White’s former Eagles teammate Cedrick Brown, pastor of the Commitment Church in Lindenwold, New Jersey, recalls how White inspired him and other teammates to attach Bible verses when they gave autographs to fans when the Birds’ Training Camp was in West Chester.
“He used to always write John 3:16, and so, what we collectively committed to was if we give out our autograph, we’ll also give a Bible verse,” said Brown, who played cornerback for the Eagles in 1987. “And still to this day, when I go out and speak and share my testimony when I give out a ball or an autograph … I still attach Romans 10:9. His legacy and impact are impacting me as a pastor 30 years later.”
During his time in Philadelphia from 1985-92, White, along with several of his teammates and his wife Sara, brought his ministry of Christian love to North Philadelphia in the Richard Allen Projects, which was one of the poorest and most crime-ridden areas of the city.
Reggie White didn’t do it from the pulpit by preaching to the young people, but by talking to them, playing pickup football with the kids, or singing with them. He would bring his teammates like recent Hall of Fame inductee Eric Allen into the community by simply spending time with them.
“So we would literally go out there on Saturdays and play football with the kids,” Brown said of White’s willingness to involve himself in the community. “And just spending time with the people, and he was so gracious with that. … That was when Reggie was becoming bigger than life. And so, you had this guy playing with little kids, throwing footballs and passing out hot dogs and just being really generous and charitable.”
Sara White said her husband was allowed to come into the public schools even though school officials knew he was talking to students about God, something that is often not allowed in public schools.
“He understood that it was his responsibility to take care of the community,” Sara White said. “That’s what we did, we took care of the community. One child at a time. … Really, it was about talking to them about love and hope. Get yourself together and don’t fall into traps. That was important.”