When word spread that Gene White had passed away, it stirred up a familiar Indiana conversation. Gene White wasn’t Jimmy Chitwood. But if you want to understand the soul of the story — the part that made the story worth telling in the first place — you’ll find Gene White everywhere. Who Gene White Was in HoosiersSo if we insist on answering the question — Who was Gene White in the movie? Gene White didn’t need a character written for him.