Nestled in the northwest corner of Kingsland near Martin Luther King Blvd. and Highway 17 lies a street named after one of Kingsland’s most famous athletes, Stump Mitchell Avenue. Lyvonia Albert “Stump” Mitchell is an NFL coach and former player with strong ties to the Kingsland area. Born in 1959 in the neighboring city of St. Mary’s, Stump Mitchell made a name for himself at Camden County High School, where he played running back and made the all-state team. After attending high school in Kingsland, Mitchell played at The Citadel, where he became the best running back in program history, breaking many school records that still stand today. In 2017, the local Charleston newspaper named him the best football player in the Citadel’s history; he was also a finalist for the South Carolina Hall of Fame that same year.

After his illustrious college career, Mitchell was drafted into the NFL, playing nine years with the St. Louis and Arizona Cardinals.  Some of his NFL career highlights include leading the NFL in kick return yards in 1981 and yards per carry in 1985. Off the field, Mitchell won two humanitarian awards as a player – the Chuck Drulis Award in 1984 for community service and Byron “Whizzer” White Humanitarian Award in 1984.

As a coach, Mitchell began his career in 1992 as the head coach for Casa Grande High School outside of Phoenix.  After leaving Casa Grande High School, he became the offensive coordinator and later head coach for Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD. In 1999 Mitchell embarked on his NFL coaching career as the running back coach for the Seattle Seahawks.  During Mitchell’s nine-year tenure in Seattle, he was instrumental in helping them make the playoffs six times, including Superbowl XL, and in developing the talents of Shaun Alexander, the NFL MVP in 2005.

Following his years in Seattle, Mitchell went on to hold several coaching positions, including Assistant Head Coach and Running Backs Coach for the Washington Commanders, Head Coach for Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA, Running Backs Coach for the Arizona Cardinals, the New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns, his current position. Throughout his NFL career, Mitchell has coached five NFL Pro Bowlers over sixteen seasons, including eight playoff years, two conference championship games, and one Super Bowl.

References

Arians, B. (2019, March 28). Home. Coach Stump Mitchell. https://stumpmitchell.com/

Bailey, D. (2021, March 15). Stump Mitchell: From too small to play college football to NFL assistant. The Citadel Athletics. https://citadelsports.com/news/2021/3/15/stump-mitchell-from-too-small-to-play-college-football-to-nfl-assistant.aspx

Cleveland Browns. (2023). Cleveland Browns Coaches Roster. Browns Home. https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/team/coaches-roster/stump-mitchell

Cleveland Browns. (2023). Stump Mitchell Image. Photograph, Cleveland, OH. https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/team/coaches-roster/stump-mitchell

Raynor, G. (2020, September 14). Steve Spurrier, Stump Mitchell, Charlie Brown finalists for S.C. Hall of Fame. Post and Courier. https://www.postandcourier.com/sports/steve-spurrier-stump-mitchell-charlie-brown-finalists-for-s-c-hall-of-fame/article_8fb630ba-c2e2-11e6-91c9-bbc25d71e3ac.html

Seattle Seahawks. (2007, November 8). 10 questions with Stump Mitchell. Seahawks Home. https://www.seahawks.com/news/10-questions-with-stump-mitchell-74916