Darryl White (born 12 June 1973) is an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

er whose career with the

Brisbane Bears The Brisbane Bears were a professional Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, now known as the Brisbane Lions. Granted a Australian Football League, Victorian Football League (VFL), licence in 1986, ...

and

Brisbane Lions The Brisbane Lions are a professional Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that compete in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. Brisbane are the ...

in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...

(AFL) lasted from 1992 to 2005. An

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...

, in 2005 he was named at fullback in the Australian rules football

Indigenous Team of the Century The Indigenous Team of the Century was selected in 2005 to recognise the role of Indigenous Australians in Australian rules football. Graham Farmer was named as the team's captain, while Barry Cable was selected as the team's coach. Eight of t ...

. Beyond his AFL career, White continues to be involved in football, having forged one of the most successful careers of any Australian rules footballer, with six premierships across three competitions (AFL, NTAFL and QSL). He is an indigenous role model for many aboriginal Australians.

Early career

White, who is of

(

Arrernte Arrernte (also spelt Aranda, etc.) is a descriptor related to a group of Aboriginal Australian peoples from Central Australia. It may refer to: * Arrernte (area), land controlled by the Arrernte Council (?) * Arrernte people, Aboriginal Australi ...

) descent, grew up in Alice Springs in central Australia, playing junior football for the Pioneer Football Club. Like many of his peers, he had a difficult adolescence, but he had a natural talent for football. In 1990, he represented the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

at the

Teal Cup The AFL National Championships is an annual Australian national underage representative Australian rules football tournament. Since taking over as national governing body in 1995, the AFL has gradually restructured the competition into a primar ...

under-17 national football carnival held in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

, where he came to the attention of

coach

Robert Walls Robert Walls (21 July 1950 – 15 May 2025) was an Australian rules footballer who represented and in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1960s and 1970s. In a playing career that spanned three decades, Walls played a combined 2 ...

and his football manager

Scott Clayton Scott Clayton (born 13 November 1959) is a former Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 pl ...

. Impressed with his clean ball-handling skills, his leap, and his ability to play tall, the Bears drafted him at the end of the season with a priority draft pick from their

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

–Northern Territory recruiting zone.

AFL career

Despite initial reluctance to move to the Bears—a club which, in White's words, "only won two games a year"—the future football star was persuaded to give the club a chance (turning up to his first training session in a purple

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

singlet and bouncing a basketball). He found the transition from Alice Springs football to training under strict disciplinarian Walls difficult once there; for example, on one occasion during an cycle up a mountain, he hurled his bike off a cliff, telling his coach he'd come to play football, not ride bikes. His first season of football was an announcement of a rare talent, leading the

Brownlow Medal The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as Charlie), is awarded to the best and fairest player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by the f ...

count after three rounds with two best-on-ground performances and kicking the official goal of the year with his first-ever goal. However, White suffered continual problems with homesickness. At the end of the season, he immediately returned to Alice Springs and did not return for the start of pre-season training a month later. When Walls telephoned him to ask him if he was coming back, the response was: "I'm really busy—call me again in a couple of weeks." White soon became a crowd favourite, with a marking ability well beyond that which his height would normally allow. Fans grew to instantly recognise his loping running style, his casual but pinpoint foot passing, and his idiosyncratic pose after a mark, holding the ball aloft on its point as if to show the world he'd caught it. He even found citywide fame when a photo of a spectacular White mark was published on the cover of the 1996 Brisbane

White Pages A telephone directory, commonly called a telephone book, telephone address book, phonebook, or the white and yellow pages, is a listing of telephone subscribers in a geographical area or subscribers to services provided by the organization that ...

telephone directory (a marketing coup for the struggling club). White's vertical jump allowed his coaches to take advantage of his flexibility by positioning him in a variety of key positions—even, when injuries to teammates demanded it, the ruck. White's opponents were often much taller and stronger, but his leap and flexibility allowed him to hold his own in such contests. White survived the 1996 merger between Fitzroy and the Bears which formed the

, and was an integral member of its first premiership victory in 2001 playing off half-back. He also played in the Lions' flag wins in

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

and

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, as well as its Grand Final loss in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

. By 1996, White had become an inspiration to other indigenous players, especially those from his former home of the Northern Territory. On one occasion, he even found himself approached by a young indigenous player from a rival club immediately after a match who asked him to pose for a photograph with him before leaving the ground. His progression from erratic youth to responsible adult had been guided by mentor and former teammate, fellow aborigine Michael McLean. A trip to South Africa in 1997 and a 36-hour gaol term for assault in the same year (later overturned on appeal) opened his eyes to what his life could have been. "I used to be out stealing handbags," he said in 2001. "I was just starting to get into bigger and better stuff. Back then, I was stealing BMWs. Luckily I got caught and got sent away for six months in juvenile detention centre in

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

. Look at me now, it's all changed." In 2005, he was named captain of the Indigenous All-Stars, an all-Aboriginal team, selected to play the

Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Originally named the Footscray F ...

in Darwin that February. White was devastated when he ruptured a thumb ligament at Lions training in the weeks before the game and was unable to play. Desperate to play a part, he flew in for the occasion and acted as the team's runner during the game. However, in 2003 and 2004, his form had been patchy, spending an increasing amount of time in the club's seconds side, and at the end of each season there was increasing speculation that he would retire. The Lions continued to show their loyalty to the player who had served them so well and re-signed him for the 2005 season, but he added only ten games to his career tally. In the second-last home-and-away game of that season, with the Lions struggling to make the finals, White played in the seconds and kicked nine goals, ensuring his recall for one last game. The Lions were thrashed by St Kilda by a record 139 points in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

in a disappointing finish to a spectacular and entertaining career. In the last quarter of his final game, White fielded a mark at half-forward and held it skyward in trademark fashion. He then drilled a no-look pass forward to

Jared Brennan Jared Brennan (born 28 July 1984) is a former professional Australian rules footballer, who last represented the Gold Coast Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He also previously represented the Brisbane Lions. Early life B ...

, a player who had idolised White as a boy. Brennan goaled. White's bewildered teammates flocked around him to offer congratulations. After the siren, he was carried from the ground by indigenous teammates

Chris Johnson Chris or Christopher Johnson may refer to: Entertainment *Chris J. Johnson (born 1977), American actor *Chris Johnson (presenter) (born 1991), BBC television presenter *Christopher Johnson, fictional alien refugee from the film ''District 9'' Spo ...

and Ash McGrath, signifying the respect in which he had been held by his community. White's contribution to football and his community was recognised in 2005 when he was named at full-back in the

, alongside premiership teammate Johnson and former mentor McLean. His Brisbane captain,

Michael Voss Michael Voss (born 7 July 1975) is a former professional Australian rules football player with the Brisbane Bears and Brisbane Lions, and current senior coach of the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Voss was a tr ...

, said that it was important that White be kept involved in football. "He has taught me a lot and helped me try to understand their indigenous culture. He will leave the game with a lot of respect from his teammates and fellow players."

Statistics

: , - , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 29 , , 19 , , 17 , , 8 , , 155 , , 122 , , 277 , , 68 , , 30 , , 0.9 , , 0.4 , , 8.2 , , 6.4 , , 14.6 , , 3.6 , , 1.6 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 29 , , 12 , , 13 , , 4 , , 72 , , 67 , , 139 , , 37 , , 25 , , 1.1 , , 0.3 , , 6.0 , , 5.6 , , 11.6 , , 3.1 , , 2.1 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 33 , , 15 , , 10 , , 6 , , 93 , , 91 , , 184 , , 56 , , 20 , , 0.7 , , 0.4 , , 6.2 , , 6.1 , , 12.3 , , 3.7 , , 1.3 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 33 , , 22 , , 29 , , 17 , , 169 , , 122 , , 291 , , 100 , , 39 , , 1.3 , , 0.8 , , 7.7 , , 5.5 , , 13.2 , , 4.5 , , 1.8 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 33 , , 22 , , 37 , , 11 , , 194 , , 111 , , 305 , , 87 , , 40 , , 1.7 , , 0.5 , , 8.8 , , 5.0 , , 13.9 , , 4.0 , , 1.8 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 33 , , 19 , , 3 , , 5 , , 164 , , 92 , , 256 , , 76 , , 46 , , 0.2 , , 0.3 , , 8.6 , , 4.8 , , 13.5 , , 4.0 , , 2.4 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 33 , , 22 , , 19 , , 9 , , 202 , , 121 , , 323 , , 100 , , 40 , , 0.9 , , 0.4 , , 9.2 , , 5.5 , , 14.7 , , 4.5 , , 1.8 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 33 , , 25 , , 14 , , 9 , , 240 , , 112 , , 352 , , 129 , , 46 , , 0.6 , , 0.4 , , 9.6 , , 4.5 , , 14.1 , , 5.2 , , 1.8 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 33 , , 23 , , 3 , , 0 , , 212 , , 114 , , 326 , , 106 , , 41 , , 0.1 , , 0.0 , , 9.2 , , 5.0 , , 14.2 , , 4.6 , , 1.8 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;" ,

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 33 , , 22 , , 1 , , 1 , , 210 , , 130 , , 340 , , 115 , , 31 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 9.5 , , 5.9 , , 15.5 , , 5.2 , , 1.4 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;" ,

, style="text-align:center;", , 33 , , 21 , , 11 , , 3 , , 130 , , 83 , , 213 , , 86 , , 39 , , 0.5 , , 0.1 , , 6.2 , , 4.0 , , 10.1 , , 4.1 , , 1.9 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;" ,

, style="text-align:center;", , 33 , , 21 , , 5 , , 2 , , 150 , , 88 , , 238 , , 96 , , 25 , , 0.2 , , 0.1 , , 7.1 , , 4.2 , , 11.3 , , 4.6 , , 1.2 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, style="text-align:center;", , 33 , , 15 , , 0 , , 1 , , 103 , , 62 , , 165 , , 52 , , 17 , , 0.0 , , 0.1 , , 6.9 , , 4.1 , , 11.0 , , 3.5 , , 1.3 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 33 , , 10 , , 3 , , 1 , , 69 , , 38 , , 107 , , 42 , , 16 , , 0.3 , , 0.1 , , 6.9 , , 3.8 , , 10.7 , , 4.2 , , 1.6 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 268 ! 165 ! 77 ! 2163 ! 1353 ! 3516 ! 1150 ! 455 ! 0.6 ! 0.3 ! 8.1 ! 5.0 ! 13.1 ! 4.3 ! 1.7

Post AFL career

In the 2005/06 NTFL Season, White played for the

Darwin Football Club The Darwin Football Club, nicknamed, Buffaloes, is an Australian rules football club, playing in the Northern Territory Football League. It is the third oldest football club in the Northern Territory. Darwin has won the second most premiership ...

, playing in a premiership team. In 2006/07, he switched to the

Southern Districts Football Club The Southern Districts Football Club, nicknamed the Crocs, is an Australian rules football club established in 1981. The club plays in the Northern Territory Football League at semi-professional level and represent the rural area of Litchfield ...

, where he followed up with another NTFL premiership. In 2007, he moved back to Queensland, where he played in a premiership with the Queensland State League's

Mount Gravatt Football Club The Mount Gravatt Australian Football Club, nicknamed the Vultures, is an Australian rules football club which competed in the North East Australian Football League competition from 2011–2013 and as of 2014 is a member club of the Queensland A ...

, making it his sixth premiership across three competitions (AFL, NTAFL and QSL). White is a passionate supporter of indigenous education. In 2008 he accepted an appointment as Indigenous Support Officer at Marist College Ashgrove, where he will assist indigenous Marist students achieve their goals. In 2011, White played for Nyah-Nyah West in the Central Murray Football League in northern Victoria. He joined St Mary's in the 2011/12 NTFL season. In December 2011, White was temporarily deregistered for life from playing football under the Player Deregistration Policy, after a one match suspension for striking brought his career total suspensions to sixteen weeks – the threshold for deregistration. White appealed for re-registration, and the ban was overturned on 23 January 2012, with White permitted to return to playing, but additionally required to engage in community work and mentoring. He continued with Nyah-Nyah West until 2014, and played the 2014/15 NTFL season with Darwin before retiring at age 41 after 26 years of senior football. His son Darryl McDowell-White is also a Brisbane Lion after bein
drafted by the Brisbane Lions
as a category B rookie in November 2022, having previously played a stint in college basketball in the USA. His other son

William McDowell-White William McDowell-White (born 13 April 1998) is an Australian professional basketball player for Alba Berlin of the German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) and the EuroLeague. He debuted in the NBL in 2016 with the Sydney Kings before playing two seas ...

is a professional basketball player, who currently plays for the

New Zealand Breakers The New Zealand Breakers (also known as the Bank of New Zealand, BNZ Breakers for sponsorship reasons) are a New Zealand professional basketball team based in Auckland. The Breakers are the only non-Australian side currently competing in Austral ...

, and has played for the

Sydney Kings The Sydney Kings are an Australian men's professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL). The team is based in Sydney, New South Wales, and play their home games at Qudos Ba ...

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

, and also in Germany.

References

External links

Profile at Brisbane Lions homepage
* {{DEFAULTSORT:White, Darryl Brisbane Bears players Brisbane Lions players Brisbane Lions premiership players Darwin Football Club players Mount Gravatt Football Club players Southern Districts Football Club players Indigenous Australian players of Australian rules football 21st-century Indigenous Australian people 1973 births Living people Australian rules footballers from the Northern Territory Allies State of Origin players Australia international rules football team players St Mary's Football Club (NTFL) players Kedron Football Club players VFL/AFL premiership players