David Andrew Mitchell (1951–)

David A. Mitchell was a star football player for Arkansas State University (ASU) in Jonesboro (Craighead County) and was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2015 as part of the 1970 National Championship Team. He later joined the staff of legendary ASU coach Larry Lacewell before serving on the coaching staffs of numerous college football teams across the nation.

David Andrew Mitchell was born on September 18, 1951, in Little Rock (Pulaski County) to Archie Mitchell Jr. and Mable Mitchell. He was the second of five children.

When the North Little Rock School Board approved the right for African American students to choose which school they wanted to attend, Mitchell, along with four other Black students, transferred from all-Black Scipio A. Jones High School in 1966 to attend North Little Rock Ole Main High School, where he played football. He was a letterman from 1966 to 1968 and earned a starting position at fullback during his senior year. Although he was offered football scholarships from several Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference (AIC) schools after graduation in 1969, Mitchell declined the offers to instead walk on at ASU.

At ASU, as its first Black player to earn a scholarship in football, Mitchell played running back and was a member of the Indians’ 1970 NCAA College Division II championship team. He was a four-year letterman from 1970 to 1973. As a member of the 1970 squad that went 11–0 and led the Southland Conference, he led the team and conference in rushing. The team played in the 1970 Pecan Bowl. As a senior in 1973, he had 968 yards rushing and earned first team All-Southland Conference running back honors. He concluded his playing time as ASU’s fourth-leading all-time rusher with 1,427 yards on 247 carries (5.8 average) and nine touchdowns. He contributed to twenty-five victories (including two Pecan Bowl games).

In 1974, after graduating with a BS in education, Mitchell began his coaching career at his alma mater as a graduate assistant and junior varsity head coach. Upon completing his master’s degree in education in 1975, Mitchell was hired by head coach Bill Davidson as a full-time receivers coach, making him the first Black full-time contracted coach at ASU. Following Davidson’s retirement, Larry Lacewell served as athletic director and head coach from 1978 to 1989, and Mitchell was moved to coach the running backs from 1981 to 1990. He returned to coaching receivers in the 1990–1991 season under Al Kincaid.

Mitchell was on the ASU coaching staff when the team went 11–0 in 1975 and was part of the coaching staff that led the 1986 team to a Division I-AA National Runner-Up finish. ASU captured two Southland Conference titles and appeared in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs, with the 1986 team making it to the championship game. Lacewell and his coaching staff compiled a record of 69–58–4, making them the winningest staff in the school’s history. As a coach, Mitchell contributed to 110 ASU victories during his seventeen seasons on staff.

Mitchell served on the football coaching staffs of several institutions, including Syracuse University (1991–1993), University of Arkansas (1994–1996), University of Missouri (1997–1999), University of North Texas (2000), Lincoln University (2001–2002), and Purdue University (2003–2006). He recruited and/or coached more than twenty-six players who went on to play in the National Football League, and he coached in numerous bowl games: 1992 Hall of Fame Bowl, 1993 Fiesta Bowl, 1995 Carquest Bowl, 1997 Holiday Bowl, 1998 Insight.com Bowl, 1998 East West Shrine Bowl, 1998 Hooters Hula Bowl, 1999 Senior Bowl, 2004 Capital One, and 2004 Vitalis Sun Bowl, as well as the 1986 Diamond Bowl (NCAA I-AA championship game) and the 1995 SEC championship game.

Mitchell was inducted into the ASU Hall of Honor in 2013 and the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame (ASHF) in 2015 as part of the 1970 National Championship Team, which was only the third team to be inducted into the ASHF. In 2014, in honor of the football team’s centennial, the ASU Athletics Department named its All-Centennial Football Team composed of 100 total lettermen who significantly impacted the football program and left a lasting legacy. Mitchell was named as an honorary member as a Hall of Honor player and coach. In 2023, he was listed in the university record books as being tied in seventh place for all-time with three consecutive 100-yard rushing performances.

Mitchell and his wife, Darlister, have three children, Devin and Denise (both deceased), and David Mitchell Jr.

Mitchell retired in 2006 and lives in Sherwood (Pulaski County).

For additional information:
“David Mitchell, 2013.” Arkansas State University Hall of Honor. https://astateredwolves.com/honors/hall-of-honor/david-mitchell/136 (accessed December 19, 2024).

Ivy, Darren. Untold Stories, Black Sports Heroes before Integration. Little Rock: Wehco Publishing, 2002.

Lillie Mae Fears
Arkansas State University