CU Football, Pro Wrestling Great Leon White Passes Away
June 20, 2018 | Football, General
An All-American on the field and world champion in the ring
BOULDER — Former University of Colorado All-American offensive lineman Leon White, who went on to become a world famous professional wrestler, passed away in Dallas on Monday evening from complications due to pneumonia, his family announced. He was 63.
White, who attended CU from 1973 to 1977, eventually succumbed to heart failure after having open heart surgery in March and then battling a severe case of pneumonia since. After beginning what would be a 30-plus year career in wrestling as the "Baby Bull," he would first become a star in the sport in Japan under the name of "Big Van Vader" and then world-wide (Vader would become more commonplace).
A first-team All-American as a senior in 1977 under the late coach Bill Mallory, he was selected to the American Football Coaches Association/Kodak team as its center (UPI made him a second-team choice). He was a Playboy Magazine Preseason All-American at tackle prior to his original senior year in 1976, but after he went down with a season-ending knee injury one game into the year, the Big Eight granted him an extra year of eligibility; he then moved to center. He won CU's John Mack Award as the outstanding offensive lineman as selected by his teammates as a senior, when he was a first-team All-Big 8 performer (after earning second-team honors as a junior).
He lettered at three different positions on the offensive line: guard (1973-75), tackle (1975-76) and center (1977), and is believed to be the only player in Big Eight history to have done so at all three O-line spots. He started at least one game in each season, the only known player to this day in CU history to start games in five different years.
He had never played center prior to the spring of his senior year, and quipped at the time, "I didn't know anything about the position. Heck, I didn't even know what the football felt like."
White owned a 6-foot-3 and 275-pound frame as a collegian (he would go on to wrestle anywhere from 350 to 425 pounds). He recorded a 465-pound bench press in college, one of the top efforts in CU history at the time; he also possessed 5.1 speed in the 40-yard dash thus showcasing his overall athletic ability. He played in three All-Star games after his senior campaign: the Japan Bowl, East-West Shrine Game and the Hula Bowl and graduated with a degree in Business.
"Leon was such a unique personality," said former teammate Dave Logan, who is now the longtime voice of the Denver Broncos for KOA-Radio. "A good guy, and the kind of guy that once you became his friend, you were his friend forever. He was a real talented athlete, the only guy I can remember who was all-conference at all three positions. Just a really big, strong young athletically talented big man for a 270-pound lineman in the mid-70s. I coached his son Jesse in high school, and Leon used to come out to practice and we visited all the time. He was as loyal as a bulldog."
He was born May 14, 1955 in Lynwood, Calif., and was a high school star in football and the shot put in nearby Bell; he would return to the area as a professional when the Los Angeles Rams selected him in the third round of the 1978 National Football League Draft. He would play two seasons with the club and was a member of the 1980 NFC championship team that lost to Pittsburgh, 31-19, in Super Bowl XIV. Knee injuries ended his professional career early and he then turned to wrestling.
Generally considered one of the greatest super heavyweight wrestlers in the history of the sport, one of his signature moves was an aerial maneuver which came to be known as the "Vadersault." His iconic look was a red and black singlet with a matching mask of strips of black and red leather, giving him sort of a "Lone Ranger-esque" appearance. He won the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship twice, and was a three-time champion in both the IWGP and WCW competitions. After competing almost a decade for New Japan Pro Wrestling, he returned to the United States permanently to wrestle in 1990, joining the WWF circuit (now known as the WWE) in 1996.
He was so popular in the 1990s that he appeared on such television shows as Baywatch and Boy Meets World and in the movie, Fist of the North Star. He is survived by his wife, Debe, and one son, Jesse.
"I ran into Leon White, or Vader, several years ago on a flight from New York to Denver," said Mike Moran, CU's sports information director during White's career in Boulder. "He was asleep in first class across the aisle from me; I waited until he was awake and gently tapped him on his bicep. I said, 'Leon, I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Mike Moran, and I was the SID at CU when you were a senior.' He stood up, since we were changing planes in Chicago, and bear-hugged me.
"'You made me an All-American,' he said as I tried to get my breath back. We got off at O'Hare and he insisted that I join him for a drinks as we awaited our next flights. After a few margaritas, he hugged me again and went to his gate. Me, I fell asleep and missed my flight. When I did get a flight that night, I noted that he had bought the drinks and autographed the receipt for me.
"Rest in peace, big man."
White, who attended CU from 1973 to 1977, eventually succumbed to heart failure after having open heart surgery in March and then battling a severe case of pneumonia since. After beginning what would be a 30-plus year career in wrestling as the "Baby Bull," he would first become a star in the sport in Japan under the name of "Big Van Vader" and then world-wide (Vader would become more commonplace).
A first-team All-American as a senior in 1977 under the late coach Bill Mallory, he was selected to the American Football Coaches Association/Kodak team as its center (UPI made him a second-team choice). He was a Playboy Magazine Preseason All-American at tackle prior to his original senior year in 1976, but after he went down with a season-ending knee injury one game into the year, the Big Eight granted him an extra year of eligibility; he then moved to center. He won CU's John Mack Award as the outstanding offensive lineman as selected by his teammates as a senior, when he was a first-team All-Big 8 performer (after earning second-team honors as a junior).
He lettered at three different positions on the offensive line: guard (1973-75), tackle (1975-76) and center (1977), and is believed to be the only player in Big Eight history to have done so at all three O-line spots. He started at least one game in each season, the only known player to this day in CU history to start games in five different years.
He had never played center prior to the spring of his senior year, and quipped at the time, "I didn't know anything about the position. Heck, I didn't even know what the football felt like."
White owned a 6-foot-3 and 275-pound frame as a collegian (he would go on to wrestle anywhere from 350 to 425 pounds). He recorded a 465-pound bench press in college, one of the top efforts in CU history at the time; he also possessed 5.1 speed in the 40-yard dash thus showcasing his overall athletic ability. He played in three All-Star games after his senior campaign: the Japan Bowl, East-West Shrine Game and the Hula Bowl and graduated with a degree in Business.
"Leon was such a unique personality," said former teammate Dave Logan, who is now the longtime voice of the Denver Broncos for KOA-Radio. "A good guy, and the kind of guy that once you became his friend, you were his friend forever. He was a real talented athlete, the only guy I can remember who was all-conference at all three positions. Just a really big, strong young athletically talented big man for a 270-pound lineman in the mid-70s. I coached his son Jesse in high school, and Leon used to come out to practice and we visited all the time. He was as loyal as a bulldog."
He was born May 14, 1955 in Lynwood, Calif., and was a high school star in football and the shot put in nearby Bell; he would return to the area as a professional when the Los Angeles Rams selected him in the third round of the 1978 National Football League Draft. He would play two seasons with the club and was a member of the 1980 NFC championship team that lost to Pittsburgh, 31-19, in Super Bowl XIV. Knee injuries ended his professional career early and he then turned to wrestling.
Generally considered one of the greatest super heavyweight wrestlers in the history of the sport, one of his signature moves was an aerial maneuver which came to be known as the "Vadersault." His iconic look was a red and black singlet with a matching mask of strips of black and red leather, giving him sort of a "Lone Ranger-esque" appearance. He won the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship twice, and was a three-time champion in both the IWGP and WCW competitions. After competing almost a decade for New Japan Pro Wrestling, he returned to the United States permanently to wrestle in 1990, joining the WWF circuit (now known as the WWE) in 1996.
He was so popular in the 1990s that he appeared on such television shows as Baywatch and Boy Meets World and in the movie, Fist of the North Star. He is survived by his wife, Debe, and one son, Jesse.
"I ran into Leon White, or Vader, several years ago on a flight from New York to Denver," said Mike Moran, CU's sports information director during White's career in Boulder. "He was asleep in first class across the aisle from me; I waited until he was awake and gently tapped him on his bicep. I said, 'Leon, I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Mike Moran, and I was the SID at CU when you were a senior.' He stood up, since we were changing planes in Chicago, and bear-hugged me.
"'You made me an All-American,' he said as I tried to get my breath back. We got off at O'Hare and he insisted that I join him for a drinks as we awaited our next flights. After a few margaritas, he hugged me again and went to his gate. Me, I fell asleep and missed my flight. When I did get a flight that night, I noted that he had bought the drinks and autographed the receipt for me.
"Rest in peace, big man."
Colorado vs Delaware | Week 2 Highlights
Wednesday, September 10
Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders Weekly Press Conference
Wednesday, September 10
Colorado Football Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, September 07
Mark Johnson & Gary Barnett break down the win vs Delaware | The Buffalo Stampede: Colorado Football
Sunday, September 07