Former NFL Hall of Famer dies at the age of 84
Former Cleveland Browns super star Bobby Mitchell died yesterday afternoon at the age of 84.
Mitchell, a halfback and flanker who played 11 seasons for the Browns (1958-61) and Washington Redskins (1962-68), was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983. He was named All-NFL three times and played in four Pro Bowls.
Mitchell was a speedy NFL star of the late 1950s and 1960s who became the Washington Redskins’ first black player on the way to a Hall of Fame career.
When Mitchell joined the Redskins in 1962, they became the last NFL team to integrate. After playing his first four seasons in Cleveland, he spent seven more with Washington and retired with the second-most combined offensive yards.
Mitchell played halfback for the Browns from 1958-61 and moved to flanker with the Redskins, leading the NFL in receiving yards in 1962 and 1963. He was a three-time All-NFL selection, played in four Pro Bowls and his 7,954 all-purpose yards were the second-most in league history when he retired in 1968.
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