Gus Chan/Associated Press Pro Football Hall of Fame running back and wide receiver Bobby Mitchell died Sunday. He was 84.
Hall of Fame President and CEO David Baker released the following statement regarding Mitchell's death:
"The entire Pro Football Hall of Fame family mourns the passing of Bobby Mitchell. The game lost a true legend today. Bobby was an incredible player, a talented executive and a real gentleman to everyone with whom he worked or competed against. His wife Gwen and their entire family remain in our thoughts and prayers. The Hall of Fame will forever keep his legacy alive to serve as inspiration to future generations."Mitchell, who was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1983, played for both the Cleveland Browns (1958-61) and Washington (1962-68). He was a four-time Pro Bowler and a first-team All-Pro selection in 1962, when he led the league in both receptions (72) and receiving yards (1,384).
He also led the league in receiving yards in 1963 (1,436) and receiving touchdowns in 1964 (10). He finished his career with 2,735 rushing yards, 521 receptions for 7,954 yards and 91 total touchdowns.
Mitchell, Leroy Jackson and John Nisby were the first African American players Washington fielded. The organization had been the last NFL franchise to integrate, with former team owner George Preston Marshall believing that fans preferred to watch white players, per ESPN.
Marshall "did not pretend there were no blacks good enough to make his team," Andy Piascik wrote in Gridiron Gauntlet: The Story of the Men Who Integrated Pro Football in Their Own Words. "Unlike the others, he was honest enough to admit that he simply didn't want them around."
Per the New York Times(h/t ESPN), Mitchell's early career in Washington was a challenge, with some restaurants refusing to serve him and some editors ordering their writers not to post feature articles about him or vote him for All-Pro teams. But as Washington added more black players, Mitchell said the treatment of him and his family improved.
After his playing career, he spent 34 seasons with Washington, working as both a scout and eventually the team's assistant general manager. He won three titles with the organization in an executive role.
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