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6mo ago

Mike White, Former Cal, Illinois and Raiders Head Coach, Dies at 89

Tributes highlight an offensive innovator, best remembered for Illinois’ 9-0 Big Ten run in 1983.

FILE – Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Ernie Zampese, center, talks with Oakland Raiders head football coach Mike White, left, and Raiders owner Al Davis, right, after the teams worked out in Austin, Texas, Aug. 1, 1995. Zampese, one of the architects of the Dan Fouts-led “Air Coryell” offense with the San Diego Chargers and Troy Aikman’s play-caller for the last of the Cowboys’ three Super Bowl titles in the 1990s, has died. He was 86. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck, File)
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Former Illinois football coach Mike White, pictured while coaching the Raiders in the mid-1990s. (Gary Reyes/San Jose Mercury News)
Nov 2, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; A detailed view of CD ad AL decals in the memory of Carol Davis and Al Davis on the back of the helmet of Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Darien Porter (26) during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.

Overview

  • White’s family, as reported by Cal, said he died Sunday in Newport Beach, California at age 89, with no cause of death disclosed.
  • He led California from 1972 to 1977 with a 35-30-1 record, sharing the Pac-8 title in 1975 and earning Coach of the Year honors.
  • At Illinois from 1980 to 1987, he went 47-41-3 with three bowl trips, capturing the 1983 Big Ten title with a unique 9-0 league record before a Rose Bowl loss to UCLA.
  • He resigned from Illinois after an NCAA recruiting investigation; the program was twice put on probation, including a 1984 postseason ban and a 1985 television ban.
  • His NFL tenure included assistant roles with the 49ers and Rams, a 15-17 stint as Raiders head coach during their return to Oakland in 1995–96, a firing on Dec. 24, 1996, and a Super Bowl XXXIV win with the 1999 Rams staff, with the Raiders and his former schools issuing public tributes.