New England Patriots legend Takes Over as Head Coach at Benet Academy

Three-time Super Bowl champion and Super Bowl LI hero James White to lead Illinois powerhouse after retiring from the NFL and beginning his coaching career in college football

Former New England Patriots running back James White has been named the new head football coach at Benet Academy. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Three-time Super Bowl champion running back James White has been named head football coach at Benet Academy in Illinois, the school announced on Nov. 20.

After a standout career at Wisconsin, White played eight seasons in the NFL with the New England Patriots, serving as captain for four years.

He played in 95 games with the Patriots, rushing for 3,278 career yards and 25 touchdowns. His career highlight came in Super Bowl LI, when New England rallied from a 28-3 halftime deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons, 34-28, in overtime. It remains the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history.

A Super Bowl Hero Comes to High School Football

White caught a Super Bowl-record 14 passes for 110 yards and he scored three touchdowns in the huge comeback against the Falcons. He scored the game-tying TD with 57 seconds left in regulation and the game-winner in overtime. His 20 points were also a Super Bowl record.

Although quarterback Tom Brady got the nod as Super Bowl MVP, Brady and many of his teammates felt White deserved the recognition. Brady felt so strong about this that he gave White the truck he was awarded as the MVP.

From Wisconsin Star to New England Captain

He was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year at Wisconsin in 2010 and finished with 4,015 career rushing yards and 48 touchdowns. Of his 48 touchdowns, 45 came on the ground, including a 93-yard TD run which was the longest in school history.

He averaged 6.24 yards per carry during his career with the Badgers. He also added 670 receiving yards which brought his career all-purpose yards total to 5,450 yards. Twice he surpassed more than 1,000 yards in a single season and earned second-team All-Big 10 honors in 2013.

White Starred at St. Thomas Aquinas in Florida

White is a product of talent rich South Florida where he was a member of the 2008 St. Thomas Aquinas national championship team. He rushed for over 1,000 yards and over 20 touchdowns in his senior year and was chosen to the (Broward) All-County team. White also played baseball for the Raiders in high school.

Transition to Coaching in Illinois

After his NFL career ended in 2022, White coached at Northern Illinois in 2024 and moved to Illinois this year as assistant running backs coach, on the staff of Bret Bielema, who was White's head coach during his playing days at Wisconsin. He will stay with the Illini till the end of the 2025 season.

At Northern Illinois he worked in an off-field position overseeing player-personnel and development functions.

Taking the Reins at Benet Academy

At Benet, White succeeds Pat New, who retired after going 92-67 in 16 seasons with 10 IHSA playoff berths and three trips to the state semifinals.

White is one of several former NFL players who are head coaches in Illinois, along with Robbie Gould at St. Viator, Jason McKie at Carmel and Tom Zbikowski at St. Patrick..