Bobby Mitchell’s Career Stats – A Hall of Famer in Two Cities

Bobby Mitchell's Career StatsHalfback Bobby Mitchell (49) of the Washington Redskins does a spin move in the open field during a 14-37 loss to the Cleveland Browns on September 15, 1963, at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nate Fine/Getty Images) Bobby Mitchell's career stats

Posted By: County Sports Network April 11, 2020

Bobby Mitchell’s Career Stats

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 storyteller, told me in those exclusive interviews. In this installment of a series on him, we discuss Bobby Mitchell’s career stats.

By STEVE KING

If Bobby Mitchell had stayed with the Browns throughout his 11-year career and never played with the Washington Redskins, then he still would have gotten inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Likewise, if he had never played with Cleveland and spent his entire career with Washington, then he still would have made it into the HOF.

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Yes, Mitchell was that good with both teams. He really was.

He had two distinct careers, actually, one with the Browns after being taken in the seventh round of the 1958 NFL Draft, at No. 84 overall, out of Illinois, and one with the Redskins after they acquired him in a trade.

In the first four years (1958-61) of his career, all of which were spent in Cleveland, where there was a strong winning tradition under a Hall of Fame head coach in Paul Brown, he was a running back playing alongside another HOF back in Jim Brown.

Despite playing next to Brown, who garnered the bulk of his carries in that the entire offense was built around him, Mitchell rushed for 2,297 career yards with the Browns, which now ranks him 11th in team history after he was bumped out of the top 10 last season by Nick Chubb. He also held the club mark for longest touchdown run with a 90-yarder until Chubb broke it last year with a 92-yarder. Mitchell’s 5.4 yards-per-carry average is the best in team history by a running back, and his 6.3 mark in 1958 is a Browns rookie mark.

In addition, he also once held the Browns record for kickoff returns for touchdowns.

Again, Mitchell did all that in just four seasons. Consider his numbers if, at that pace, he had played as a back in Cleveland for seven more years.

In the final seven years (1962-68) of his career, all of which were spent in Washington, where there was a strong losing tradition under struggling head coaches, he was moved to wide receiver to take advantage of his pass-catching skills and run-after-catch abilities. He played the final five seasons with two Hall of Famers, wide receiver/running back Charley Taylor and quarterback Sonny Jurgensen.

With the Redskins, Mitchell caught 393 passes, still the eighth-highest in team history, for 6,492 yards (fifth-best), a 16.5 yards-per-reception average and 49 touchdowns. At that pace, how much better would his statistics had been if he played four more seasons with Washington?

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