V 13 N. 5 John Mitchell Hall of Fame Coach, U. of Alabama R.I.P.

 

Photo from USTFCCCA website

Hall of Fame Coach John Mitchell has died on January 7, 2023.  Mike Solomon contacted me about this event.  Here is Mike's note.

George,

My Auburn friend , Milton Bresler, just sent me a text he received from a former Alabama friend that Coach John Mitchell passed away January 7th.

I've been in touch with Coach Mitchell over the years but the past couple years lost 

contact with him.

He was one of the reasons I went to KU. Even though he was the field event coach I thought he was a great guy. Was sorry to see him leave when he took the head coaching job at Alabama.

Coach Ted Banks contacted me around 2006 and wanted to nominate Coach Mitchell for a USATF Hall of Fame award. I had no clue how to find him and called former KU and Alabama pole vaulter Jan Johnson to assist. I called Coach Mitchell and told him that Banks intended to nominate him for the award and he laughed saying that he'd never get such a prize and that most of the coaches in the SEC hated him ( especially the LSU and Tennessee coaches). But he was nominated and given the award in 2007. . Met Coach M and his wife in a Denny's right after the awards ceremony.

If I get any more info will forward it to you.

My pal at Auburn, Milton, was an ncaa finalist in the 440 IH  in 71'. Met him in the 69' Maccabiah games in israel.  His older brother, Alvin, was a wide out at Auburn and drafted by the 49er's.. Probably the only wide out in SEC history that was jewish! ha ha ha

Stay Safe,

Mike

From the US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association website.

John Mitchell coached at the University of Alabama from 1969 to 1986 and held the men’s and women’s head position at the University of Georgia from 1989-99. He won four SEC team titles and was the conference indoor and outdoor coach of the year in 1995. Mitchell coached such collegiate greats as Calvin Smith, Pauline Davis, Jeff Woodward, Thomas McCants, and Debbie Ferguson.

Mitchell graduated from Cal State Los Angeles and began his coaching career at Warren High School in Downey (CA) in 1958. His first collegiate job was at Kansas from 1965-69, where he served as an assistant specializing in the jumps. After four years in Lawrence, Mitchell was named the head men’s coach at Alabama in 1969.

At Alabama, Mitchell’s men broke Tennessee’s stranglehold on the SEC indoor title by capturing the 1972 conference championship. Tennessee had won eight straight SEC indoor titles. Mitchell also led Alabama to the SEC outdoor championship in 1980.

In 1986, Mitchell left coaching to accept an assistant athletic director’s position at George Mason. After two years at George Mason, he returned to coaching at Georgia.

In his eleven years at Georgia, Mitchell led the men’s team to five top-10 finishes in the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Mitchell also helped elevate the Georgia women to a new level of excellence, guiding them to a third-place finish at the 1995 NCAA Outdoor Championships and a runner-up finish at the 1996 NCAA indoor meet.

He received five SEC Coach of the Year honors during his tenure at both Alabama and Georgia. In 1992 he was inducted into the Drake Relays Hall of Fame for his reputation and stature as a coach and ambassador for the sport of track & field