Whitney Van Cleve

Whitney Van Cleve earned nine letters at Kokomo High School in three sports, including basketball and baseball, but it was in football that he left his mark. In 1939, Van Cleve was the fullback on the first KHS football team to go undefeated (9-0).

He earned a football scholarship to attend Tuskegee Institute, where he also played basketball. In 1943, his football career was put on hold as he joined the United States Army during World War II. He served as part of the Third Army Tank Division in Europe, where he earned two Bronze Stars.

In 1946, he returned to Tuskegee to play football and was named captain of the Golden Tigers in 1947 and 1948. He was named an All-American by the Chicago Defender publication in 1946 and 1947.

In the Kokomo Tribune’s 1950 Centennial Edition, Van Cleve was named the “greatest football player in Kokomo’s history.”

In 1950, Van Cleve began a long and storied career in coaching as an assistant coach for the legendary Eddie Robinson at Grambling State College. From 1955 to 1963, he was the head football coach at Tuskegee and had a 42-35-2 record. Van Cleve moved on to Alabama State College, and between 1964 and 1968 he posted a 35-14-1 record. After a stint at Hampton Institute, he finished his head coaching career at Albany State College, retiring in 1979.