Robert V. Whitlow
Whitlow in his P-51 which bears markings from his two aerial kills on November 26, 1944
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| Sport(s) | Football |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
November 7, 1918 Calwa, California |
| Died | July 11, 1997 (aged 78) Harbor Point, Michigan |
| Playing career | |
| 1940–1943 | Army |
| Position(s) |
Tackle (football) Pitcher (baseball) |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Army (asst.) | |
| 1947 | El Colegio Militar de Mexico |
| 1955 | Air Force |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1954–1957 | Air Force |
| 1963–1965 | Chicago Cubs |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 4–4 |
Colonel Robert V. Whitlow (November 7, 1918 – July 11, 1997) was an American military officer, football coach, university athletic director, and sports club executive. He served as the first head football coach and athletic director of the United States Air Force Academy in 1955. Whitlow had a twenty-year career in the United States Air Force, and during World War II, saw combat as both a bomber and fighter pilot. After his military service, he worked for the Chicago Cubs baseball franchise as its first "athletic director."
Whitlow was born in Calwa, California on November 7, 1918 to Victor and Elizabeth (née Drenth) Whitlow. He attended Fairfax High School and the University of California, Los Angeles. Whitlow then went on to the United States Military Academy, where he earned letters in football as a tackle, baseball as a pitcher, and basketball. On October 13, 1942, he pitched five innings as the starter against the New York Giants, and when he was removed from the game, the score was a 2–2 stalemate. He started again on May 27 against Navy, and helped Army to a 10–3 win, its first of the series since 1914. Whitlow earned his pilot wings as a first class cadet (senior), and was assigned to heavy bombers because of his large stature after graduating in January 1943.
Whitlow served in the Second World War and saw aerial combat, initially as a B-24 Liberator pilot with the 458th Bombardment Group. He later piloted P-51 Mustangs on reconnaissance missions with the Eighth Air Force Scouting Group. In 1944, The Los Angeles Times reported on one of his aerial engagements in which he shot down a German Focke-Wulf 190 fighter. All told, he logged 550 combat hours over the course of one bomber and three fighter tours, and destroyed eight enemy aircraft. Whitlow received the Silver Star, four Distinguished Flying Crosses, and eight Air Medals.
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