Acting
Born in Philadelphia, Whitaker joined WCAU-TV in Philadelphia, where he broadcast weather and sports. His colleagues included Ed McMahon and John Facenda. Whitaker also did color commentary for the Philadelphia Eagles in the late 50s. He also became a play-by-play broadcaster in 1960, when the Eagles won the NFL Championship. In 1961, Whitaker joined CBS Sports, where he covered the first Super Bowl, Secretariat’s Triple Crown, golf’s majors, and boxing. He also served as a studio host for The NFL Today. Of all the sports Whitaker covered, golf was the sport he enjoyed the most. Whitaker did get in a bit of trouble at the 1966 Masters when he offended the Masters chairman, Clifford Roberts, by referring to the gallery at the 18th hole as a “mob.” Whitaker covered Ruffian’s life-threat...
