Shorty White
George "Shorty" White (born 1930; died April 2021) was a football coach at Banks High School and a member of the coaching staff for the Alabama Crimson Tide football teams from 1975 to 1980.
Personal Life and Career
White played football at Phillips High School. He was seen riding a streetcar with Bobby Bowden's girlfriend and future wife Ann Estock in 1949 after she had found out from him that Bobby had gone to Panama City with friends and hadn't told her about it.
White went on to play at Auburn before earning his degree from Jacksonville State.
White became the head football coach at the then-new Banks High School in East Lake in 1961. He remained there until 1974, a season that featured the legendary showdown with Woodlawn High School in front of 42,000 people at Legion Field. He also coached in the first integrated game in the city against Parker High School in 1969.
Awards and Honors
He was inducted into the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame with the Class of 2009.
Legacy
In 2015, Bank's son Darryl was part of the team that started the private Banks Academy in East Lake, near the old Banks High School site. Darryl's son Riley, help resurrect the football team as coach, which began playing 8-man football in 2019, using the old Banks colors and mascot. In 2020 the program entered the AISA AA program, playing its first home game on August 21 against Pickens Academy.
Media
White was portrayed by C. Thomas Howell in the 2015 film Woodlawn.
References
- White, David H., Jr (2007) Shorty: A Life in Sports. BrookSport/Cardinal Publishers Group ISBN 0944353215
- Archibald, John (January 27, 2008) "Shorty was more than the 1970s' Propst." The Birmingham News
- Victory, Dennis (May 6, 2020) "Banks Academy begins 1st AISA football season leaning on legacy of former school."
- Thomas, Ben (April 7, 2021) "Legendary Banks coach, former Bryant assistant George ‘Shorty’ White dies"