Bill Mitchell (born August 2, 1935) is a former award winning professional

Canadian football Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

. He also regularly played defensive line and was a kicker. Born in England and coming to Canada at 11 years old, Mitchell graduated from the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO; branded as Western University) is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thame ...

as the

Mustangs The mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish conquistadors. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once-domesticate ...

most valuable player. The

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

stirred up considerable controversy when they selected him in the draft, as they passed over Lionel Conacher Jr., (the son of Canadian sports legend

Lionel Conacher Lionel Pretoria Conacher ( ; May 24, 1900 – May 26, 1954), nicknamed "the Big Train", was a Canadian athlete and politician. Voted the country's top athlete of the first half of the 20th century, he won championships in numerous sports. ...

) who went to the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...

. However, the Boatmen were immediately rewarded, as Mitchell played both offensive and defensive line (and intercepted 2 passes) and won the Gruen Trophy as best rookie in the Eastern Conference. He also scored 60 points in 1962 as a backup kicker when

Cookie Gilchrist Carlton Chester "Cookie" Gilchrist (May 25, 1935 – January 10, 2011) was an American football fullback who played in the American Football League (AFL) and the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was named the AFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) ...

was injured. After three season in Toronto, he was traded to the

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at Commonwealth Stadium. The E ...

in a blockbuster 6 player deal that saw the famed

Jackie Parker John Dickerson "Jackie" Parker (January 1, 1932 – November 7, 2006) was an American gridiron football player and coach. He was an All-American in college football and professional football player in the Canadian Football League (CFL), playing ...

head east. In three seasons in Edmonton, besides being a lineman, he scored 123 points with his boot, including a 58-yard field goal (versus the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

on August 17, 1964) which was the longest in CFL history at the time.
CFL Records - Longest Field Goal Mitchell was traded to the

British Columbia Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

in 1966 and scored his highest points in a season that year with 67. He retired three games into the 1968 season. His brother Doug Mitchell also played in the CFL with the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home game ...

and the

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Bill 1935 births Living people Sportspeople from London Canadian football centres Canadian football placekickers English emigrants to Canada BC Lions players Canadian Football League Rookie of the Year Award winners Edmonton Elks players Toronto Argonauts players English players of Canadian football Western Mustangs football players First overall CFL draft picks