Bobby Mitchell
| Bobby Mitchell | |
|---|---|
|
Positions: Halfback , Flanker |
Jersey number (s): 49 |
| born June 6, 1935 in Hot Springs , Arkansas | |
| died on April 5, 2020 | |
| Career information | |
| Active : 1958 - 1968 | |
| NFL Draft : 1958 / Round: 7 / Pick: 84 | |
| College : University of Illinois | |
| Teams | |
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| Career statistics | |
| Pass catches | 521 |
| the resulting gain in space | 7,594 yards |
| Touchdowns | 83 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
| Stats at pro-football-reference.com | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
| Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
Robert Cornelius Bobby Mitchell (born June 6, 1935 in Hot Springs , Arkansas - † April 5, 2020 ) was an American American football player . He played in the National Football League (NFL) with the Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins .
youth
Bobby Mitchell was born in 1935 to Pastor Albert Mitchell and his wife Avis. He attended Langston High School in his hometown , where he was active as a football, basketball , baseball and track and field athlete . In 1953 he won the Negro State Football Championship with his team . He was twice elected to the team's national selection for African American players.
Player career
College career
In 1954, Mitchell received a football scholarship from the University of Illinois , where he played with Ray Nitschke for the Fighting Illinois Football . He was also active as a track and field athlete in college . In 1955 he suffered a knee injury that prevented him from participating in sports. In 1956 he returned to the sports field and was elected to the football selection team of the Big Ten Conference in 1957. He also set a world record over 70 yards hurdles with 7.7 seconds . However, the record only lasted six days. In 1958 he was elected to the college all-star team . The team then competed against the Detroit Lions and was able to defeat this NFL team with 35:19. Mitchell was named the game's MVP along with a fellow player .
Professional career
Cleveland Browns
Mitchell was in 1958 by the Cleveland Browns in the seventh round at the 84th spot drafted . The Browns agreed to pay him an annual salary of $ 7,000 . Head coach of the team was Paul Brown , who used Mitchell together with fullback Jim Brown in the Browns' offensive backfield . In his rookie game year , the Browns were able to win nine of twelve games and thus moved into the NFL Championship Game , where they lost 10-0 to the New York Giants . Although the Browns could continue to establish themselves as the top team in the NFL, Mitchell was no longer able to move into a final with the team from Cleveland .
Washington Redskins
In 1961, the Washington Redskins came under increasing public pressure due to their policy of not signing African American players. They were the only team in the NFL that had previously refused to sign African-American players. The owner of the team, Robert Preston Marshall, threatened the official withdrawal of playing rights at the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium if he were not ready to change his club policy. Marshall responded and gave Ernie Davis and a first-round draft right to the Browns in exchange for Bobby Mitchell. Mitchell was used as a flanker with the Redskins . Staged again and again in the next few years by quarterbacks Norm Sead and Sonny Jurgensen , Mitchell was able to set up numerous NFL annual bests in his first year of play. With his 72 passes captured, he gained 1,384 yards of space, which corresponds to an average of 98.9 yards per game. In the following game year he managed to gain 1,436 yards, which was equivalent to an average of 102.6 yards. His longest pass catch was 99 yards. In 1963 he achieved another league best with 10 captured touchdowns . Mitchell ended his career after the 1968 season . Until this year, the Redskins did not manage to move into the play-offs even with his help .
After the playing career
Immediately after his playing career, Mitchell moved to the management of the Redskins. Initially, he supported head coach Vince Lombardi as the team's scout before becoming the assistant to the general manager . During that time, the Redskins were able to win the Super Bowl three times - 1982 XVII , 1987 XXII , 1991 XXVI . In 2003 he retired.
Off the field
Bobby Mitchell lived in Washington, DC. He was married with two children. Mitchell was involved in various charities. Among other things, he was responsible for the Bobby Mitchell Hall of Fame Classic charity golf tournament .
Honors
He played four times in the Pro Bowl , the final game of the best players of the season. He was voted All-Pro five times . The Redskins honor him as one of their 70 best players of all time and run him in FedExField on the Washington Redskins Ring of Fame. In 1983 he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame .
Web links
- Short biography
- Bobby Mitchell with the Cleveland Browns
- Bobby Mitchell on the City of Cleveland website
- Interview by Bobby Mitchell on the subject of racism
- Bobby Mitchell with the Washington Redskins
- Racism among the Washington Redskins
- Bobby Mitchell in his hometown
- College stats from Bobby Mitchell
source
- Michael Richman; The Redskins Encyclopedia , Temple University Press, 2009, ISBN 9781592135448
- Ryan bases; Washington Redskins, Inside the NFL , 2010, ISBN 9781617586668
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bobby Mitchell Dead: First Black Redskins Player Dies at 84
- ^ Annual statistics of the Cleveland Browns 1958
- ^ Statistics NFL final 1958
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Mitchell, Bobby |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Mitchell, Robert Cornelius |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American football player and official |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 6, 1935 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Hot Springs , Arkansas |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 5, 2020 |