John Mitchell — a Mobile native and the first Black varsity football player at Alabama — announced his retirement from coaching this week, bringing an end to 29 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers in his half-century on the football sideline.
A Mobile native and Williamson High School alumnus, Mitchell became the first African American to play varsity football at Alabama in 1971 after coach Paul “Bear” Bryant convinced Eastern Arizona’s two-time Junior College All-American to join his home state’s Crimson Tide instead of going on to Southern Cal.
“I can remember it like it was yesterday. Coach Bryant had a nice big office. He was at his desk with his glasses on his nose, and he never looked at me. He said, ‘If I offer you a full-time job on my staff, would you take it?’ I’m 20 years old. I just got through playing for him six months ago. I’m standing there, he’s not looking at me, and he says again, ‘If I offer you this full-time job, will you take it?’ I said, ‘Yes, sir.’ He groomed me to be a football coach.
After working as LSU’s defensive coordinator in 1990, Mitchell moved to the NFL as the defensive-line coach on Bill Belichick’s staff with the Cleveland Browns from 1991 through 1993.
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