White Driven By Competitiveness

By Rebekah Giordano
Lincoln -- As a young child Seth White sat in the stands of Memorial Stadium. Today, White is on the field of Memorial Stadium as a Husker football player. A native of Lincoln, Neb., he transferred to Nebraska from Southern Methodist University to return home and play for the Huskers.

Playing for Nebraska has made White a more complete person.

"I may have had a better chance of playing more at Southern Methodist, but I've come to realize that is not what all of this is all about," White said. "It's about the challenge of being part of this team, to see if I can compete at this level. I feel honored to be here."

Last winter White finished off-season conditioning by scoring well on the Performance Index. He scored 2,280 total points, exceeding 500 points in all four performance tests.

White attributes much of his success as an athlete to his high school football coach, Doug Miller.

"I would not be here if it was not for him (Doug Miller)," White said. "He was someone I looked up to and respected, and wanted to play good for. The success my team had in high school made me want to continue to be successful at the collegiate level."

While White has not seen much playing time during his career, his perseverance and attitude have shown on the sideline and in practice.

"For Seth it's more than just dedication and coming back," said defensive backs coach Marvin Sanders. "I think first of all he has a love for the game of football. He has been tremendously dedicated, but I think he understands that there are going to be things in life that he can't control. And Seth's not a quitter. That's one thing you have to absolutely admire about that young man, he's not a quitter. He is going to be successful no matter what he does in life just because of his attitude."

White has carried that attitude into the classroom, where he is a double major in business administration and pre-medicine, although he did not start out in both.

"I psyched myself out prior to college that pre-med would be too difficult to do," White said. "After I did really well in a challenging psychology course I decided to pick up the additional major. The challenge of being successful with my science courses is what drives me."

Another challenge for any student-athlete is balancing the academic load with practices and conditioning.

"It's really time consuming. My time is divided between football and school," White said. "I would not be able to do it without the support of my parents. They have been there for me when I stress myself out over an exam. Hearing my mother's perspective on a test or even football, makes me look and understand things on another level."

A five-time Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll member, White is scheduled to graduate in May after maintaining a 3.942 grade-point average.

"I put the pressure to do well on myself. I'm a highly competitive person," White said. "I always expected myself to graduate. I'm excited to start a new chapter in my life."