Hall of Fame
During his 15-year career at McKendree, Gary White proved he could build a winning program for not just one, but multiple athletic programs. His knowledge of teaching and coaching student-athletes across numerous sports not only displayed his versatility, it helped him achieve success unmatched by any Bearcat coach over that period.
Gary arrived at McKendree to help begin the Bearcats’ cross country and track and field programs in 1996. Starting the programs from scratch did not faze Gary as he helped McKendree make an immediate impact in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The women’s track and field team was the first to break through, taking top honors at the 1999 NAIA Indoor Track and Field National Championship. That marked the first national championship in McKendree history and served as a precursor for things to come. That title marked the first of four consecutive NAIA women’s indoor national championships for McKendree, with the last two coming in dramatic fashion in 2001 and 2002. The 2001 squad had just five student-athletes on the national roster, but the quintet accounting for 66 total points in a winning effort. A year later, McKendree needed a victory in the 4 x 400-meter relay to capture its fourth consecutive title. McKendree remains the only institution to win four consecutive NAIA Women’s Indoor Track and Field National Championships.
Along with the four women’s indoor crowns, Gary guided the women’s squad to the 1999 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field national championship. He also led McKendree to the 2001 NAIA Men’s Indoor Track and Field national title. Gary remains the only person to coach McKendree to a track and field national championship. In cross country, he led the Bearcat men to a runner-up finish at the 1999 NAIA Cross Country National Championship. Gary also coached McKendree’s lone cross country individual national champion, Araya Haregot, who crossed the finish line first at the 2002 national meet.
While building the McKendree cross country and track and field programs into national powers, Gary took on added responsibilities in 2001 as the head coach for the Bearcats’ newly-formed men’s and women’s bowling programs. And in similar fashion, Gary used his knowledge of the sport and knack for recruiting top-notch talent to help make McKendree an immediate success on the lanes. He led the women’s program to its first seven appearances – all consecutive – at the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Intercollegiate Team Championships. The Bearcats fared extremely well during that span, posting national runner-up finishes in 2007 and 2010 along with a third-place showing in 2009.
In his final season as the Bearcats’ head coach, White led the women’s squad to victory at the NAIA National Invitational in April 2011, which marked McKendree’s first bowling national championship and the seventh in White’s storied career. In addition to his success with the McKendree women’s program, White guided the men’s squad to its first-ever USBC Intercollegiate Team Championship appearance.
