John Mitchell (American football coach)
John Mitchell Jr. (born October 14, 1951) is a former American football coach and collegiate player. Over the course of his career, Mitchell has broken several racial barriers, one of which was being the first black player for the Alabama Crimson Tide. He served on the staff of the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1994 until his retirement following the 2022 season.
Mitchell in Pittsburgh's Super Bowl XLIII parade | |||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
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| Born: | October 14, 1951 Mobile, Alabama, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Williamson (Mobile, Alabama) | ||||||||
| College: | Alabama Eastern Arizona | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1973 / Round: 7 / Pick: 174 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| As a coach: | |||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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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 spanned 50 years during which time he worked with several icons of the football coaching pantheon, including college coaching greats Bear Bryant and Lou Holtz as well as Bill Belichick, Bill Cowher, and Mike Tomlin in the pros. Teams he has coached have won championships at both the college and professional levels.