Running backs Earnest Byner (Part 10) and Leroy Kelly (Part 11), who were most recently featured in this Roy Hobbs series of Browns players emerging out of nowhere to do big things, came to the club as virtual unknowns.

But Bobby Mitchell, who is the focus of this, Part 12 of the series, arrived in Cleveland as a known quantity — but not so much in football. Mitchell, a seventh-round pick in the 1958 NFL Draft, was a track star at Illinois who also played football. The world-class sprinter was thought to be headed to the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. Years later, Mitchell said he always wanted a pro football career and was not interested in the Olympics, but the buzz about the latter scared off teams interested in drafting him. The Browns didn’t believe the noise and took him anyway, and were well-rewarded. They didn’t get a great football player, but rather a historic one, as he is in the Pro Football of Fame.

Mitchell was selfless. He knew that his backfield mate, Jim Brown, was the spotlight guy, and he was willing to take a secondary roll in the offense. He made the most of a limited number of opportunities, becoming one of the best runners in the league during his four years with the Browns, and also developing into a great receiver out of the backfield.

He was traded after the 1961 season to Washington in the blockbuster deal for the rights to running back Ernie Davis, and immediately blossomed even more after being switched to wide receiver.

Despite playing almost twice as long with Washington than he did with Cleveland, he always considered himself a Brown first and foremost.

NEXT: In the heart hall of fame.

Steve King