Charles White, Heisman Winner With a Difficult Second Act, Dies at 64

Charles White, a dynamic tailback for the University of Southern California who set the college’s profession report for speeding yardage and gained the 1979 Heisman Trophy, died on Wednesday in Newport Beach, Calif. He was 64.

Judianne White-Basch, his care supervisor and former spouse, stated the reason for his loss of life, at a hospital, was esophageal most cancers.

White, who went on to play eight seasons within the N.F.L., was a part of U.S.C.’s lineage of elite working backs, 4 of whom additionally gained the Heisman: Marcus Allen, O.J. Simpson, Mike Garrett and Reggie Bush. White’s 6,245 speeding yards exceed the 4,810 gained by Allen, who ranks second on U.S.C.’s all-time checklist.

White was not particularly large or quick; moderately than elude defenders, he bulled his approach via them. And he was a workhorse: In 1978, he rushed 374 instances (65 greater than anybody else within the N.C.A.A.’s high ranks) for 1,859 yards. The subsequent yr he ran for two,050.

All the pummeling he skilled in highschool, at U.S.C. and within the N.F.L. took a bodily toll in a cumulative battering to his head. In 2012, Ms. White-Basch stated, he was recognized with dementia, a symptom of power traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative mind illness that’s linked to repeated head trauma however can solely be recognized solely after loss of life.

“Suddenly, everything made sense,” she stated in a telephone interview.

Ms. White-Basch donated her former husband’s mind to the CTE Center at Boston University to find out if he had C.T.E..

Ms. White-Basch stated it was doable that he used cocaine and alcohol to self-medicate signs of a mind damage. “Everyone was targeting him” on the sphere, she stated. “And he gave hits that were as hard as the hits he was getting.”

In 1987, whereas taking part in for the Los Angeles Rams, White was charged with being below the affect of a managed substance, believed to be cocaine, for which he had been handled in a monthlong program in 1982 whereas with the Browns. In 1988, he was suspended for 30 days by the N.F.L. for utilizing alcohol, a violation of the league drug program he had entered when he was arrested.

Charles Raymond White was born on Jan. 22, 1958, in Los Angeles and was raised by his grandmother, Bertha Leggett. He was recruited from San Fernando High School to U.S.C. and led the group in speeding in 1977, 1978 and 1979.

At the Rose Bowl after the 1978 common season, White scored the decisive landing on a disputed play from the Michigan 3-yard line within the second quarter. He fumbled the ball earlier than he reached the purpose line. The umpire signaled that Michigan had possession of the ball, however the line choose referred to as it a landing; the top linesman then reaffirmed that it was a rating.

The landing prolonged U.S.C.’s result in 14-3, which held up in a 17-10 win, and the college was named school soccer’s nationwide champion in a ballot of 35 coaches.

White was incandescent within the subsequent yr’s Rose Bowl in opposition to Ohio State. He rushed for 247 yards on 39 carries and scored the successful landing with 1 minute 32 seconds left within the recreation, lifting U.S.C. to a 17-16 victory.

“Charlie White is the best football player I’ve ever seen,” John Robinson, the usC. coach, stated after the sport. “If you don’t believe me, just go back and look at the fourth quarter. His domination was absolute. He is the greatest competitor I have ever seen.”

White was chosen by the Cleveland Browns within the first spherical of the N.F.L. draft in 1980, however in 4 seasons, he by no means rushed for greater than 342 yards. After he was launched by the Browns, he was signed by the Rams, who have been then coached by Robinson, for the 1985 season.

His first two seasons with the Rams have been uneventful, however he was spectacular in 1987, carrying the ball 324 instances for a league-leading 1,374 yards and 11 touchdowns. However, the season was tainted by a 24-day gamers’ strike, throughout which video games have been performed largely by nonunion replacements for 3 weeks. White was one among a group of gamers who crossed the union’s picket traces.

He began the 1988 season serving his four-game suspension and by no means regained his beginning job. He gained solely 323 yards that yr, and Greg Bell led the Rams with 1,212 speeding yards.

White retired after the season and spent the following 20 years at U.S.C. as a particular assistant to the athletic director, Mike McGee; the soccer group’s working backs coach; and as a college administrator. During that interval, Ms. White-Basch stated, he was abusing alcohol however not cocaine.

In 2000, he stated, he bought his Heisman Trophy for $184,000 to settle tax money owed.

In addition to Ms. White-Basch, he’s survived by their daughters, Nicole, Tara and Sophia White; their sons, Julian and Ashton; and their granddaughter, Giovanna Hemmen, with whom he was shut.

White was the topic of a profile in The Los Angeles Times final yr by which the columnist Bill Plaschke described his quiet life in an assisted residing facility.

“He knows he is Charles White and he knows what he accomplished for his beloved university,” Mr. Plaschke wrote, then quoted him as saying, “I know I once did something good, something great, something fantastic for U.S.C.”