Bobby Mitchell

Lore & Background

Mitchell was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and attended Langston High School, where he played football, basketball, and track, and was offered a contract with the St. Louis Cardinals. He chose to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In college, he had a standout sophomore year, including a 173-yard rushing game against Michigan. He also set an indoor world record in the 70-yard low hurdles in 1958. He was drafted 84th overall in the seventh round of the 1958 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns. With the Browns, he teamed with Jim Brown and once rushed for 232 yards against Washington. He was traded to the Washington Redskins in 1962. In his first game with Washington, he returned a kickoff 92 yards. He led the league with 1,384 receiving yards in 1962. He retired after the 1968 season after realizing he was not in the same shape. He spent 41 years with the Redskins as a player and front-office executive.

In Their Own Story

The air at Griffith Stadium was thick with autumn chill as Mitchell lined up on the kickoff return. The crowd, a mix of skeptics and believers, held its breath. As the ball sailed through the gray sky, he caught it near his own twenty-yard line, tucking it tight against his chest. A defender lunged, but Mitchell spun away with a dancer's grace, weaving through the chaos. He didn't just run; he glided, dodging tackles that should have ended the play, surging down the sideline until he crossed the goal line in a blur of red and white.

Reader's Guide

Bobby Mitchell was a versatile offensive threat and return specialist. As a player, he accumulated 14,078 combined net yards (second-highest in NFL history at retirement) and scored 91 touchdowns. He was a four-way threat: running, receiving, and returning kickoffs and punts. He was selected to three consecutive Pro Bowls (1962–1964). In the front office, he served as a pro scout and later assistant general manager. He hosted the Bobby Mitchell Hall of Fame Classic golf fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society starting in 1990.

Did You Know?

• Mitchell was the first black player to sign with the Washington Redskins in 1962.
• He once held the Browns' career record for kickoff returns for touchdowns.
• He recorded a 99-yard pass play in 1963, the first in league and franchise history.
• He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983, not posthumously.
• His jersey number 49 was retired by the team after his death in 2020.