Lydell Douglas Mitchell (born May 30, 1949) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) from 1972 to 1980. During his nine-season NFL career, Mitchell played for the

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from 1953 to 1983, when owner Robert Irsay moved the franchise to Indianapolis. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breeding and racing. It w ...

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

and

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

. Playing

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Penn State Nittany Lions The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Penn State Lady Lions basketball, Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot ...

, Mitchell set several NCAA and school rushing and scoring records. In the NFL, Mitchell was known for his versatility as both a runner and pass catcher. He earned two

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...

Second-Team selections (1976, 1977) and three

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

selections (1975–1977) during his career. The first Colt in franchise history to gain 1,000 yards in a single season, Mitchell achieved the feat three times, as well as leading the NFL in receptions in 1974 and 1977.

Early life

Lydell Mitchell was born on May 30, 1949, in

Salem, New Jersey Salem is a city in and the county seat of Salem County,New Jersey County Map

. Mitchell attended Salem High School, where he played football,

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

, and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

. On the Salem football team, Mitchell earned All-South Jersey honors as a sophomore. As a junior, Mitchell was injured in the middle of the season, but still managed to earn an All-South Jersey team honorable mention. In his senior season, Mitchell again earned All-South Jersey honors as a member of the Third Team. Mitchell earned a football scholarship to play at Penn State following his high school career.

College career

Mitchell played college football at

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

, where he and future

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...

running back

Franco Harris Franco Dok Harris (March 7, 1950 – December 20, 2022) was an American professional football player who was a fullback for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football fo ...

joined head coach

Joe Paterno Joseph Vincent Paterno (; December 21, 1926 – January 22, 2012), sometimes referred to as JoePa, was an American college football player, athletic director, and coach. He was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions football, Penn ...

Nittany Lions The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Penn State Lady Lions basketball, Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot ...

following a 1969 undefeated season. As a freshman, Mitchell led the Penn State freshman squad in rushing and scoring. His first two years at Penn State were productive, and he and Harris formed a formidable rushing attack. Mitchell's senior season was one of the best in school history, and he set several Penn State and NCAA records. Mitchell was inducted into the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

in 2004.

1969 season

As a sophomore, Mitchell had an immediate impact. He and Franco Harris joined the varsity squad, and contributed to Penn State's second consecutive undefeated 11–0 season. The Nittany Lions finished at #2 in the AP poll, and earned a spot in the

1970 Orange Bowl The 1970 Orange Bowl was the 36th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, on Thursday, January 1. The final game of the 1969–70 bowl game season, it matched the independent and second-ranke ...

where they defeated #6

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

10–3. Mitchell recorded a 28-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Chuck Burkhart in the Orange Bowl victory. Mitchell split time at running back with Harris and senior Charlie Pittman, but still recorded 113 carries for 616 yards and six touchdowns on the season.

1970 season

In 1970, Mitchell and Harris continued to post productive seasons. Penn State opened the year ranked at #7 in the AP poll and earned a season opening victory against

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

, 55–7. In the Navy game, Mitchell recorded 19 carries for 145 yards. The next two weeks, Penn State suffered upsets at the hands of #18

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

and

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

to fall out of the top-25 rankings. Mitchell suffered a leg injury the following week against

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...

, which forced him to miss the Nittany Lions' loss to

Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

. Penn State won their remaining five games of the season, finishing with a 7–3 record and a #20 ranking in the AP poll. Mitchell finished the season with 134 carries for 751 yards and six touchdowns.

1971 season

Mitchell's 1971 senior season was one of the top individual performances in Penn State history. In #14 Penn State's opening game victory against Navy, Mitchell recorded five touchdowns and 103 rushing yards, breaking a Penn State single-game scoring record that had stood since 1917. The following week against

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

, Mitchell recorded 29 carries for 211 yards and one touchdown in a 44–14 victory. In week three, Penn State almost lost in an upset to

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

before a late game field goal gave them the 16–14 victory. Mitchell had 18 carries for 91 yards and one touchdown. The next week against

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

, Mitchell again had a game-stealing performance with 161 rushing yards and three touchdowns in a 42–0 victory. In week five against Syracuse, Mitchell had 24 carries for 94 yards. In week six against Texas Christian, Mitchell continued his pursuit of Penn State records in a 66–14 victory. Mitchell had 22 carries for 177 yards and four touchdowns, while Franco Harris added 17 carries for 104 yards and one touchdown. Penn State set a new school record of 632 total offensive yards, with 484 rushing yards and 148 passing yards. Mitchell moved his season total touchdown mark to 14, tying Charlie Pittman for the Penn State season total record with five games remaining. The next week against

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

, Mitchell broke the Penn State single-season touchdown record by recording 24 carries for 128 yards and two touchdowns in the 35–7 victory. In week seven against

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, Penn State again dominated with a 63–27 victory. For Mitchell, this game cemented his All-America status and brought him to the forefront of the

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

watchlist. Mitchell started the game with a 33-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. By the end of the game, he had 209 rushing yards and matched his career high with five touchdowns. During the game, Mitchell broke six Penn State records, including career rushing yards (passing

Lenny Moore Leonard Edward Moore (born November 25, 1933) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a Halfback (American football), halfback and wide receiver, flanker for the Baltimore Colts of the National Football Leag ...

), single-season rushing yards (also passing Moore), most points in a season, most career points, and extended his single-season touchdown mark. After the victory, Penn State reached #5 in the AP poll, its highest ranking of the season. The following week, Mitchell continued his record-setting streak in a 35–3 victory over

North Carolina State North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina sy ...

. Mitchell recorded four touchdowns in the game, breaking the NCAA single-season touchdown record (later eclipsed that season by Long Beach State's Terry Metcalf). The next week, Penn State continued their undefeated streak with a 55–18 victory over the

Pitt Panthers The Pittsburgh Panthers, commonly also referred to as the Pitt Panthers, are the athletic teams representing the University of Pittsburgh, although the term is colloquially used to refer to other aspects of the university such as alumni, facul ...

. Mitchell had 181 rushing yards and three touchdowns. The Nittany Lions' only loss of the 1971 season came in the final regular season game against #12-ranked

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

. Penn State had four fumbles and their high-scoring offense was stifled by Tennessee's defense. Mitchell's only score came on a 14-yard reception from quarterback

John Hufnagel John Coleman Hufnagel (born September 13, 1951) is an American special advisor for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He has previously served as the Stampeders' President, General Manager, Head Coach, and Offensive ...

. Despite the loss to Tennessee, Penn State earned a bid to the 1972 Cotton Bowl where the #10 Nittany Lions faced #12

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. Penn State forced five fumbles and held Texas to just two field goals in a 30–6 victory. Mitchell had 27 carries for 146 yards and one touchdown, and was named the game's Offensive Most Valuable Player. Penn State finished the season at #5 in the AP poll with a 10–1 record. Mitchell finished the 1971 season with 254 carries for 1,567 yards and 26 rushing touchdowns and added 16 receptions for 154 yards and three receiving touchdowns. He was voted to the 1971 AP All-America First-Team and finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting. He led Penn State in all rushing categories and led the NCAA in total points scored (174).

College statistics

Professional career

Mitchell was selected by the

in the second round, 48th overall pick, of the

1972 NFL draft The 1972 NFL draft was the 37th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft was held on February 1 and 2 at the Essex House in New York City, New York. With the first overal ...

. Mitchell established himself as one of the NFL's best all-around running backs in the mid-1970s. His ability to break free as a runner and his versatility as a pass catcher made him a dual threat on offense. Mitchell, along with teammate

Bert Jones Bertram Hays Jones (born September 7, 1951) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Baltimore Colts and Los Angeles Rams. He was named the NFL Most Valuable Player ...

, propelled the

to three consecutive

AFC East The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). There are currently four teams that reside in th ...

Division titles, unseating a powerhouse

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

team that had won back-to-back Super Bowls and topped the division for four straight years (1971–74).

Baltimore Colts (1972-1977)

In Mitchell's rookie season, he was third on the depth chart behind running backs Don McCauley and Don Nottingham. Mitchell appeared in 11 games and started one. He recorded 45 carries for 215 yard and one touchdown and added 18 receptions for 147 yards and one touchdown. Baltimore started the season at 1–4, firing head coach

Don McCafferty Donald William McCafferty (March 12, 1921 – July 28, 1974) was an American football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). In his first year as head coach of the Baltimore Colts, McCafferty led the team to a victory in Super B ...

after week five and replacing him with defensive line coach

John Sandusky John Thomas "Sandy" Sandusky, Jr. (December 28, 1925 – March 5, 2006) was an American football player and coach. He played seven seasons as an offensive and defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) during the 1950s for the Cle ...

. The season was most notable for being the last for

Johnny Unitas John Constantine Unitas (; May 7, 1933 – September 11, 2002) was an American professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, primarily with the Baltimore Colts. Nicknamed "J ...

as a Colt, with the team finishing at 5–9. In 1973, the Colts refreshed their roster with younger players and brought in rookie quarterback Bert Jones. Mitchell became the starter at running back and recorded 253 carries for 963 yards and two touchdowns. Mitchell's first career 100-yard rushing performance came in week three against the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

. He had 22 carries for 133 yards and one reception for five yards in the 14–10 victory. Under new head coach

Howard Schnellenberger Howard Leslie Schnellenberger (March 16, 1934 – March 27, 2021) was an American football coach with long service at both the professional and college levels. He held head coaching positions with the National Football League (NFL)'s Baltimore Co ...

, the Colts went 4–10. In 1974, Mitchell was again the Colts' leading rusher with 214 carries for 757 yards and five touchdowns. Despite being a running back, Mitchell led the NFL in receptions that year with 72 catches for 544 yards and two touchdowns. In week six, the Colts earned their first victory of the season against the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

. Mitchell set a then-NFL record for most carries in a game with 40 attempts. In the final game of season, Mitchell caught 13 passes for 82 yards and two touchdowns. His 13 receptions secured his NFL lead in the category and broke the Colts' single-game record, previously held by

Raymond Berry Raymond Emmett Berry Jr. (born February 27, 1933) is an American former professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a split end for the Baltimore Colts from 1955 to 1967, and after several assi ...

. Baltimore went 2–12, leading to Schnellenberger's mid-season dismissal. He was replaced by general manager Joe Thomas for the remainder of the season. The 1975 season was a turning point for Mitchell's career. He topped the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the first time, with 289 carries for 1,193 yards and a career-high 11 rushing touchdowns. His 1,000-yard rushing performance was the first in Baltimore Colts' history. Mitchell added 60 receptions for 544 yards and six receiving touchdowns. In week six, Mitchell recorded his career-high rushing performance with 26 carries for 178 yards and one touchdown against the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

. Mitchell earned his first

selection and was named to the All-AFC Second-Team. The Colts went 10-4 under new head coach

Ted Marchibroda Theodore Joseph Marchibroda (March 15, 1931 – January 16, 2016) was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played four years in the NFL as a quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers (1953, ...

, and won the AFC East division. Mitchell and the Colts faced his former Penn State teammate Franco Harris and the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

in the first round of the 1975-76 NFL playoffs, losing 10–28. In 1976, Mitchell again topped 1,000 rushing yards, leading the Colts for the third straight year. He finished the season with 289 carries for a career-high 1,200 yards and five touchdowns and added 60 receptions for 555 yards and three receiving touchdowns. Mitchell's best performance of the season came in week eight against the

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston, Texas, from its founding in 1960 Houston Oilers season, 1960 to 1996 Houston Oilers season, 1996. The Houston Oilers began play as a charter member of the Ame ...

. Mitchell had 28 carries for 138 yards and seven receptions for 46 yards in a 38–14 victory. In week nine against the San Diego Chargers, Mitchell ran for 91 yards on 17 attempts and had eight receptions for 125 yards and one touchdown in a 37–21 victory. Baltimore went 11–3 in the regular season and earned a rematch against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Divisional Round of the 1976-77 NFL playoffs. The Colts suffered the same fate as the previous year, losing 14–40. Mitchell was named to the 1976 All-Pro Second-Team and to his second straight

. The 1977 season was Mitchell's last with Baltimore. The Colts started the season at 5–0, with Mitchell's best performance of that streak coming in week four against the Miami Dolphins. He rushed 17 times for 142 yards and one touchdown, with the touchdown coming on a 64-yard scramble on the game's first play from scrimmage. The Colts came back from a 28–10 deficit in the second quarter, scoring 35 unanswered points for a 45–28 win. In a week 13 loss to the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

, Mitchell showcased his versatility with 22 carries for 94 yards and nine receptions for 88 yards and one receiving touchdown. Mitchell finished the regular season with over 1,000 rushing yards for the third consecutive season, totaling 301 carries for 1,159 yards and three rushing touchdowns. Mitchell also led the NFL in receptions for the second time in his career, with 71 catches for a career-high 620 yards and four receiving touchdowns. The Colts won the AFC East Division, going 10-4 during the regular season. For the third straight season, they exited the playoffs in the first round in a 31–37 loss to the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

. Mitchell was named to the 1977 All-Pro Second-Team and earned his third

selection.

Contract dispute and trade

Mitchell did not report to the Colts training camp in July 1978, choosing to holdout as part of a contract negotiation with Colts' general manager

Dick Szymanski Richard Frank Szymanski (Pronounced: Sa-MAN-skee) (October 7, 1932 – October 28, 2021) was an American professional football player, coach, and executive in the National Football League (NFL). As a player, Szymanski was a center and linebacke ...

and owner

Robert Irsay Robert Irsay (March 5, 1923 – January 14, 1997) was an American professional football team owner. He owned the National Football League (NFL)'s Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts franchise from 1972 until his death in 1997. He was the father of for ...

. Mitchell was fined $500 per day as he continued his holdout into August of that year. Mitchell and his agent were reportedly demanding an increase of his $100,000 per season salary to $200,000 per season, while the Colts countered that Mitchell should play the 1978 season under an option contract that increased his salary by 10 percent. Mitchell and his attorney filed a grievance with the NFL, claiming that Irsay was racially discriminating against Mitchell and bargaining in bad faith. Mitchell's holdout eventually ended when he demanded a trade. The Colts granted his request, trading him to the San Diego Chargers on August 23, 1978, for running back Joe Washington and a

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

fifth-round draft selection (this became the 131st overall pick–traded to the Detroit Lions for Greg Landry). When he left the Colts, Mitchell was the franchise's career leading rusher with 5,487 yards, passing Lenny Moore (whose career rushing record he had also broken at Penn State). As of the 2023 NFL season, Mitchell is ranked second in Colts career rushing yards behind

Edgerrin James Edgerrin Tyree James (; born August 1, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He played college football at the University of Miami for the Miami Hur ...

San Diego Chargers (1978-1979)

Mitchell joined the

Dan Fouts Daniel Francis Fouts (born June 10, 1951) is an American former professional football quarterback who played for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL) throughout his 15-season career (1973–1987). After a relatively und ...

-led Chargers as their starting running back in the 1978 season. He led the Chargers in rushing that year, with 214 carries for 820 yards and three touchdowns. Mitchell also recorded his fifth straight 500-yard receiving season, with 57 catches for 500 yards and two touchdowns. Mitchell had a slow start to the season before turning in his best performance in week seven against the Miami Dolphins, where he accounted for all Chargers scoring. He had 19 carries for 77 yards and two rushing touchdowns and 6 receptions for 64 yards and one receiving touchdown, although the Chargers still lost the contest 21–28. The next week against the Detroit Lions, Mitchell caught a 55-yard touchdown pass from Fouts and added 53 yards rushing on nine carries. Mitchell broke 100 yards rushing for the first time as a Charger in week 10 of the 1978 season against the Cincinnati Bengals, when he recorded 28 carries for 101 yards, following up the next week with a 29 carry, 144 yard performance against the Kansas City Chiefs. After starting the season at 1–3, the Chargers fired head coach

Tommy Prothro James Thompson Prothro Jr. (July 20, 1920 – May 14, 1995) was an American football coach and player. He was the head coach at Oregon State University from 1955 to 1964 and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) from 1965 to 1970, com ...

and replaced him with

Don Coryell Donald David Coryell ( ; October 17, 1924 – July 1, 2010) was an American American football, football coach. He coached in high school, college, and the professional ranks; his most notable NCAA post was with the San Diego State Aztecs footba ...

. Coryell led the team to an 8-4 finish, with an overall record of 9–7 on the season. Following the 1978 season, Mitchell suffered a

staph infection A staphylococcal infection or staph infection is an infection caused by members of the ''Staphylococcus'' genus of bacteria. These bacteria commonly inhabit the skin and nose where they are innocuous, but may enter the body through cuts or abrasi ...

in his knee, which sidelined him throughout the 1979 offseason and required surgery. Mitchell missed time early in the season while he continued to recover. Upon returning, Mitchell split time with running back Clarence Williams. Williams' rise, coupled with Coryell's vaunted passing offense, led to limited production from Mitchell throughout the 1979 season. He finished the season with 53 carries for 211 yards and 19 receptions for 159 yards and one receiving touchdown. Meanwhile, Fouts had the best season of his career to-date, leading the league in passing yards (4,082) and earning All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections. The Chargers ended the regular season at 12–4, winning the

AFC West The American Football Conference – Western Division or AFC West is one of the four divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The division comprises the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, ...

Division. They lost to the Houston Oilers, 14–17, in the Divisional Round of the 1979-80 NFL playoffs. Mitchell had 33 rushing yards and one touchdown in the game. The Chargers released Mitchell on August 26, 1980, as part of the final round of roster cuts in the lead-up to the

1980 NFL season The 1980 NFL season was the 61st regular season of the National Football League. Prior to the season in March 1980, fellow NFL owners voted against the proposed move by the Raiders from Oakland, California to Los Angeles. Raiders team owner ...

Los Angeles Rams (1980)

Mitchell was signed by the

on December 11, 1980, to replace Elvis Peacock. Peacock was the Rams' leading rusher before suffering a knee injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season. Mitchell appeared in the Rams' final two games of the 1980 season, recording seven carries for 16 yards and two receptions for 21 yards. The Rams earned a spot in the playoffs, losing in the Wildcard Round to the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

. Mitchell became a free agent after the season, effectively ending his NFL career. Upon retiring, Mitchell was then-ranked 11th on the NFL's all-time rushing yards list. He finished his career with 18 100-yard rushing games and three 1,000 yard rushing seasons.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Personal life

Mitchell earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

in secondary education from

Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

in 1972. Upon retiring from the NFL, he returned to

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

with his wife and three children. Mitchell and former

great

, his friend and former Penn State teammate, started Super Bakery, a company that produces nutrition-oriented foods for schoolchildren. He and Harris also partnered to rescue the Parks Sausage Company in Baltimore, the first black American owned business in the U.S. to go public. Mitchell is active in lecturing students on the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. Mitchell is a member of the

Omega Psi Phi Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. () is a List of African-American fraternities, historically African-American Fraternities and sororities, fraternity. It was founded on November 17, 1911 at Howard University. Omega Psi Phi is a founding member of ...

fraternity.

References

External links

* *
Super Bakery, Inc.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Lydell 1949 births Living people American businesspeople American football running backs Baltimore Colts players Los Angeles Rams players Penn State Nittany Lions football players San Diego Chargers players American Conference Pro Bowl players College Football Hall of Fame inductees Sportspeople from Salem, New Jersey Players of American football from Salem County, New Jersey Salem High School (New Jersey) alumni 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen