Ohio State helmet

The football world lost one of its own on Thursday evening as former Ohio State star and Detroit Lions cornerback Williams White died after a six-year battle with ALS.

White was a four-year starter at cornerback for the Buckeyes from 1984-87, earning All-Big Ten honors and serving as a team captain in 1987. Following his time at Ohio State, white spent 11 seasons in the NFL, playing with the Lions, Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons.

White had been battling ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that causes gradual loss of muscle function, since his diagnosis in 2016. But he always kept a positive mindset even after the diagnosis, choosing to continue living his life to the fullest.

“One of the things I always told my kids is things you can’t control, don’t worry about it. Things you can control, you go out there, you fight, you do all the hard work you can, to make that change, to make it right,” White told Eleven Warriors in 2018. “There’s nothing I can do to help cure this by tomorrow. There’s no need to be worried about it or get mad or anything like that. You live your life. No one’s guaranteed next year. So you live each day that you have and it will happen when it happens, but you do the work to help fight the cause.”

White made quite the impression on the football world both on and off the field, and many took to social media to mourn his passing, including his son Brendon, who played college football at both Ohio State and Rutgers.

White’s legacy will undoubtedly live on.

[Detroit Lions]