Whitten, a Florence, Ala. native,  was a four-year letterman as a back for the Lions on the first four football squads at the school - in the modern era (1949-52), and also lettered in baseball in 1950-51. He served in U.S. Marine Corps in China prior to coming to UNA.  He was chosen as a permanent  Team Captain in 1951 and was selected the team's Most Valuable Back in 1950. In UNA's Single-Wing and T offensive sets, he played as left half on defense and right half on offense.

As a senior, he finished with nine interception and helped lead the Lions to an 8-1 record, with the lone loss coming to Arkansas State. That would prove to be UNA's best football record for 28 years.   In 1952, against Livingston (now West Alabama), Whitten had broken away and was running for an apparent touchdown when two Livingston players jumped off the sidelines and tackled him. The Lions led 27-6 at the time and went on to a 34-6 win when Whitten was awarded a touchdown, despite being tackled at the Tigers' 28 yard-line. Walter Henders, the current head coach at Chipley High School in Florida, was the 13th man who finally brought Whitten down. The play was even more significant because it happened two years before Alabama's Tommy Lewis made the well known off the sidelines tackle of Dickey Moegle of Rice in the Cotton Bowl. 

In baseball, he finished  as the team's second-leading hitter as a junior (.405) and the leading hitter as a senior (.395).  Whitten was named to the Lions football team of the Decade from 1949-58.