Lydell Mitchell

Rushing yards:	6,534
Average:	3.9
Touchdowns:	30

Lydell Mitchell
	2 / Pick: 48
Career history
	Baltimore Colts (1972–1977); San Diego Chargers (1978–1979); Los Angeles Rams (1980);
Career highlights and awards
	2× Second-team All-Pro (1976, 1977); 3× Pro Bowl (1975–1977); 2× NFL receptions leader (1974, 1977); First-team All-American (1971);
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards:
Rushing yards:	6,534
Average:	3.9
Touchdowns:	30
	Player stats at NFL.com · PFR
	College Football Hall of Fame

Lydell Douglas Mitchell (born May 30, 1949) is an American former professional

San Diego Chargers and Los Angeles Rams

from 1972 to 1980.

Football

Mitchell played high school football at

1972 NFL Draft out of Penn State University by the Colts (48th overall). Mitchell was a teammate of Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris of the Pittsburgh Steelers while at Penn State, and many actually thought the Steelers were going to draft Mitchell instead of Harris before the draft. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame

in 2004.

Mitchell established himself in the mid-1970s as one of the best all-around running backs in the NFL. Mitchell, along with teammate Bert Jones, propelled the Baltimore Colts to three consecutive AFC East Division titles, unseating a powerhouse Miami Dolphins team that had topped the division for four straight years (1971–74).

Mitchell topped the 1,000-yard rushing plateau in three consecutive seasons (1975–77) earning Pro Bowl honors each year. In addition to his rushing exploits, he twice led the NFL in pass receptions, in 1974 and 1977. Mitchell was named 2nd Team All-Pro in 1976 and 1977 as well as being named 2nd Team All-AFC following the 1975 campaign.

Mitchell was traded from the Colts to the Chargers for

1979 fifth-round selection (131st overall–traded to Detroit Lions for Greg Landry) on August 23, 1978. The transaction was the result of Mitchell's acrimonious contract dispute with Colts management in which he accused team owner Robert Irsay of bad faith bargaining and racial discrimination.^[2]^[3] Mitchell turned in a solid season in 1978 with the Dan Fouts-led Chargers and finished his career in 1980 appearing in two games with the Los Angeles Rams

.

NFL career statistics

Legend
	Led the league
Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Rushing						Receiving					Fumbles
Year	Team	GP	GS	Att	Yds	Avg	Y/G	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Fum	FR
1972	BAL	11	1	45	215	4.8	19.5	14	1	18	147	8.2	26	1	3	1
1973	BAL	14	11	253	963	3.8	68.8	36	2	17	113	6.6	14	0	2	0
1974	BAL	14	14	214	757	3.5	54.1	31	5	72	544	7.6	24	2	6	1
1975	BAL	14	14	289	1,193	4.1	85.2	70	11	60	544	9.1	35	4	5	0
1976	BAL	14	14	289	1,200	4.2	85.7	43	5	60	555	9.3	40	3	4	0
1977	BAL	14	14	301	1,159	3.9	82.8	64	3	71	620	8.7	38	4	5	1
1978	SD	16	11	214	820	3.8	51.3	25	3	57	500	8.8	55	2	2	1
1979	SD	12	5	63	211	3.3	17.6	15	0	19	159	8.4	24	1	2	0
1980	LARams	2	0	7	16	2.3	8.0	5	0	2	21	10.5	13	0	0	0
Career		111	84	1,675	6,534	3.9	58.9	70	30	376	3,203	8.5	55	17	29	4

Personal life

Mitchell earned a

Penn State University in 1972. He lives in Baltimore, where he and his Nittany Lion teammate Franco Harris owned Super Bakery, a company that produces nutrition-oriented foods for schoolchildren. He and Harris also partnered to rescue the Parks Sausage Company in Baltimore, the first black American owned business in the U.S. to go public.^[4]^[5] Mitchell is also active in lecturing students on the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. Mitchell is a member of the Omega Psi Phi

fraternity.

References

^ Lydell Mitchell Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine, database Football. Accessed February 22, 2008.
^ "Colts to trade Mitchell," The Associated Press (AP), Thursday, August 24, 1978. Retrieved November 3, 2020
^ 1979 NFL Draft Pick Transactions, May 3 (Rounds 1–6) & 4 (Rounds 7–12) – Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved November 3, 2020
^ Sakson, Steve (14 June 1992). "CEO Welcomes a Challenge". The Reading Eagle. Retrieved 8 January 2017 – via Google News.
^ "Observer-Reporter - Google News Archive Search".

External links

Super Bakery, Inc.

[1] Lydell Mitchell Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine, database Football. Accessed February 22, 2008.

[2] "Colts to trade Mitchell," The Associated Press (AP), Thursday, August 24, 1978. Retrieved November 3, 2020

[3] 1979 NFL Draft Pick Transactions, May 3 (Rounds 1–6) & 4 (Rounds 7–12) – Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved November 3, 2020

[4] Sakson, Steve (14 June 1992). "CEO Welcomes a Challenge". The Reading Eagle. Retrieved 8 January 2017 – via Google News.

[5] "Observer-Reporter - Google News Archive Search".

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