Sunday. By witnessing on the field, he hopes to make converts.

“The main reason I play football is that it gives me a platform to preach the Gospel,” White said. “A lot of fans look up to me, and I want to be a good role model.”

In keeping with this desire, he conducts a weekly Bible study class at his home and has baptized several teammates in his bathtub. He doesn’t drink alcohol, use drugs or smoke tobacco.

He has withdrawn his name from consideration for the NFL lineman-of-the-year award the last two years because it is sponsored by a beer company. A God-fearing man, White also puts fear into opposing teams on the field, where he is the Eagles’ Minister of Defense. An extraordinary defensive lineman, he has had 74 sacks in 63 games since joining the Eagles in 1985.

White had 21 sacks, one short of Mark Gastineau’s NFL record, in 12 games during the strike-shortened 1987 season and led the league in sacks last season. He donates money to a group of ministries for each of his sacks.

“He’s the best defensive player I’ve ever been around,” Eagle Coach Buddy Ryan said. “I’ve never seen a guy who’s 6-5, 285 pounds and runs 4.6 (seconds) in the 40 (-yard dash). And he’s tough too.”

White sometimes does more than just sack quarterbacks. Last season, he knocked quarterback Phil Simms of the New York Giants out of a game with a shoulder injury.

The previous season, White sent quarterback Jay Schroeder, then of the Washington Redskins, out of a game with a separated shoulder. Schroeder will be facing White again Sunday when the Raiders play in Philadelphia.

“Nobody can stop him,” Schroeder said. “He’s probably the defensive lineman in the league that you have to watch out for (the most).”

How does White reconcile the brutal world of pro football with his religious beliefs? “A lot of people think Christians are supposed to be wimps, but Christians aren’t wimps at all,” White said. “I don’t go out to end anyone’s career. But I play (football) the way it’s supposed to be played.”

Although White is among the NFL’s best defensive linemen, he was not compensated accordingly in his first four seasons. After coming to the Eagles from the Memphis Stars of the United States Football League in 1985, White signed a contract that paid him $400,000 a season. Although it seemed like a fair deal at the time, it soon became apparent that White was being underpaid for his skills.

White didn’t complain, but when the contract ended last season, he demanded to be paid more than Buffalo Bills defensive end Bruce Smith, who had signed a $7.5-million, five-year contract--the richest in pro football for a defensive lineman.

Citing a clause in his contract, the Eagles contended that White was in his option year. However, White claimed that the option year had been added to his contract without his knowledge. Patrick Forte, White’s former agent, had joined the Eagles as assistant to the president after negotiating White’s contract.

Citing a conflict of interest, White filed a $1.5-million lawsuit against the Eagles and Forte, alleging that Forte failed to inform him about the option year and that he was pursuing a job with the Eagles while negotiating with them.

On the day that the case was set for trial, the Eagles announced at the courthouse that they had signed White to a $6.1-million, five-year contract.

Is he overpaid now?

“People think it’s all right for a man who has no commitment to the Lord to go out and try to get rich,” White said. “But if a Christian tries to get rich, they think he’s a Jim Bakker or Jimmy Swaggart. They say that you shouldn’t be trying to get money because you’re a Christian. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that.

“The money that God has blessed me with, I want to be able to give back to the people. If God calls me to get a church, I want people to know that I had my money before I got into the church, so they won’t think I’m taking it.”

By signing White, the Eagles avoided what could have been embarrassing litigation in which team secrets might have been aired in public. But White knew that the suit was his best leverage against the team and he used it.

After missing most of training camp because of his contract dispute, White has gotten off to a slow start this season. He has four sacks in six games but said that’s normal for him.

“People say that I’m off to a slow start, but I had six sacks at this time last year and I ended up leading the league in sacks,” White said. “It gets frustrating when you’re being double-teamed, but the rest of the defensive line is playing well.”

While White has been in a slump, teammate Jerome Brown has had six sacks in six games, more than he had in 16 games last season. One theory is that because defenses have focused upon stopping White, Brown has been relatively free to roam.

Before the season, White called a meeting of the defensive linemen and predicted that his sacks might decline because he would face more double-team blocking schemes. He told his linemates it was up to them to make up the difference because they would each be blocked by just one player.

White’s motivational speech seems to have worked because the Eagles are ranked fourth in the NFL in sacks this season.

If White can’t lead the Eagles in sacks, at least he can serve as their their spiritual and psychological leader.

The bus carrying the Philadelphia Eagles replacement team was entering a hotel parking lot when it was confronted by the striking Eagle veterans.

But Reggie White had other ideas. He stood in front of the bus, blocking its path to the hotel. The standoff ended when the bus drove away.

His teammates cheered. White had already been recognized as one of the Eagles’ best players, but he emerged as a team leader during the 1987 NFL strike. The Eagles stood firm during the strike, with no veteran players crossing the picket line.

Reggie White isn’t all fire and brimstone. He has a comic side, too. Just ask Johnny Majors, who coached White at Tennessee.

Majors was sitting in his car with one leg hanging out the door when he felt something grab at his ankle, and heard a Doberman growl.

Terrified because he thought a vicious guard dog was attacking him, Majors pulled back his leg, slammed the car door and peered out the window.

Suddenly, a shrill laugh pierced the air.

White had fooled another unsuspecting victim with his dog impression.

“Coach Majors almost had a heart attack,” White said.

He learned to bark because “Lassie” was one of his favorite TV shows. He has perfected several barks, including those of a German shepherd, a St. Bernard and, of course, a Doberman.

White also has a repertoire of human impressions, but his best is of Elvis.

He uses all of his talents when he speaks to youth groups about the evils of drugs and alcohol.

“If you can get people to laugh, it makes it easier to get your message across,” White said. “Drugs and alcohol are killing young people.”