The oldest living Atlanta Falcon, who broke into the NFL when Dwight Eisenhower was president, played for seven teams over his nine-year career.
“I never much got along with the coaches,’’ said Bob Whitlow, 80, who lives in Cumming. “But I hung around long enough to tell some good stories.’’
Whitlow earned the distinction as the oldest living Falcon when Karl Rubke, who was three months older, passed away in 2009.
Whitlow grew up in Indiana where he played football and was an excellent shot putter at Bloomington High School. But his grades were poor and he ended up playing one season at Compton (Calif.) Junior College before going to the University of Arizona for two years. He played both offensive and defensive end and though he had a year of college eligibility remaining, he decided to enlist in the U.S. Marines and spent two years stationed in San Diego.
Many of the big military bases fielded football teams and Whitlow worked with recruits in the morning and then practiced in the afternoon, saying, “We had a general that wanted to win.’’
They won what was then called the “Leatherneck Bowl,’’ the championship contested among military bases. After the game, a scout from the Chicago Bears offered Whitlow a contract.
He took it, heading to the Windy City in 1960 to play for the great George Halas. But after playing in all the preseason games, his contract was sold to Washington. Whitlow played there two seasons before being traded to Detroit, when he was moved to center where he would stay for the rest of his career. He played four years for the Lions, including the 1963 season about which Sports Illustrated writer George Plimpton wrote “Paper Lion.’’
Plimpton talked the Lions into letting him play quarterback during the preseason and Whitlow remembers centering to him. In Detroit, Whitlow also loved playing with Dick “Night Train’’ Lane, one of the greatest defensive backs in NFL history.
Then came the expansion draft of 1966 when Atlanta came into the league. Each of the existing 14 teams froze 29 players on their 40-man roster and Whitlow was left unprotected. He became one of three Detroit players, along with defensive end Sam Williams and tackle Jim Simon, to be taken by the Falcons.
Whitlow would last only the 1966 season in Atlanta but played in all 14 games. He remembers the win in week No. 13 over St. Louis which knocked the Cardinals out of the playoffs. His fondest memories are going against rookie linebacker Tommy Nobis in practice and he did get along with head coach Norb Heckler.
“Norb and his coaches came from Green Bay and I came from Detroit and those two teams never liked each other,” he said. “But I liked Norb.’’
After the Falcons, Whitlow had brief stops in Los Angeles and Pittsburgh before going to Cleveland in 1968 to play for a Browns team that went to the NFL championship game to face Baltimore. The Browns would lose to a Colts team who were then upset by the New York Jets and Joe Namath in Super Bowl III.
Whitlow career ended after hernia surgery but he ended up racing cars in USAC and NASCAR for four years before opening two carpet stores in Detroit. He was a small college basketball coach before coming back to Atlanta four years ago, where he was an assistant track coach at Northview High School in Johns Creek before retiring last spring.
Where he lives: Whitlow, who lives in Cumming, has four children — Michael, Elizabeth, Steve, and Scott — and six grandchildren. He said, "All my kids have done well. They have made a lot more money than the old man ever made.''
What he does: While he said he would love to get back into coaching track, he now helps take care of his grandchildren. He is attending the 10th Sickle Cell Celebrity Bowl-A-Thon on Sept. 24 and will join other Falcons and NFL Alumni at Brunswick Zone in Lawrenceville. The event starts at 8 p.m. For more information, go to Active.com. Said Whitlow, "My autograph has to be worth something, considering I am the oldest Falcon.''
On being the oldest living Falcon: "It beats the alternative.''
On going to junior college: "My grades weren't good. I went to junior college and they wanted to redshirt me and I probably should have done that. But I went to Arizona and I couldn't get along with the coach so I went into the Marines. We had a great football team with the Marines and I think 10 to 12 guys on that team went on and played in the NFL. Also, I kept throwing the shot put and actually could have gone to the Olympic trials in 1960 but I had to report to the Bears camp.''
On playing for George Halas: "Well, it didn't last very long. I played in the preseason and they sold me to the Redskins for $2,500. It was interesting because they had no black players on the team then. It was an all-white team. But we did have a lot of great Notre Dame players there.''
On being traded to Detroit: "Those were my best years. I loved it there. I got to know (assistant defensive coach) Don Shula and I made All-Pro a couple of times. That is when I moved from guard to center and never played anything else from then on.''
On his experience with Plimpton: "We didn't know why he was there and when he first took snaps, I knew this guy wasn't a football player. So I told one of my teammates that I was going to snap it so hard it would break his hand. But my coach heard me say that and called me over and told me he was a reporter and writing a story. So I took it easy on him."
On the inaugural 1966 Falcons team: "I hated to leave Detroit. When I came here, I lived in the Chamblee-Dunwoody area and my son took me by there the other day. We had some good players and we really had a bunch of good linebackers. Tommy Nobis was some type of player and I can't understand why he isn't in the Hall of Fame. I guess he didn't have the right people pushing for him but hopefully the veterans group will put him in. He was tough going up against in practice."
On the first Falcons training camp: "It was up at Black Mountain (N.C.) and the food was horrible and the conditions were horrible and I think we scrimmaged 20 straight days. It was brutal.''
On Falcons starting quarterback Randy Johnson: "We had Dennis Claridge but they wanted to start Randy. Randy made a lot of mistakes but he was a rookie.''
On his final two years in the league: "I went to Los Angeles but couldn't get along with the coaches. I then went to the Steelers and they let me go before the season started but I hooked on with Cleveland and that was a great experience. You have to remember that season, Baltimore lost one game in the regular season and it was to us. For some reason when we played them in the championship game, our guys were cocky and everything and I warned them not to be because I knew Shula (then the Colts coach). They beat us.''
On his love for racing: "My love for cars came early and I think if I would have gotten sponsorship money, I would have stayed in it. But back then, a car engine would last 500 miles and a NASCAR race would be 500 miles. I just didn't get the sponsors.''
On his love for coaching track: "I was at Northview and my head coach resigned, so I told her, 'Just tell them I am resigning to.' But if there is anyone out there that is close by and needs a coach, I am willing to do it. I'm not too old to make a difference.''
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