He attended Mesa High School, where he was a multi-sport athlete and a stand-out in track and field.

White accepted a football scholarship from Arizona State University,[2] leading the team in rushing from 1947 to 1950, with a total of 3,173 yards.

[4] He also practiced basketball and the decathlon, where he finished fifth and sixth nationally as a junior and senior behind Olympian Bob Mathias.

He was inducted into the Arizona State University Athletics Hall of Fame, the Sun Devil Ring of Honor and had his jersey number retired (33).

White ended up fumbling the ball at the one yard line, and a Rams defender recovered it and ran it in for a touchdown.