Vincent White Named Head Football Coach

Dec. 20, 2002

Moraga, CA - Saint Mary's College Director of Athletics Carl R. Clapp today announced the hiring of Vincent White as head football coach at a 10:00 am press conference on campus. White was the unanimous choice of the search committee, which included representatives from several areas of the College, including coaches, staff, faculty, regents, alumni, and members of the football team.

"I'm eager for the opportunity to become the next head football coach and to work in the tradition of Saint Mary's College," said White. "I look forward to working with the young student-athletes in this great college setting."

The Denver, CO native takes over the Saint Mary's program after 17 years of coaching at the I-A level, most recently with the University of Utah for the last two seasons. With the Utes, he coached the running backs, helping lead the team to a victory over USC in the 2001 Las Vegas Bowl. He was instrumental in the development of Dameon Hunter, who rushed for over 1,300 yards in 2001 and led Utah to the 12th-best rushing attack in the nation at 218.9 yards per game.

The 41-year old White enjoyed a stellar playing career at Stanford University from 1979-1982. A running back under head coach Paul Wiggin, he led the nation in receptions as a senior in 1982, catching 69 passes. He totaled 1,275 all-purpose yards and 15 touchdowns en route to First Team All-Pac-10 and Honorable Mention All-America honors. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the sixth round of the 1983 draft but chose to pursue a career with the Denver Gold of the USFL from 1983-1985.

White began his coaching career at Rangeview High School in his home state of Colorado in 1985. He entered the collegiate ranks in 1986 when he accepted a position at Oregon Tech (1986-88) as the offensive coordinator and receivers coach. His "Run and Shoot" offense set 48 school records in three years and led the team to a national semifinal appearance in 1988. From Oregon Tech he moved to the University of Tennessee at Martin (1989) before landing his first Division I job at the University of the Pacific (1990-92). During his first year with the Tigers as the passing game coordinator, Pacific led the nation in touchdown passes (42), was second in the nation in total offense (511.2 ypg), and third in passing offense (342.8 ypg). White was elevated to offensive coordinator for the 1992 season and led an offense that finished 12th in the nation in passing offense (271.3 ypg).

After three seasons at Pacific, White coached the receivers at Southern Methodist University during the 1993, 1995, and 1996 seasons. In the year between those two stints, he coached the receivers at Maryland (1994). White spent three seasons as the running backs coach under Walt Harris at Pittsburgh (1997-99), working with Kevan Barlow and Dwayne Schulters who are now playing for the San Francisco 49ers. He was part of a Pitt staff that played in the 1997 Liberty Bowl. He also coached one-year at Arizona State (2000) where he coached the running backs under Bruce Synder.

White is known for being an excellent teacher of the game and is committed to the academic success of student-athletes. At Utah, SMU, and Maryland, he was responsible for the academic progress of the team where he implemented monitoring programs and enhanced academic performance.

White earned a bachelor's degree in Sociology with an emphasis in Organization Management from Stanford University in 1984. Prior to Stanford, he attended Mullen High School, a Christian Brothers High School, in Denver, CO. He is married to the former Jennifer Buck, and the couple has a 14-month old son, Isaac. White's brother, Bryan, played football at Saint Mary's from 1980-83. He is the third leading all-time rusher (2,283 yards) and seventh all-time in scoring (144 points).

The 17th coach in school history, White takes over for Tim Landis, who announced his resignation on December 4 to become the head coach at Bucknell University. Saint Mary's is 380-280-21 (.575) in 77 years of playing football. The Gaels have played at the I-AA level since 1993, posting a 54-50-1 (.521) mark at that level, and have compiled winning seasons in 12 of the last 16 years.

Quotes about Vincent White
Walt Harris, head coach at the University of Pittsburgh
"I'm thrilled that Vincent White is getting an opportunity to be the head football coach at Saint Mary's College. Vincent will do an outstanding job because of the type of person he is, his background as a coach, and the opportunity he has to be the head coach at a great College."

Bruce Synder, former head coach at the University of California and Arizona State
"This is a terrific hire for Saint Mary's College. Vincent is one of the really good people in our business, is a great X's and O's coach, and is great with people. Saint Mary's is getting a gem of a person and coach. He has strong roots and ties in the Bay Area that will help the program succeed. I'm thrilled for both Saint Mary's and Vincent because I think this a great fit for both parties."

Ron McBride, former head coach at the University of Utah
"Vincent is a tremendous coach and will do a great job at Saint Mary's College. He's a real good man who cares about the student-athletes in his program, both on and off the field. He has great knowledge of the game, especially on the offensive side of the ball, and will get the players in the program ready to play."

Carl R. Clapp, Director of Athletics at Saint Mary's College
"We're excited to have someone of Vincent's integrity and coaching ability join our family. He has worked with some very good coaches and we're confident in his abilities to continue to move the Saint Mary's football program forward. His commitment to the athletic and academic success of the student-athletes he coaches, his understanding and belief in the mission of the College, and his passion to teach and coach young men made him the unanimous choice of the search committee."

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