Bobby Mitchell carried town on his shoulders
EDITOR’S NOTE: Two of the very best interviews in my career were with the dynamic, intelligent, well-spoken, gentlemanly and historic Bobby Mitchell, the Pro Football Hall of Fame running back (Browns) and wide receiver (Washington Redskins) who passed away recently at the age of 84. Below is part of what Mitchell, also a tremendous story-teller, told me in those exclusive interviews. In this installment of a series on him, he discusses his early life.
By STEVE KING
Bobby Mitchell grew up extremely poor.
In that way, then, he was, sadly, like way too many African Americans in the history of this country. That’s especially the case for natives from South, and those who lived decades ago. Mitchell was born on D Day nine years before it was known as such, on June 6, 1935, in Hot Springs, Ark.
He graduated from Hot Springs’ Langston High School, where he was a multi-sports star and was offered a Major League Baseball contract by the St. Louis Cardinals. However, he instead decided to play football at the University of Illinois, one of the many schools that were recruiting him in that sport.
Just getting that scholarship – even before he left home — was a huge deal for not just Mitchell, but many others.
“I had never been away from home. I had never been anywhere. I didn’t know anything beyond my little community,” Mitchell told me.
“But I did know that in being a black kid going up north to the Midwest to play in the Big Ten, I had a huge responsibility on my shoulders. I couldn’t fail. I just couldn’t. I couldn’t come back home and say, ‘I wasn’t able to do it.’
“I had to succeed. Everybody back home would be counting on me. I was representing them and the town. I was their hope to go away and make a name for myself, and in doing so, I would be making a name for them. My success would be their success.
“It was a big challenge for a young kid, and I was scared. I wasn’t sure I could do it. But I was going to try very, very hard – as hard as I could.”
Note: Bobby Mitchell carried town on his shoulders was Part II in the Bobby Mitchell Series. Read Part I here
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