18 Facts About Darryl White

Darryl White was born on 12 June 1973 and is an Australian rules footballer whose career with the Brisbane Bears and Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League lasted from 1992 to 2005.

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.

Darryl White is an indigenous role model for many aboriginal Australians.

Darryl White, who is of Indigenous Australian descent, grew up in Alice Springs in central Australia, playing junior football for the Pioneer Football Club.

Darryl White found the transition from Alice Springs football to training under strict disciplinarian Walls difficult once there; for example, on one occasion during an 8-kilometre cycle up a mountain, he hurled his bike off a cliff, telling his coach he'd come to play football, not ride bikes.

Darryl White's first season of football was an announcement of a rare talent, leading the Brownlow Medal count after three rounds with two best-on-ground performances and kicking the official goal of the year with his first-ever goal.

Darryl White soon became a crowd favourite, with a marking ability well beyond that which his height would normally allow.

Darryl White even found citywide fame when a photo of a spectacular White mark was published on the cover of the 1996 Brisbane White Pages telephone directory.

Darryl White's opponents were often much taller and stronger, but his leap and flexibility allowed him to hold his own in such contests.

Darryl White survived the 1996 merger between Fitzroy and the Bears which formed the Brisbane Lions, and was an integral member of its first premiership victory in 2001 playing off half-back.

Darryl White played in the Lions' flag wins in 2002 and 2003, as well as its Grand Final loss in 2004.

Darryl White was devastated when he ruptured a thumb ligament at Lions training in the weeks before the game and was unable to play.

Darryl White then drilled a no-look pass forward to Jared Brennan, a player who had idolised White as a boy.

Darryl White will leave the game with a lot of respect from his teammates and fellow players.

In 2011, Darryl White played for Nyah-Nyah West in the Central Murray Football League in northern Victoria.

Darryl White appealed for re-registration, and the ban was overturned on 23 January 2012, with Darryl White permitted to return to playing, but additionally required to engage in community work and mentoring.

Darryl White's son Darryl McDowell-White is a Brisbane Lion after being drafted by the Brisbane Lions as a category B rookie in November 2022, having previously played a stint in college basketball in the USA.

Darryl White's other son William McDowell-White is a professional basketball player, who currently plays for the New Zealand Breakers, and has played for the Sydney Kings, Houston Rockets, and in Germany.