John Mitchell (American football coach)
| No. 97 Pittsburgh Steelers | |
Mitchell in Pittsburgh's Super Bowl XLIII parade
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| Date of birth | October 14, 1951 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Mobile, Alabama, United States |
| Career information | |
| Status | Active (coach) |
| Position(s) | DE/LB |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) |
| Weight | 230 lb (100 kg) |
| College |
Alabama Eastern Arizona Junior College |
| High school | Williamson High School (Mobile, Alabama) |
| NFL draft | 1973 / Round: 7 / Pick: 174 |
| Drafted by | San Francisco 49ers |
| Career history | |
| As coach | |
| 1973–1976 | Alabama (defensive ends coach) |
| 1977–1982 | Arkansas (defensive line coach) |
| 1983–1985 | Birmingham Stallions (USFL) (linebackers coach) |
| 1986 | Temple (defensive line coach) |
| 1987–1989 | LSU (outside linebackers coach) |
| 1990 | LSU (defensive coordinator/linebackers coach) |
| 1991–1993 | Cleveland Browns (defensive line coach) |
| 1994–2006 | Pittsburgh Steelers (defensive line coach) |
| 2007–present | Pittsburgh Steelers (assistant head coach/ defensive line) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Honors | 1972 All-America selection by AFCA 2× All-SEC selection — 1971 & 1972 2× Junior College All-America selection — 1969 & 1970 Alabama Sports Hall of Fame inductee (class of 2009) |
| Career stats | |
| At Alabama (1971–1972): | |
| Tackles (for loss) | 125 (12) |
| Sacks | 8 |
| Fumbles caused | 5 |
| Fumbles recovered | 1 |
John Mitchell, Jr. (born October 14, 1951) is an American football coach and former collegiate player. Over the course of his career, Mitchell has broken several racial barriers and has had the opportunity to work with many icons of the sport. Currently, he is the defensive line coach and assistant head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League (NFL).
As a player, Mitchell was the first African-American to play football for the storied Alabama Crimson Tide. In his second year with the program he became the first African-American co-captain at the school. The next year he became the team's first black assistant coach and also the youngest coach to have ever been hired at Alabama. Later he would break another barrier by becoming the first black defensive coordinator in the Southeastern Conference.
His coaching career has spanned nearly 40 years during which time he has worked with several icons of the football coaching pantheon, including college coaching greats Bear Bryant and Lou Holtz as well as Bill Belichick and Bill Cowher in the pros. Teams he has coached have won championships at both the college and professional levels.
Mitchell was born in Mobile, Alabama on October 14, 1951; the third of five children of Helen and John Mitchell, Sr. His father worked as a civil engineer for the United States Coast Guard.
At Williamson High School in Mobile, which was an all-black school, Mitchell played football and basketball. As a senior, he played on the offensive line. Though standing 6 feet 3 inches (191 cm), he weighed just 195 pounds (88 kg), which major colleges considered too light for the position. His lack of size explains why he was not offered a football scholarship out of high school by any major colleges in his home state. He did, however, field football scholarship offers from historically black powerhouses like Grambling State University and Tennessee State University.
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