A day after announcing his retirement from Albany State, James White has been named head football coach at Benedict College.
“In order to take Benedict College football to the next level, we needed a coach who has been successful in all facets and knows what it takes to develop a championship program. In the SIAC, no coach embodies those qualities more than Mike White,” athletic director Willie Washington said. “He was our top choice from day one, and we are excited to have coach White on board as part of the Tiger family.”
White, who has been named the SIAC Coach of the Year five times in his career, said he was excited to approach this fresh start.
“I’m just happy to be here,” White said. “I’m excited and have all kinds of emotions going through me. But I’m just ready to get started. I want to start a true winning tradition here.”
White has established himself as one of the best defensive masterminds in the game. Under his leadership, the Albany State defense consistently is ranked among the best in the NCAA statistics. His 2010 Rams finished second in the nation in rushing defense and scoring defense, and third in total defense and pass efficiency.
White was a two-time All-American player at Albany State and the SIAC Player of the Year in 1978. A three-time All-SIAC, he led the team in tackles for three of his four years. He was drafted by Cincinnati in the fourth round in the 1979 NFL Draft and played two seasons with the Bengals. He later played two seasons with the Seattle Seahawks from 1981-1983.
He returned to his alma mater and joined Albany State as a defensive line coach in 1984 and was on the ASU staff for 30 years. During his time as an assistant coach, White was instrumental in helping to lead the Rams to nine SIAC championships, including five consecutive SIAC championships and NCAA playoff appearances from 1993-1997. White took over as head coach of the Rams in 2000. After back-to-back 4-6 seasons in his first two seasons, he then guided the Rams to 13 consecutive winning seasons.
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