It seemed a no-brainer to a lot of people, especially since he grew up in the shadow of BYU and was a Cougar fan for most of his youth. BYU head coach LaVell Edwards made no bones about it: he wanted Mitchell to don the Cougar blue.
Edwards, a distant relative of Mitchell's, was committed to making the young man his number one quarterback. Edwards had competition, though; Stanford and Utah were in the race to sign Mitchell as well.
“The pressure was unbelievable,” recalled Mitchell. “The local media was talking about where I was going to commit to almost every day. It was a decision I felt I really needed some help making.”
As the young Mitchell sought that help in prayer, his answer came in a phone call.
“I was literally in the middle of praying,” said Mitchell. “I remember being annoyed by the call. I mean, I was busy praying for guidance, I didn't have time to take a phone call.”
The phone call was from Utah head coach Jim Fassel.
“I don't even remember what was said exactly,” Mitchell continued. “All I remember was a feeling — a strong feeling that Utah was where I needed to go. It became clear that I had received the guidance I was praying for.”
Fly like an Eagle
Of all his accomplishments, Mitchell considers his Eagle Scout award one of the ones he is most proud of.
“The values taught in scouting are great things to embrace in life,” he said. “It was in scouting I began to realize that in order to accomplish things in life, I had to work hard.”
He parallels the values he learned in scouting with his breaking into the NFL. “Being drafted in the fourth round of the NFL Draft, there was no guarantee I would have a career in pro football,” he said. “I had to work hard, be patient and commit myself to doing what it took to make it. Those are all values that are taught in scouting.”
(Note: click here to see a Boy Scout video Mitchell made while with Detroit )
Once a Red Devil, Always a Red Devil
Following the 2006 season, the coaching job at Springville High was vacant and Mitchell expressed interest. After visiting the school, he withdrew his name from consideration. Timing was the issue then, he said, it just didn't feel right.
When the coaching position became vacant again following the 2007 season, Mitchell said that familiar feeling came again. “I know coming back here isn't logical,” he said. “But it just felt right and made sense to me.”
Mitchell and his wife Wendy have relocated their family to Utah County as a result of that feeling. Together, they have two children, Madison, 6, and Zachary, 5. From a previous marriage, Mitchell has three children, Joshua, 15, Hayley, 13, and Ashley, 11.
Mitchell wants to instill in the young men on the Springville High football team a desire to succeed and excel. He has no aspirations to coach at a higher level, but is open to any possibilities the future may hold.
“Right now,” said Mitchell, “I am only focused on this experience.”
Living as One Believes
Looking back, Mitchell realizes that every day of his NFL career was a missionary experience. Surrounded by people who didn't understand why he didn't drink or smoke provided him with plenty of opportunities to share his beliefs.
“I didn't serve a full-time mission,” he recalled. “Not because I didn't want to, but because it didn't feel right at the time. But, I have tried hard to hold close to my faith. Holding to and living what I believe has been something I have tried hard to do.”
With preparations for the upcoming season well underway in Springville, the excitement amongst the players and community is at a level not seen for several years. There are many in the community who expect Mitchell's past successes to translate into Red Devil wins in the here and now.
Whether his team wins or loses is yet to be seen. What seems apparent, however, is that the young Red Devils have someone who not only believes in their capabilities, but wants to teach lessons that will last them a lifetime.
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Kelly Martinez tackles current sports topics on his blog, “After Further Review…” at http://www.bleacherpreacher.blogspot.com
