Bobby Mitchell, Hall of Famer and the Redskins’ First Black Star, Dies at 84

“We take most of our players out of Southern colleges and are trying to appeal to Southern people,” Marshall told The New York Times in 1961. “Those colleges don’t have any Negro players.”

When President John F. Kennedy took office in January 1961, the Redskins were preparing to leave Griffith Stadium, their longtime home, and move into the new D.C. Stadium (later named for Robert F. Kennedy), which was built on land affiliated with the Interior Department’s national park system.

When Stewart L. Udall, the interior secretary, threatened to revoke the Redskins’ lease if they did not obey federal anti-discrimination laws, Marshall promised to obtain black players, and the N.F.L. gave him a year to comply.

The Redskins selected Ernie Davis, the Heisman Trophy-winning running back from Syracuse, who was black, as the first overall pick in the N.F.L. draft for the 1962 season. Fearing Davis’s prospective salary demands, Marshall traded his signing rights to the Browns, getting Mitchell as the key acquisition in the deal.

When the Redskins opened their 1962 season, Mitchell was among three black players taking the field for them, but the only marquee figure in that group. He caught two touchdown passes in the Redskins’ first home game, a 24-14 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, and went on to lead the N.F.L. in receptions (72) and receiving yards (1,384).

Davis never played pro football. He was found to have leukemia in the summer of 1962 and died the following May.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/05/sports/football/bobby-mitchell-dead.html