Comm Senior Holds Book Signing on Life as Son of NFL Hall of Famer

School of Communications senior Jeremy White, son of NFL Hall of Fame defensive lineman Reggie White, held a signing Nov. 15 in McEwen's Studio B for his autobiographical book, "In His Shadow—Growing Up with Reggie White." The book has already been featured on national programs, including those aired on ESPN.

The signing, which was sponsored by the Eta Gamma chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, the School of Communications honor society, also featured a reading from White and a question-and-answer session with the audience afterward.

Reggie White played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers, where he won a Super Bowl in 1997. He died Dec. 26, 2004, at the age of 46, and was elected into the Hall of Fame posthumously on Feb. 4, 2006. He left behind his son, Jeremy, his daughter, Jecolia, and his wife, Sara.

Jeremy White said the inspiration for writing the book came from other people: He had grown tired of everyone asking him about his father, so the book was his "way of giving back to the masses," he said.

"I decided to write the book one week before he died," White said. "Then after he died, it gave me more encouragement to write it."

White said it took him more than a year and a half to finish the book completely.

"It’s not so much about football," he said. "Even if you're not a football fan, I think you will like it."

White said writing the book about his experiences with his Dad, a 13-time Pro Bowl participant, was a breeze.

"I couldn’t get the words out fast enough," he said. "I have a photographic memory. I can remember what I was wearing when I was 3 years old. It plays out in my mind. The more I wrote and remembered, the more it would pile up and by the time I got around to writing it, I couldn’t get it out fast enough."