Colorado, 1938
Byron White was an Honorary Inductee to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® Hall of Fame in 1996.
Byron Raymond White was known for his time on the football field and on the court bench. White was an outstanding football running back and conservative justice on the Supreme Court.
White attended the University of Colorado at Boulder on a scholarship. Playing halfback, he became an All-American star football player. He also played basketball and baseball and served as student body president his senior year. In 1938, White graduated from CU-Boulder and earned a Rhodes Scholarship to attend Oxford. He deferred his scholarship for one year to play football with the Pittsburgh Pirates (now Steelers). In his rookie season he led the NFL in rushing yards and became one of the highest paid players, earning $15,000. Taking a break from football White studied at Oxford for one year. He returned to the NFL to play for the Detroit Lions in 1940.
White served during World War II in the United States Navy. After his service, his football career was over and he attended Yale Law School. White served as Chairman of the Conservative Party of the Yale Political Union while at Yale. He graduated magna cum laude in 1946.
During John F. Kennedy’s presidential election White chaired his campaign in Colorado. After Kennedy was elected president, White served as United States Deputy Attorney General, the number two man in the Justice Department under Robert F. Kennedy. Within the Kennedy administration White was well known for his humble manner and sharp mind. In 1962 Kennedy appointed White to succeed Justice Charles Evans Whittaker. The president said of White, "He has excelled at everything. And I know that he will excel on the highest court in the land." He served on the Supreme Court tenure until his retirement in 1993. During his service on the high cour White wrote 994 opinions.
White has been recognized for his service to the United States of America and his football career. President George W.
Bush posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2003 to Justice White. White was inducted into the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Hall of Fame, in addition to being a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
White died April 15, 2002 at the age of 84 in Denver.