 Whipple went on to play football at Brown University, where he was a 1979 graduate with a bachelor's degree in political science.Whipple was the starting quarterback for the Bears in 1977 and 1978, leading Brown to a 13–5 record and a pair of second-place Ivy League finishes.He was a member of the Bears' 1976 Ivy League championship team, the first Ivy football championship in school history.