TK Posted November 5, 2003 Share Posted November 5, 2003 http://redskins.com/story.asp?ContentID=12206 For K-Mitch, A 'Great Honor' At Harrisburg H.S. 11/05/2003 By Gary Fitzgerald Redskins.com Kevin Mitchell walked to midfield of Severance Field in Harrisburg, Pa., and memories of his high school football achievements flooded back to him. It was Saturday, Oct. 25, and the Redskins’ middle linebacker returned to his roots as the high school he attended growing up—Harrisburg High School—retired his jersey number during halftime of a recent game. “It was a great honor,” he said. “It was really special to me because I never in my wildest dreams expected a jersey of mine would be retired, in any aspect. For that to happen, it was something great to experience.” Mitchell was an all-state offensive guard and second-team all-state linebacker for the Harrisburg Cougars from 1986-89. He wore No. 50 in high school. (He wears No. 55 for the Redskins.) It was the first time Mitchell had been back at Severance Field since he played there in 1989. His mother, wife Denise and 6-month-old son Jonathan were all in attendance, as well as several high school teachers, coaches and teammates “who helped me become the person I am now,” Mitchell said. “It was a special day,” he said. “I saw a lot of people I hadn’t seen in a long time. I was able to see how [severance Field] had progressed. They have a field there now that’s similar to Seattle’s stadium with the rubbery turf. “It was great to see everyone again. I told them I wished I could get back to see them more often.” Mitchell is in his 10th NFL season out of Syracuse. He was drafted by San Francisco in the second round of the 1994 NFL Draft and played special teams on the 49ers’ Super Bowl championship team the following season. The 6-1, 258-pound linebacker has played in Washington since the 2000 season and started 16 games in that span, recording 84 tackles and three sacks in that span. His signature play as a Redskin came during the 2000 season when his end zone interception helped Washington hold off Baltimore 10-3 in the Ravens' Super Bowl year. When Jeremiah Trotter suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 12 last year, Mitchell stepped in and the defense didn’t miss a beat. This season, Mitchell has seen spot duty at middle linebacker and played mostly on punt return coverage units, recording five tackles. He has had a nagging hamstring injury that has kept him from being a part of the kickoff coverage units because he’s unable to race downfield at full speed. “I’m making the plays I’m supposed to make, but I don’t have the tackle numbers that I would like to have,” he said. “I’m getting a little bit of time [at middle linebacker] in short yardage situations and when Jeremiah needs a rest, but the majority of my time has been on special teams. I’m working hard and I’m hoping we can get some victories in the second half of the season.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakofthesouth Posted November 5, 2003 Share Posted November 5, 2003 Well... Wait- all-state offensive guard? If K. Mitch can play on the O-line, we should probably give him a shot. Don't you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.