Byron Mitchell is a retired American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

defender who played professionally in the

USL A-League The USL First Division (USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It was organized by the United Soccer League as its premier league for men from 1996 to 2010, above the USL Second Di ...

and National Professional Soccer League. Mitchell graduated from

Cape Henry Collegiate School Cape Henry Collegiate (formerly Cape Henry Collegiate School, also known as Cape Henry or CHC) is a private, college-preparatory, coeducational, day school located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. History Cape Henry Collegiate is the oldest accredi ...

, a secondary school in

Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach (colloquially VB) is the most populous city in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in southeastern Virginia. It is the sixth-most populous city in the ...

. He attended

Old Dominion University Old Dominion University (ODU) is a Public university, public research university in Norfolk, Virginia, United States. Established in 1930 as the two-year Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary, it began by educating people with fewer ...

, playing on the men's soccer team in 1991, 1992, 1994 and 1995. In addition to playing for Old Dominion, Mitchell spent the summer of 1994 with the

Hampton Roads Hurricanes The Virginia Beach Mariners were an American football (soccer), soccer club, who formerly played in the USL First Division of the United Soccer Leagues, the second division in the US Soccer hierarchy behind Major League Soccer. On March 30, 2007 ...

of the

USISL The United States Interregional Soccer League (USISL) was a semi-professional men's outdoor soccer league that played six seasons from 1989 to 1994. It was the first outdoor league to be operated by the organization known today as the United ...

and the summer of 1995 with the Roanoke River Dawgs of the

USISL Premier League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will feature ...

. In January 1995, the

Canton Invaders The Canton Invaders was an indoor soccer club based in Canton, Ohio that competed in the National Professional Soccer League. After the 1995–96 season, the team relocated and became the Columbus Invaders. History The Canton Invaders were a pr ...

selected Mitchell in the National Professional Soccer League Draft, but Mitchell did not sign with them. In 1996, Mitchell rejoined the Hurricanes, now known as the Hampton Roads Mariners playing in the

USISL Select League The USL First Division (USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It was organized by the United Soccer League as its premier league for men from 1996 to 2010, above the USL Second Di ...

. In 1997, Mitchell moved up to the

Carolina Dynamo Salem City FC is an American amateur soccer club based in Bermuda Run, North Carolina that fields a men's team in USL League Two, and a women's team as the North Carolina Fusion in the USL W League. The teams plays their home games at the Truis ...

of the

USISL A-League The USL First Division (USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It was organized by the United Soccer League as its premier league for men from 1996 to 2010, above the USL Second Di ...

. That fall, he began his indoor career with the St. Louis Ambush of the National Professional Soccer League. On January 1, 1998, the Ambush traded Mitchell and Cash to the

Cincinnati Silverbacks The Cincinnati Silverbacks were an indoor soccer club based in Cincinnati, Ohio, that competed in the National Professional Soccer League. History They performed under the leadership of All-Star goalkeeper Carlos Pena. Other star players inc ...

in exchange for

Franklin McIntosh Franklin may refer to: People and characters * Franklin (given name), including list of people and characters with the name * Franklin (surname), including list of people and characters with the name * Franklin (class), a member of a historic ...

. On February 5, 1998, Mitchell signed with the Hampton Roads Mariners for the 1998 summer season. He would play both the 1998 and 1999 seasons with them. In the fall of 1998, Mitchell moved to his third indoor team, the Harrisburg Heat. On March 19, 1999, the Heat traded Mitchell and Jim Hesch to the

Buffalo Blizzard The Buffalo Blizzard was a soccer club that existed from 1992 to 2001 in Buffalo, New York. History The team was originally owned by the Knox brothers who owned the Buffalo Sabres at the time, and additionally by the Riches who owned the minor l ...

for

Bernie Lilavois Bernie Lilavois (born August 31, 1970, in Far Rockaway, New York) is an American soccer forward who played two seasons in the American Professional Soccer League, one in the USISL, one in the USL A-League, four in the Continental Indoor Soccer ...

. He continued to play for Buffalo in the 1999–2000 season. Mitchell did not play the 2000–2001 indoor season. In August 2001, the

Cleveland Crunch The Cleveland Crunch is an American professional indoor soccer club located in Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1989 as an expansion team in the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL), the Crunch played a total of 16 seasons in three separate leagues unde ...

selected Mitchell in the Major Indoor Soccer League dispersal draft. On March 21, 2002, Mitchell joined the

Atlanta Silverbacks The Atlanta Silverbacks FC were an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1998 as Atlanta Ruckus, the club played in many leagues over the years before folding after the 2015 season. The team played its home game ...

of the

.Atlanta Silverbacks Sign Five

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Byron Living people 1972 births American men's soccer players Atlanta Silverbacks FC players Buffalo Blizzard players North Carolina Fusion U23 players Cincinnati Silverbacks players Cleveland Crunch (2001–2002 MISL) players Virginia Beach Mariners players Harrisburg Heat players Major Indoor Soccer League (2001–2008) players National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players Old Dominion Monarchs men's soccer players St. Louis Ambush (1992–2000) players USISL Select League players USL League Two players A-League (1995–2004) players USISL players Soccer players from Long Beach, California Soccer players from Virginia Beach Men's association football defenders 20th-century American sportsmen