Total Pro Sports
Former Raiders head coach Mike White has died. His family made that announcement this week. The former Illinois and Cal coach passed on Sunday in Newport Beach, California. The cause of death is not known.
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) December 15, 2025
White’s career spanned more than four decades. It all began with the Golden Bears in 1958 and ended his coaching career in 1999 with the then-St. Louis Rams.
Former Kansas City Chiefs head coach Paul Wiggin also died this week. He was 91. He helped the Browns win the 1964 NFL Championship, which came before the Super Bowl era. Former Prairie Grove High School coach Blake Williford lost his life in a July 17 collision involving two vehicles.
Mike White might be deceased, but his legacy lives on.
In college, he is best remembered for leading the Golden Bears to the program’s first conference football title in 17 seasons. Cal finished the 1975 season with an 8-3 overall record to share the Pac-8 title with UCLA. They ended the season No. 14 in the Associated Press Top 25.
The Cal Athletics Hall of Famer was the national Coach of the Year in 1975. That team led the nation in total offense, averaging 485.5 yards per game, according to the team’s website. Mike White coached quarterback Steve Bartkowski. The consensus All-American in 1974 was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 1975 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons.
He registered a 35-30-1 overall mark and a 21-19-1 Pac-8 record during six seasons. White left Cal for the NFL after the 1977 season. He became the offensive line coach for two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. He returned to college in 1980 to coach Illinois for eight years. The 1983 national and Big Ten Coach of the Year had a 47-41-3 overall record.
Honoring the life and legacy of Mike White.
#GoBears pic.twitter.com/zCZf2FmHBC
— Cal Football (@CalFootball) December 15, 2025
In 14 seasons as a collegiate head coach, White posted an overall record of 75-56-3 (.571).
Mike White took some time off from coaching in 1987 before returning to the NFL in 1990. He was the Raiders’ offensive line coach from 1990 to 93. He soon became the team’s quarterbacks coach in 1994. Eventually, he was promoted to head coach when the team returned to Oakland.
White’s final coaching gig was a three-year stint as an offensive assistant with the St. Louis Rams.
