Creston Whitaker

Even though Whitaker hadn't played football since high school, he signed as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Rams following his college graduation. He played wide receiver and scored his first touchdown in a preseason victory over the Cleveland Browns, on a four-yard pass from quarterback Karl Sweetan. Shortly afterwards he entered the United States Army and was placed on the military reserve list. Whitaker made a return to Los Angeles for the 1971 season. In an exhibition game against rookies of the San Diego Chargers, he caught four passes for 101 yards, including one touchdown from quarterback Dennis Dummit. He was later released during roster cuts.

With the Saints in 1971, he spent most of the season on the taxi squad, but was activated to the roster for the final two games, against the Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons. Against Cleveland, he recorded his first two career receptions, of five and nine yards. "The Saints' biggest problem is lack of speed and I think I can help them out there. I was the fastest on the club in the 40, with a best time of 4.4 seconds. Two others had 4.6 second times," he said.

At North Texas he would earn All-Missouri Valley Conference honors for his high average of field goals. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram wrote "Joe Hamilton and Creston Whitaker continually pester opponents' offenses and puncture them with their shooting." In his senior year, the 1969–70 season, he was able to improve his scoring average to 16.9 through the first 20-season games. He shot at 40% from the field and 71% from the foul line. He rated fourth in rebounds with 109 retrievals. In a 93–81 double-overtime victory against the nationally ranked Drake, Whitaker ended with 25 points to help his team win. Whitaker was inducted into the North Texas athletics Hall of Fame in 1994.

After two seasons at Southern Illinois, Whitaker transferred to North Texas University. He would letter there from 1967 to 1970.

Whitaker was part of Southern Illinois' 1966–67 National Invitational Championship team, with Walt Frazier and Dick Garrett, both of whom would go on to play professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

He finished his career as 23rd all-time in Jacksonville High School scoring. Following his senior year in 1965, Whitaker was named all-state in basketball, honorable mention all-state in football, and honorable mention all-state in baseball. He was inducted into the high school's Hall of Fame in 1983.

After being encouraged by high school coach Richard "Itchy" Jones, Whitaker accepted a scholarship offer from Southern Illinois University in 1965. He played on their freshman team in his first year, being one of the team's leading scorers until suffering a broken ankle late in the season. The freshmen squad finished with a record of 14–1, only losing by five points to the Bradley freshmen. Even after suffering the injury, Whitaker "still kept his basketball handy and got a bit of shooting now and then despite a cast on his ankle." It was first thought to be a sprain, then a fracture, before it was later found out to be a brake. Whitaker said "They put the ankle in a cast a week later and I'll have to keep it on for another six weeks, but I can still shoot around and dribble, I'm just a little slower."

Creston B. Whitaker (born August 12, 1947) is a former American football wide receiver who played two seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints. He attended college at Southern Illinois and North Texas, but did not play football until 1970 when he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Los Angeles Rams.

Whitaker was born in Quincy, Illinois, on August 12, 1947. His family moved to Jacksonville, Illinois when he was 7 years old. At that time his father, Leroy, started Whitaker Sanitation Services. He first started athletics at Turner Junior High School. He then went to Jacksonville High School and excelled at baseball, basketball, football and track. He later focused on basketball, which he was considered best at, because it seemed as his best opportunity at a college scholarship. He was their leading scorer in the 1963–64 season, averaging over 14 points per game. He helped the 1964–65 team reach the state finals, but lost.