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Mitchell was part of Brownsville perfect storm

By George Von Benko for The 6 min read
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Former Brownsville standout Mitch Mitchell was part of a great success story during his years playing for the Falcons. Mitchell a three-sport athlete in football, basketball and baseball was part of the perfect storm in Brownsville athletics.

The Falcons were on a tear during the late 1990’s. Here is an excerpt from a May 14, 1999 article in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. “The Brownsville football, boy’s basketball and baseball teams have a combined record this season of 46-8 (.852 winning percentage).

“I played on all three teams,” Mitchell gushed. “It was fantastic, the great thing about it was all of the guys that I played with at that time we didn’t grow up watching greatness. There wasn’t much success in Brownsville throughout the ’90’s. We weren’t brought up in a culture of greatness, we kind of banded together and stuck together. When the football team went to Three Rivers Stadium in the fall of 1997, and we made that unexpected run to play West Allegheny in the championship game, that changed the entire attitude of Brownsville and Brownsville sports. It was really something, the whole town got behind it and everyone wanted to be a part of the team. Our numbers were up as far as people participating, it was incredible how one sports success parlayed into the next season. A lot of the same core people overlapped into the different sports.”

Mitchell was part of a gridiron powerhouse. The Falcons posted records of 4-6 in 1996, 11-2 in 1997, they lost in the regular season to Belle Vernon 14-6. In the WPIAL playoffs the Falcons knocked off Chartiers Valley 28-8, Ellwood City 14-7 and North Catholic 14-13 before falling to West Allegheny in the WPIAL Class AAA title game 51-24.

In Mitchell’s senior season in 1998 the Falcons went 10-2, losing to Charleroi 21-18 during the regular season. In the WPIAL playoffs Brownsville defeated Freeport 34-0, Waynesburg 26-0, but were downed by Shadyside Academy 39-0 one game shy of the WPIAL Class AA championship game.

Mitchell was a freak of nature as an athlete at 6-6 230 pounds.

“I was told by some that I might have had the most talent in football,” Mitchell offered. “We were a very run heavy vanilla offense. It was the talent of the skill people we had that let us put up the numbers that we scored.

“I played football my sophomore, junior and senior years. I didn’t get a lot of playing time as a sophomore. I really hit my spurt in developing my body between my sophomore and junior year. I was a strong part of the 1997 team, Quinton Biddings was the big target. My senior year I was the featured receiver.”

Mitchell also played defense as safety as a senior and he was a top flight receiver on offense.

“I don’t know if I look back favorable upon my antics now,” Mitchell said. “I used to be quite flamboyant on the football field and I don’t know if it was mostly trying to get the coaches attention.”

Mitchell was a two-year all-conference/all-county selection at tight end in football. In his senior campaign in 1998 he caught 38 passes with 10 scores.

Brownsville basketball also benefited from Mitchell’s considerable talents. He was part of Falcon squads that posted records of 6-8 in Section 3 AAA play and 7-15 overall in 1996-97. In 1997-98 the Falcons were 8-6 in section play and 12-11 overall. In 1998-99 the Falcons won a section title for only the fourth time since the 1930’s. The Falcons went 10-2 in section play and 20-3 overall, losing to Montour in the WPIAL tournament. Mitchell averaged 20.1 ppg and 11 rebounds his senior season. He was a three-year all-county forward/center in basketball.

“My proudest accomplishment was winning that section title in basketball,” Mitchell said. “We had three players that scored 60 plus points a game, Brandon Dade, George Lemon and me. I think what hurt us was a lack of perimeter shooting. Paul Hough was the coach and we had a lot of fun. Coach Hough was load wild and crazy, we were sort of like the wild bunch. We played hard, we really did.”

Like most athletes, Mitchell did have a favorite sport of the three sports that he played.

“At the time if I had to pick a favorite sport it would have been baseball,” Mitchell stated. “Looking back I think I’ve fallen more in love with basketball every year that I’ve gotten older. I’ve always loved them all, but basketball was always kind of 1A. In retrospect basketball, but at the time baseball was my favorite.”

The Falcons were competitive in baseball and had a great run in Mitchell’s senior season. The won a section title for the first time since 1970. Brownsville lost to Waynesburg in WPIAL Class AA championship game and the PIAA semifinals.

Mitchell was a three-year starter and all-conference/all county selection at first base, he hit at a .524 clip with nine homers and 41 RBI as a senior.

“That team we knew was good,” Mitchell said. “Mike Patitucci played baseball that senior year and his pitching and bat put us over the top.”

Mitchell chose baseball as his sport in college.

“It was up to me, what ever I felt like doing,” Mitchell stated. “I like baseball most at the time. I was recruited for football. Bill Mazeroski used to come watch us play. He contacted his son Darren at Gulf Coast Community College and that’s how I wound up there. I still have a good relationship with Bill Mazeroski.”

He played for two seasons at Gulf Coast Community College in Panama City, Fla. And was a two-time all-conference selection for the Commodores. He led the team with a .394 batting average in 2000. He played one season at Oklahoma State on a team that finished 37-21, he batted .273 with one home run and six RBI.

Mitchell transferred to Villanova and played one season for the Wildcats who were 14-32. He batted .288 with three home runs and 30 RBI.

“I got a really good degree,” Mitchell said. “Then I went to law school at Pitt.”

Mitchell has a limited law practice and owns Mitch’s Bail Bonds in Uniontown. Now 33, he and his wife of five years, Brianne, live in West Brownsville, and they have two children.

George Von Benko’s “Memory Lane” column appears in Monday editions of the Herald-Standard. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.

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