Ex-Jayhawk Whittaker dies in car accident

? Larry Tisdale spoke in subdued tones about Scott Whittaker, the former Etiwanda High football player who died last week following an auto accident.

“He was a very skilled player,” said Tisdale, who coached Whittaker at Etiwanda. “He came a long way; athletics helped him out during his school days. It’s always sad to hear one of your former players passed away.”

Whittaker, who was 29, graduated from Etiwanda in 1992 and was part of the school’s first CIF football championship team in 1990.

He later played at Kansas University and competed professionally as an offensive lineman with the Oakland Raiders of the NFL, the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe and the L.A. Xtreme of the XFL.

“He was under a lot of stress,” family friend Carl Wilson said. “That’s what happens when you’re a big football player and all of a sudden you’re not wanted anymore.”

That certainly wasn’t the case when Whittaker was at Etiwanda. After being selected all-Hacienda League and all-CIF, Whittaker was also named to the Shrine all-star team before leaving for Kansas.

“We knew the coaching staff at Kansas and thought they would take care of him,” Tisdale said. “Scott was very much his own person, at times a bit of a rebel. He had his problems.”

According to police and fire officials, Whittaker was involved in two accidents the afternoon of Dec. 2 while driving his 1994 Chevy pick-up with a suspended driver’s license. He side-swiped a vehicle at Haven Avenue and Town Center Drive in Rancho Cucamonga. He fled that scene and was driving east on Foothill Boulevard when he crossed the median and hit a Ford Expedtion head-on at Elm Street.

A sample of Whittaker’s blood was taken at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center for toxicology testing.