Ex-Steeler star Dwight White dies at 58

[sasquatch]

Source: Associated Press

PITTSBURGH - Dwight White, the Steel Curtain defensive end known as "Mad Dog" who helped lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to four Super Bowl titles in the 1970s, died Friday. He was 58.
The Steelers said White died at a Pittsburgh hospital. The cause was not disclosed. The team said White was released from the hospital after having back surgery, but then was readmitted with complications.

White is the second member of the original four-man Steel Curtain to die this year. Defensive tackle Ernie Holmes died Jan. 17 in a car accident in Texas.

White, a two-time Pro Bowl player, was chosen as one of the 33 members of the Steelers' 75th anniversary all-time team last season.

White was best known for climbing out of a hospital bed to play in the Steelers' first Super Bowl victory, 16-6 over the Minnesota Vikings in 1975. White lost 18 pounds after being diagnosed with pneumonia and a lung infection, yet played nearly the entire game.

White made three tackles for no yards as the Vikings ran seven of their first eight running plays his way and went on to finish with only 17 yards rushing on 21 attempts. White also accounted for the only points of the first half when he sacked Fran Tarkenton in the end zone for a safety.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080606/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_obit_dwight_white

[bluestateguy]

1. What's the average life expectantcy of an NFL player? About 53?

nt

[lolly]

2. It's astoundingly low

I remember reading once that, for some positions, it was in the 50s.

I guess the bigger they are, the more health problems they have in later life, so for linesmen it was pretty low.

On edit:

Googled it, here was one response:

A 1994 study of 7,000 former players by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health found linemen had a 52 percent greater risk of dying from heart disease than the general population. While U.S. life expectancy is 77.6 years, recent studies suggest the average for NFL players is 55, 52 for linemen.

From http://www.sptimes.com/2006/01/29/Sports/A_huge_problem.shtml

[JI7]

3. i wonder how much drugs might be related

even if they stop using when they no longer play. it might hurt them later in life.

[lolly]

4. Could be part of equation

The guys who are dying prematurely now (in their 50s) would have been playing 20-30 years ago; were steroids an issue then?

[JI7]

5. wasn't that around the time the whole fitness, gyms , bodybuilding etc

started up.

[awoke_in_2003]

6. I think the bigger problem

in those years was cocaine.

[AngryAmish]

8. The Steelers of tha era were the first team really into steroids

or so they say.

[bulloney]

9. A lot of the recent NFL players' deaths have been Steelers from that era.

When center Mike Webster died recently at a relatively young age, there was a report that pointed that out.

Makes you wonder.

[lolly]

10. Multiple factors?

Sheer size (the human heart isn't made to work for a 300+ lb body, even if it is muscle rather than fat).

Drugs--steroids, whatever.

Lifestyle

My own pet theory on the heart problems is inflammation--studies have indicated that serious infections or other trauma can contribute to heart disease. The hormones released to combat the trauma cause inflammation, which then leads to higher cholesterol, atherosclerosis.

These guys suffer repeated traumas every game--perhaps even every practice. And the seasons and practice times are getting longer and longer. Seems to me that means a lot of inflammation-->future heart disease.

[tabasco]

17. Stop spreading bullshit lies, liar.

There is speculation that steroid abuse could have played a role in some of the deaths, but no hard evidence. It's just as plausible that weight issues were a factor. Counting Mansfield, five of the eight heart-attack victims played on the offensive or defensive line.

...

Although Haslett didn't deny making those comments, he later apologized to Steelers owner Dan Rooney, who called the accusation "totally false." Former Pittsburgh receiver Lynn Swann agreed with Rooney, saying he was "very surprised" by Haslett's claim.

"He's misinformed," Swann said. "He was not a part of that team. I was on that team, and I don't use steroids. And I couldn't tell you of who was on that team if anybody used steroids. Pittsburgh the epicenter of steroid use in the NFL? No. I find that very difficult to believe."

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/search/s_462321.html

[Doctor_J]

18. Swann talks just like a Repuke

"I was on that team, I didn't use steroids, therefore my team didn't have a problem".
:crazy:

Mike Webster all but admitted using them, and the Steelers linemen of the 70's looked like the Incredible Hulks with acne.

[sofa king]

11. Yes.

It's worth letting Lyle Alzado, another defensive end, say it himself:

"I started taking anabolic steroids in 1969 and never stopped. It was addicting, mentally addicting. Now I'm sick, and I'm scared. Ninety percent of the athletes I know are on the stuff. We're not born to be 300 lbs or jump 30ft. But all the time I was taking steroids, I knew they were making me play better. I became very violent on the field and off it. I did things only crazy people do. Once a guy sideswiped my car and I beat the hell out of him. Now look at me. My hair's gone, I wobble when I walk and have to hold on to someone for support, and I have trouble remembering things. My last wish? That no one else ever dies this way."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyle_Alzado

Alzado died of a brain tumor in 1992 at the age of 43. He insisted the tumor was the result of his use of steroids and growth hormone. His physician insisted that couldn't have been true.

It's worth noting that NFL linemen are usually at one end of the physical spectrum already and some of the health complications they experience in later life may simply be the result of their unusual genetics. But Lyle didn't feel that was the case.

[aquart]

21. I was just about to ask that same thing.

[awoke_in_2003]

7. Part of the greatest defense to take the field

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel_Curtain
1976 was a great year for them.

[RamboLiberal]

12. Read he died of complications of blood clot in the lungs

from the back surgery. Don't know if all the years playing NFL football and possible steroids were a complication. But if you look at the Steelers from the 70's Joe Greene, White, Greenwood, Russell, Ham, Lambert and others they look small and even skinny compared to today's behemoths.

BTW Dwight was also a staunch Democrat!

In addition, Mr. White, a Democrat, had campaigned for Gov. Ed Rendell and served as chairman of the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

"Dwight was not only a world-class athlete, he was a thoughtful and outspoken individual who cared deeply about his family, his community, and his state," Mr. Rendell said in a statement. "His NFL nickname, Mad Dog, belied the fact that he was a true gentleman and an accomplished business leader."

Mr. White and his wife Karen, as co-chairs of a fund raising campaign, had been extremely instrumental in raising more than $28 million for the construction of the new August Wilson Center for African American Culture, said Neil Barclay, president and CEO of the center.

"Dwight's enthusiasm, dedication and commitment played an integral role in the success of the center. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this very difficult time," Mr. Barclay said.


http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08159/888205-122.stm

[sasquatch]

14. That's still too young

[bloodyohio]

13. Concussions, concussions, concussions...

As a diehard Steelers supporter, I resent insinuations that these early deaths could be somehow caused by steroids/drug use, because to suggest such things ignores the facts. There have been a number of articles published over the past few years about severe problems (psychiatric disorders, depression, neurological damage) multiple concussions can cause later in life. Mike Webster, for one, suffered numerous concussions, as did most NFL defensive starters before the mid 1980s when concerns were raised about them. Webster suffered from severe manic depression, bipolar disorder, and excruciating chronic pain, all of which were related to injuries he sustained as a player. Sports medicine has improved greatly since then, and injuries to the head and shoulders are taken far more seriously and treated far better than they were during the Steel Curtain's heyday. It's just too bad the NFL doesn't look after a lot of its former players from back then who need help the most. Kind of reminds me of our healthcare crisis.

[sasquatch]

15. Post #12

[datadiva]

16. Thanks for your post

As a long time Steeler Fan I appreciate your post. As part of the Steel Curtain he was a part of that great Steeler history. Thanks and Welcome to DU!

[lolly]

19. Agree.

Definitely a factor in both health and psychological issues.

Add all the stuff up--multiple health risks.

Wonder if the players' union is doing anything about this.

[sasquatch]

20. The players union is a few years away from a lockout thanks to the owners

[underpants]

22. Welcome to DU

:hi:

The common expression is "50 car wrecks a day" that is what they say playing A game in the NFL is like--each and every game at least 16 in a season.

50 car wrecks.

[Baclava]

23. RIP Mad Dog

We're gonna miss ya

[OhioChick]

24. I'm shocked and saddened to read this...

RIP Dwight.