Bobby Mitchell

Robert Cornelius Mitchell (born June 6, 1935 in Hot Springs, Arkansas) is a former American football halfback and flanker in the National Football League for the Cleveland Browns and the Washington Redskins. Mitchell was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983.

Early life

Mitchell was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas and attended Langston High School. While there, he played football, basketball, track, and was good enough at baseball to be offered a contract with the St. Louis Cardinals.

College career

Instead of playing professional baseball, Mitchell chose to attended the University of Illinois, which he picked from a host of schools that offered him scholarships. He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini and had a particularly good sophomore year. At the beginning of the season, he was behind junior Harry Jefferson on the depth chart. Seven games into the season, Jefferson went down with an injury, and Mitchell took over at one of the halfback spots. The first time he handled the football, he ran 64 yards for a touchdown. Though he entered in the third quarter, Mitchell gained 173 yards in 10 carries, and the Illini upset third-ranked Michigan, 25-6. He went on to gain more than 100 yards in each of the two games that remained in the 1955 season, during which he also saw some playing time as a defensive back. That year, he averaged a record 8.6 yards per rush.

As a junior, Mitchell didn't see the field much due to a knee injury.

After his senior season, Mitchell was invited to play in the College All-Star Game, where he got behind defensive back, James David on an 84-yard touchdown reception, and then scored again on an 18-yard pass from Jim Ninowski. The All-Stars' upset the Detroit Lions, 35-19, and Mitchell and Ninowski shared game MVP honors. He was named first-team All-Big Ten football in 1955 and second-team status in 1957.

Bobby Mitchell is a member of The Pigskin Club Of Washington, D.C. National Intercollegiate All-American Football Players Honor Roll.

Mitchell was even more successful in track. In February 1958, He set an indoor world record (one that lasted only six days) with a 7.7 mark in the 70-yard low hurdles. In the Big Ten championships, he scored 13 points and helped Illinois win the title. Mitchell was unsure whether he wanted to pursue a career in football or track. Even though the 1960 Summer Olympics were still two years away, he had his sights set on competing on the American team. But Browns head coach Paul Brown offered to pay him $7,000 during his rookie season and was able to convince Mitchell to play football instead of participating in the Olympics.

Professional playing career

Cleveland Browns (1958 – 1961)

Mitchell was drafted in the seventh round of the 1958 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns, where he played as a halfback. He was teamed with Jim Brown to give the Browns one of most successful running back combinations from 1958 through 1961.

As a rookie, Mitchell had a 98-yard kickoff return. A year later against Washington, he rushed for 232 yards, including a 90-yard scoring scamper. The same year, he returned a punt 78 yards against the New York Giants.

As a Brown, Mitchell accumulated 2297 yards rushing, 1463 yards receiving, 607 yards on punt returns, 1550 yards on kickoff returns, and scored 38 touchdowns. He still holds the Browns' career record for kickoff returns for touchdowns with three. He also holds the team's best rookie rushing average (13.36 in 1958).

Washington Redskins (1962 – 1968)

Under pressure to integrate the team by the Washington Post and the federal government of the United States, the Washington Redskins drafted Ernie Davis with the first overall pick of the 1962 NFL Draft. But in mid-December, Redskins owner George Preston Marshall announced that on the day of the draft he had clandestinely traded the rights to Davis to the Cleveland Browns for Bobby Mitchell and first-round draft pick Leroy Jackson. This was a good move, as it turned out that Davis had leukemia, and died without ever playing a down in professional football. Mitchell was joined by black stars like Charley Taylor, Larry Brown, Brig Owens, and John Nisby from the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Redskins ended the 1962 season with their best record in five years: 5–7–2.

Bill McPeak, in his first year as head coach, immediately announced Mitchell would become a flanker. In his first game in Washington, he ran back a 92-yard kickoff return against the Dallas Cowboys. Mitchell led the league with eleven touchdowns, 72 catches, and 1384 yards, and was selected to the Pro Bowl.

In 1963, Mitchell recorded 69 catches for 1436 yards and seven more touchdowns. During the next four years, Mitchell's reception totals were 60, 60, 58 and 60. In 1967, new head coach Otto Graham chose to move Mitchell back to halfback because of Graham's decision a year earlier to move the team's best running back, Charley Taylor , to wide receiver. Mitchell enjoyed only moderate success running the ball but he did catch 60 passes for 866 yards and six touchdowns.

In 1969, Vince Lombardi became head coach and promised Mitchell that he would return him to flanker. But as training camp progressed, Mitchell realized that he was not in the same shape he once was and chose to retire.

During his first six seasons with the Redskins, Mitchell never caught fewer than 58 passes. When he retired, his 14,078 combined net yards was the second highest total in NFL history. He had also scored 91 touchdowns (18 by rushing, 65 on receptions, 3 on punt returns, and 5 on kickoff returns). He amassed 7,954 yards on receptions and 2,735 yards on rushes.

Front-Office career (1969 – 2003)

After retiring from football in 1968, Mitchell remained with the Redskins, at the request of then head coach Vince Lombardi, as a pro scout. He would later gradually move up in the ranks to assistant general manager in the organization. Then in 2003 Mitchell retired, stating that he was "deeply hurt" by the manner in which late owner Jack Kent Cooke passed him over as the team's general manager in 1988 and by then-coach Steve Spurrier's decision to issue his uniform number to Leonard Stephens that season. Mitchell was also passed over for the Redskins GM job in 1978 in favor of Bobby Beathard.

As a player and a front office executive, Mitchell spent 40 years with the Redskins.

Personal

Mitchell still lives in Washington D.C. with his wife, Gwen who is an attorney. They have two children, Robert, Jr and Terri.

Since 1980, Mitchell has hosted the Bobby Mitchell Hall of Fame Classic, an annual golf fundraiser that benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Mitchell has also worked in many efforts and organizations, including: the United Negro College Fund, the Howard University Cancer Research Advisory Committee, the American Lung Association of D.C., the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission, the Boys Club of Washington, the National Urban League, the NAACP, the Junior Chamber of Commerce, the University of Illinois Presidents Council and the University of Illinois Foundation.

References

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