Appointed as captain-coach in 1957, he developed a successful but controversial game plan centred around the since-outlawed flick pass, and in 1961 led the club to its second grand final appearance, losing to Hawthorn.

Whitten was also passionate about interstate football and made 29 appearances for Victoria, and was a leading promoter of State of Origin along with his South Australian sparring partner and friend Neil "Knuckles" Kerley.

He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1991, and in 1995, frail and in the final stages of the disease, received a farewell lap of honour during a State of Origin match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, later ranked as football's most unforgettable moment.

[1] Football writers Russell Holmesby and Jim Main described Whitten as a "prodigious kick, a flawless mark" and as having unequalled "ground and hand skills".

Whitten later said that Fraser did him a favour that day, hardening his attitude and making him realise that League football was a no-nonsense game that only the toughest could succeed at.

[3] In Round 5 against St Kilda at the Western Oval, Whitten kicked two goals in a 28-point win,[4] but he suffered a serious injury to his left ankle.

[7] The Army refused to grant permission,[8] but a last-minute intervention by the Prime Minister Robert Menzies allowed Whitten to return to Melbourne for the match.

[citation needed] One of the best exponents of the "flick pass", which was eventually banned, Whitten was one of few football players to have the ability to play any position on the field.

He was regarded by his contemporaries in the 1950s and 1960s as the greatest naturally talented player of his era;[9] Over the course of his playing career, Whitten experienced conflict with the Footscray committee, none more dramatic than at the end of the 1966 VFL season, when he came close to joining Richmond after he was replaced as coach.

On the bus ride to the ground Whitten sternly walked down the aisle, and handed out cards which had the Victorian theme song, which hadn't been sung in at least 10 years.

[21] In 1996, he was among the first batch of inductees to the Australian Football Hall of Fame, and he was one of the twelve players immediately elevated to Legend status.

On 17 June he made his final public appearance at the MCG before the State of Origin match between Victoria and South Australia.

Suffering from blindness due to a stroke, Whitten was driven in a white convertible for a lap of honour around the MCG, accompanied by his son and three grandchildren while Mariah Carey's song "Hero" was played on the PA system.

The usual studio audience applause that came with the conclusion of the episode was replaced with a silent fade to the Footy Show motif.

[citation needed] Writing for The Age at the end of that year, Les Carlyon reflected on Whitten's impact on communities in the western suburbs of Melbourne:[27] They loved him out there because he was a larrikin.