Lydell Mitchell
Encyclopedia
Lydell Douglas Mitchell (born May 30, 1949, in Salem, New Jersey
), is a former professional American football
player. He played running back in the National Football League
for the Baltimore Colts
, San Diego Chargers
and Los Angeles Rams spanning 1972-1980.
. He was taken in the second round of the 1972 NFL Draft
out of Penn State University by the Colts with the 48th overall selection. Mitchell was a teammate of Hall of Fame
running back
Franco Harris
of the Pittsburgh Steelers
while at Penn State, and many actually thought the Steelers were going to draft Mitchell instead of Harris before the draft. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
in 2004.
Mitchell established himself in the mid-1970s as one of the best all-around running back
s in the NFL. Mitchell, along with teammate Bert Jones
, propelled the Baltimore Colts
to three consecutive AFC East Division titles, unseating a powerhouse Miami Dolphins
team that had topped the division for four straight years (1971-74).
Mitchell topped the 1,000-yard rushing plateau in three consecutive seasons (1975-77) earning Pro Bowl
honors each year. In addition to his rushing exploits, he twice led the NFL in pass receptions, in 1974 and 1977. Mitchell was named 2nd Team All-Pro in 1976 and 1977 as well as being named 2nd Team All-AFC following the 1975 campaign.
After his successful run in Baltimore, Mitchell was dealt to the San Diego Chargers
after the 1977 season. Mitchell turned in a solid season in 1978 with the Dan Fouts
-led Chargers and finished his career in 1980 appearing in two games with the Los Angeles Rams
.
in secondary education from Penn State University in 1972.
He lives in Baltimore, Maryland
, where he and his Nittany Lion
teammate Franco Harris
own Super Bakery, a company that produces nutrition
-oriented foods for schoolchildren. He and Harris also partnered to rescue the Parks Sausage Company in Baltimore, the first publicly held
black-owned business in the United States
. Mitchell is also active in lecturing students on the dangers of drug
and alcohol abuse
. Mitchell is a member of the Omega Psi Phi
Fraternity.
Salem, New Jersey
Salem is a city in Salem County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the city population was 5,146. It is the county seat of Salem County, the most rural county in the state of New Jersey. The name Salem is related to the Hebrew word shalom, meaning "peace".The town and...
), is a former professional American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player. He played running back in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for the Baltimore Colts
History of the Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls....
, San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Los Angeles Rams spanning 1972-1980.
Football
Mitchell played high school football at Salem High SchoolSalem High School (New Jersey)
Salem High School is a comprehensive community four-year public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Salem City, in Salem County, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Salem City School District....
. He was taken in the second round of the 1972 NFL Draft
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
out of Penn State University by the Colts with the 48th overall selection. Mitchell was a teammate of Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Franco Harris
Franco Harris
Franco Harris is a former American football player. He played his NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks.In the 1972 NFL Draft he was chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round, the 13th selection overall...
of the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
while at Penn State, and many actually thought the Steelers were going to draft Mitchell instead of Harris before the draft. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
in 2004.
Mitchell established himself in the mid-1970s as one of the best all-around running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
s in the NFL. Mitchell, along with teammate Bert Jones
Bert Jones
Bertram Hays "Bert" Jones is a former LSU and NFL quarterback who played for the then Baltimore Colts and, briefly, the Los Angeles Rams. At Ruston High School, he was given the nickname, "The Ruston Rifle"...
, propelled the Baltimore Colts
History of the Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls....
to three consecutive AFC East Division titles, unseating a powerhouse Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
team that had topped the division for four straight years (1971-74).
Mitchell topped the 1,000-yard rushing plateau in three consecutive seasons (1975-77) earning Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
honors each year. In addition to his rushing exploits, he twice led the NFL in pass receptions, in 1974 and 1977. Mitchell was named 2nd Team All-Pro in 1976 and 1977 as well as being named 2nd Team All-AFC following the 1975 campaign.
After his successful run in Baltimore, Mitchell was dealt to the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
after the 1977 season. Mitchell turned in a solid season in 1978 with the Dan Fouts
Dan Fouts
Daniel Francis Fouts is a retired Hall of Fame American football quarterback in the National Football League. Fouts played his entire professional career with the San Diego Chargers from 1973 through 1987...
-led Chargers and finished his career in 1980 appearing in two games with the Los Angeles Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
.
Personal
Mitchell earned a bachelor of scienceBachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in secondary education from Penn State University in 1972.
He lives in Baltimore, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, where he and his Nittany Lion
Nittany Lion
This article is about the Penn State mascot. For the Penn State fight song see "The Nittany Lion ".The Nittany Lion is the mascot of the Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pennsylvania, USA and its athletic teams. It refers to the mountain lions that once roamed near the school, and...
teammate Franco Harris
Franco Harris
Franco Harris is a former American football player. He played his NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks.In the 1972 NFL Draft he was chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round, the 13th selection overall...
own Super Bakery, a company that produces nutrition
Nutrition
Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....
-oriented foods for schoolchildren. He and Harris also partnered to rescue the Parks Sausage Company in Baltimore, the first publicly held
Public company
This is not the same as a Government-owned corporation.A public company or publicly traded company is a limited liability company that offers its securities for sale to the general public, typically through a stock exchange, or through market makers operating in over the counter markets...
black-owned business in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Mitchell is also active in lecturing students on the dangers of drug
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
and alcohol abuse
Alcohol abuse
Alcohol abuse, as described in the DSM-IV, is a psychiatric diagnosis describing the recurring use of alcoholic beverages despite negative consequences. Alcohol abuse eventually progresses to alcoholism, a condition in which an individual becomes dependent on alcoholic beverages in order to avoid...
. Mitchell is a member of the Omega Psi Phi
Omega Psi Phi
Omega Psi Phi is a fraternity and is the first African-American national fraternal organization to be founded at a historically black college. Omega Psi Phi was founded on November 17, 1911, at Howard University in Washington, D.C.. The founders were three Howard University juniors, Edgar Amos...
Fraternity.
External links
- Super Bakery, Inc.
- "Lydell Mitchell elected to College Football Hall of Fame" gopsusports.com, April 6, 2004
- "Scoring Machine - Penn State's Lydell Mitchell Enters Hall" College Football Hall of Fame press release, July 29, 2005