Robert Mitinger

Bob Mitinger
Born:	February 13, 1940; Washington Redskins
Career history
As coach
1967	Army (freshmen)
As player
1962–1964	San Diego Chargers
1966	San Diego Chargers
1968	San Diego Chargers
Career highlights and awards
	2x Liberty Bowl champion (1959, 1960); Gator Bowl champion (1961); Hula Bowl selection (1962); San Diego Chargers Rookie of the Year (1962); AFL champion (1963); First-team All-American (1961); First-team All-Eastern (1961); Second-team All-Eastern (1960);
Military career
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	U.S. Army
Years of service	1966–1967

Robert Bray Mitinger (February 13, 1940, in

attorney

and civic leader.

Professional career

Although

Washington Redskins, the 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m), 235 lb., Mitinger chose instead to sign with the San Diego Chargers of the upstart American Football League

.

He was named the 1962 Chargers' team Rookie of the Year.

He played 42 games at

Boston Patriots at Balboa Stadium in the 1963 AFL championship

, the high point of the team's 44-year history.

Mitinger's pro career was interrupted by a stint in the United States Army from 1966 to 1967. Stationed at West Point, New York, he coached the Army freshman football team. In 1968, he returned to the Chargers for his final season.

College

At

Penn State team that upset No. 10-ranked Alabama in the 1959 Liberty Bowl

—the school's first bowl victory.

He also helped Penn State to victories over

Georgia Tech (30–15) in the 1961 Gator Bowl and was selected to compete in the 1962 Hula Bowl

.

After Penn State defeated Cal 30–15 in 1962, Cal coach Marv Levy called Mitinger "the best college football player in the United States".

Mitinger was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity at Penn State, class of 1962.

High school

Mitinger attended Greensburg-Salem High School in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

After football

In 1966, Mitinger earned a law degree at the

Penn State University

from 1971 to 1994.

Personal

Mitinger lost his AFL championship ring while attending law school. In 1999, a Chula Vista, California, man discovered the ring in his deceased mother's jewelry box and placed an ad on eBay, seeking to contact Mitinger. His mother had been a member of the law school's maintenance staff and had found the ring in the drain of the school's swimming pool. The appearance of the ring on the auction site led to the eventual return of the ring. "It renews my faith in humanity", Mitinger told The San Diego Union-Tribune.

He died September 27, 2004, at the Mount Nittany Medical Center in State College, Pennsylvania, from complications from stomach cancer. He was 64.

The

Penn State Nittany Lions football players

who personify courage, character and social responsibility. It was first awarded in 2004.

External links

Comprehensive Bob Mitinger obituary, gopsusoprts.com
Bob Mitinger obituary, San Diego Union-Tribune, September 30, 2004
Robert Mitinger bio at Mitinger & De Boef (law firm), Archived 6 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine