Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bernard White: 2007 BGSU Hall of Fame Inductee
September 19, 2007 | Football
Sept. 19, 2007
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSUFalcons.com) - The Bowling Green State University Athletic Hall of Fame welcomes seven new members this weekend (Sept. 21-22). The 2007 class will be inducted during a formal dinner on the BGSU campus.
The Class of 2007 includes Antonio Daniels '97 (men's basketball), Wade Diefenthaler '59 (baseball), Talita (Scott) Braddix '94 (women's basketball), Charles Simpson (gymnastics coach), Tom Stubbs '49 (swimming and diving), Paul Talkington '69 (men's cross country and track) and Bernard White (football).
The official induction ceremony will take place Friday (Sept. 21) in the grand ballroom of BGSU's Bowen-Thompson Student Union. The social hour begins at 6:00 p.m., with dinner served at 7:00 p.m. and the program starting shortly thereafter.
In addition to the induction ceremony, the class will be introduced at halftime of Saturday's (Sept. 22) BGSU-Temple football game at Doyt Perry Stadium. The game begins at noon and is designated at Hall of Fame Day.
Tickets for the Sept. 21 dinner are $35 ($30 for Varsity BG members), and advanced reservations are required. Tickets can be reserved by calling the Falcon Club office at (419) 372-7100. Football game tickets can be purchased through the ticket office by phone, at 1-877-BGSUTICKET, or on the web at BGSUFalcons.com.
The public is invited to attend the induction dinner.
The following is the last of a seven-part series that takes a brief look at this year's inductees...
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Bernard White, a native of Pittsburgh, Pa., came to BG after two years at Ventura (Calif.) JC. He was an All-MAC First-Team selection in both years with the Falcons, and was listed as a preseason All-American by several publications heading into his senior year of 1985. As a junior, he became just the third player in NCAA history to rush for over 1,000 yards while catching more than 50 passes. He joined NFL players Darren Nelsen and Gerald Willhite in that group.
Bernard burst onto the scene at BGSU, rushing for 143 yards and a school-record four touchdowns in his first-ever Division I game, vs. Richmond. As a senior in 1985, he led the nation in scoring with 19 TDs as the Falcons went 11-0 in the regular season, won the MAC title and played in the California Bowl. That season, Bernard averaged a whopping 10.4 points per game. He scored a total of 114 points, topping other running backs around the country including Bo Jackson of Auburn and Keith Byers of Ohio State. In just two years, he scored 34 touchdowns, falling only five shy of the school record.
Bernard had multiple 100-yard rushing games, and had only one fumble lost during his entire time with the Falcons. He duplicated his four-TD effort as a senior, turning the trick against Eastern Michigan. Lastly, he caught 56 passes as a junior and 33 as a senior.
Bernard has worked as a social worker, making an impact in the lives of at-risk youth in the community. He has worked at developing behavior modification plans, conducting family counseling sessions, providing mentoring, and coaching at-risk youth and their families. Currently, he owns and operates a full-service real estate magazine, Real Estate Illustrated, that provides advertisement and exposure in North and South Carolina and the surrounding area. Bernard resides in Charlotte, N.C., with his wife of 17 years, Leacy P. White, and their son, Mainza Naeem White. Mainza is an honors student as well as a sophomore phenom quarterback at Mecklenburg County H.S.
The 2007 class of inductees, the 44th class in history, brings membership in the Athletics Hall of Fame to 206. The 1983-84 national championship hockey team is also enshrined in the Hall.
