Reggie White's premature death shocked the sports world. How could this phenomenal fortress of muscle and mind exit so young at 43? Those who observed him from a distance will forever freeze in time the pinnacle moment of White's professional football career: a champion ball-capped, T-shirted White jogging around the perimeter of the Louisiana Superdome and holding high the trophy he and the Green Bay Packers had just earned in Super Bowl XXXI.

While many NFL greats leave an indelible stamp on the field, not as many make their marks as exemplary human beings. Those closest to Reggie clearly saw that distinction.