Ellis said: “It’s an honour for all of us and we are extremely excited.”
He said other members of the family had “kept it secret for a while” and told him to leave the date of the unveiling free in his diary.
“John is a legend of Hull FC, playing for over 400 games, coaching them and then playing for Great Britain.
“To have a legend like that in Hull is even better,” he said.
Reflecting on Whiteley’s personality, Ellis said he was a “fantastic rugby player” who “just wanted to give back to the youth development and helping anyone”.
He said: “Historically, John was always a person of Hull and always that person on the door, on the bar, trying to introduce and be part of the people.
“I remember his hand always used to get bruises from the amount of time he’d shake hands with people.”
Pearson was also campaigning for a road in the city to be named after Whiteley, which would follow in the footsteps of other rugby league stars who played for Hull FC and Hull KR including Phil Lowe, Clive Sullivan and Roger Millward.
Ellis said the family were “ready for it” and were “really honoured that someone out there is trying to push for him to have a road named after him.”
He added: “The Whiteley Way or something like that, it would be brilliant.”
