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Whitfield's family moved from Texas to Los Angeles when he was a toddler. By the time he was in elementary school , Whitfield was selling fruits and vegetables in Watts to help the family pay its bills. In , at age eleven, he snuck into the Los Angeles stadium to watch Jesse Owens —his idol—run. After graduating from high school, he was offered scholarships at several colleges, but chose to enter OSU in autumn so he could train with Coach Snyder.

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He ran on the Ohio State varsity track team as a freshman, and in summer he joined the U. Air Force. While at Lockbourne, Whitfield married and competed in college track for the next two years. At the National Collegiate Athletic Association NCAA championships held in Minneapolis, the six-foot, pound Whitfield won the meter event and placed fourth in the meter run.

His performances earned him a place on the U. Olympic team headed for London, England. Considered an outsider, Whitfield was not expected to make much of a splash in his first international competition. He proved, however, to be a strong contender. On the brick-red track at London's Wembley Stadium , he surprised everyone by winning the gold medal in the meter run and 1,meter relay, and by taking a bronze in the meter dash.

He was the first Olympian in 28 years to win medals in both the and meter races. After the Olympics, Whitfield returned to compete and study at Ohio State, while continuing to serve in the air force.