WVU Sports Hall of Fame
Darrell Whitmore was a two-sport standout in baseball and football from 1988-91.
The Front Royal, Virginia, native played two seasons in right field with the Mountaineers in 1989-90, hitting .392 with 78 hits and 72 RBI in 199 at-bats. Whitmore had 18 doubles, 11 home runs and three triples with 57 runs scored and six stolen bases, playing in 71 games with 60 starts. He was named to the All-Atlantic 10 First Team and to the All-East Region Second Team in 1990.
Whitmore owns school records with a .678 slugging percentage and .481 on-base percentage. He set the school record with a .392 career batting average, which now ranks second all-time. Whitmore had a .757 slugging percentage in 1990, which now ranks fifth all-time and was second in program history at that time and posted a .559 on-base percentage in 1990, which now ranks fourth all-time.
He was drafted by the then-Cleveland Indians in the second round of the 1990 Major League Baseball draft and played professionally from 1990-2002. Whitmore played in 112 games in three MLB seasons with the then-Florida Marlins, recording 67 hits, 31 runs scored, 11 doubles, five home runs and two triples.
Whitmore was also a four-year starter at safety on the Mountaineer football team, recording 14 career interceptions and left as the career leader in passes broken up with 21.
He started 11 games as a freshman, finishing as the fifth-leading tackler on the team with 61 tackles, including 36 solo stops, and was second on the team with four interceptions. In his first collegiate game, Whitmore caused a fumbled punt and blocked a punt, resulting in two WVU touchdowns. He missed the Fiesta Bowl game versus Notre Dame with a broken leg suffered against Syracuse in the final game of the regular season.
Whitmore started all 12 games as a sophomore and was the fifth-leading tackler on the team with 68 stops, including 42 unassisted. He had a pair of interceptions at Maryland, including one on the first drive of the second half that set up WVU’s first score, and his second came with just four seconds remaining to stop the Terps’ final drive. Whitmore had nine tackles in the 1989 Gator Bowl.
In 1990, he started all 11 games as a junior and was the fifth-leading tackler with 64, including 35 unassisted. Whitmore finished with a team-leading four interceptions and had three interceptions against Cincinnati, setting a new Mountaineer Field record. He also recorded seven tackles and forced a fumble against the Bearcats. Whitmore had a career-high 13 tackles at South Carolina. He was named AP All-East and honorable mention All-America.
In 1991, Whitmore played 11 games and started seven as a senior, finishing with 23 tackles and a team-leading three interceptions.
Whitmore and his wife, Ayanna, have two children, Gianna and Ava.
