Joe Whitt, Sr. is a distinguished football coach and athletics administrator. Whitt built a remarkable career spanning 40 years with Auburn University—25 years as a coach followed by a long stint in athletics administration. As an assistant coach, he served under four head coaches (Pat Dye, Terry Bowden, Bill Oliver, and Tommy Tuberville) in various defensive roles. During his quarter-century on the sidelines, he contributed to five SEC championships (1983, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2004), two undefeated seasons (1993, 2004), and 17 bowl games, while mentoring 20 players who advanced to the NFL.

After retiring from coaching in 2005, Whitt has continued serving Auburn as an assistant athletic director and fundraiser. He also currently serves on the Alabama State University Board of Trustees and has been inducted into the Blount High School and Lee High School Halls of Fame. In 2018, he received the AFCA Outstanding Achievement Award for his exceptional contributions to the sport. In 2022, Whitt was inducted into Auburn's prestigious Tiger Trail, with his plaque placed at Toomer's Corner—a fitting honor for a coach who spent four decades with the Auburn family.

Whitt earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees from ASU in 1976. A three-year defensive end for the Hornets, Whitt began his coaching career in 1974 at Robert E. Lee High School in Alabama, where he spent seven years before being hired by Dye in 1981.