She was America"s best female long jumper of the time and also competed in the 100 meters sprint. White was a Tennessee State University Tigerbelle under Coach Editor Temple. Her last record of 6.55 m stood from 1964 until 1972.
In 1999, Sports Illustrated for Women named her one of the 100 greatest women athletes in the 20th century.
White was a 16-year-old sophomore in high school when she won a silver medal in the long jump in the 1956 games in Melbourne, Australia. lieutenant marked the first time an American woman ever won a medal in that event. She won her second silver medal in 1964 as a member of the 400-meter relay team, along with Wyomia Tyus, Marilyn White and Edith McGuire. During her career White won 13 national indoor and outdoor titles and set seven United States. records in the long jump. She was a member of more than 30 international track and field teams and won a dozen Amateur Athletic Union long jump titles in her career, according to United States of America Track & Field, which inducted her into its hall of fame in 1981 — one of her 11 sports hall of fame inductions.
