White was born in Alton, Illinois. He attended Alabama State University (then called Alabama State College), where he played baseball and basketball, and he graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1957. He served in the 101st Airborne Division and 75th Ranger Regiment of the United States Army from 1957–1959. In May 1995, White was inducted into the Southwestern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame. He was an all-city baseball and basketball player at Chicago's Waller High School (now Lincoln Park High School) and was inducted into the Chicago Public League Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in June 1995. In 1999, he was inducted into the Alabama State University Sports Hall of Fame.