Sports Broadcaster. Highly versatile and well respected, he covered a wide range of sporting events for CBS and later ABC. Born John Francis Whitaker, the Philadelphia native attended Northeast Catholic High School and later studied at Saint Joseph's University. During World War II, he served with the United States Army and was a participant of the Normandy Invasion (1944). During this experience, he was wounded in the arm by flying shrapnel and received a Purple Heart. Following his return home, he launched his lengthy career covering sports at a Pottsville, Pennsylvania radio station. He went on to Allentown, Pennsylvania where he covered golf at the US Open (1950). This led to his landing a position in Philadelphia, where he broadcasted the sports segment on the late evening news. During this period, he worked with such notables as Ed McMahon and future legendary voice of "NFL Films" John Facenda. Whitaker served as color analyst and later play-by-play man on the Philadelphia Eagles' broadcasts and called the 1960 NFL Title Game which saw the Eagles defeat the Green Bay Packers at Franklin Field. He would go on to serve as play-by-play man for the New York Giants and in 1967, he shared broadcasting duties with Ray Scott and Frank Gifford for Super Bowl 1 (then known as the World Championship Title). Additionally, he achieved national recognition as co-host "The NFL Today" with Pat Summerall from 1971 until 1974. Whitaker became known for his coverage of Triple Crown horse racing and called the action at the Belmont Stakes which saw Secretariat win the Triple Crown in 1973. He also covered tennis championships, as well as Olympic Games competitions. He was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2012 and was the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award that year (2012). He died from natural causes.