Aaron Templeton Mitchell, Jr. (born December 15, 1956) is a former professional
American football cornerback in the
National Football League for the
Dallas Cowboys and the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at the
University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Early years
Mitchell attended
North Hollywood High School, before moving on to
College of the Canyons for two years.
He transferred to the
University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he was the starter at right
cornerback for the following two years. As a senior, he registered 6 interceptions and 12 passes defensed.
In 1989, he was inducted into the
UNLV Athletics Hall of Fame.
Professional career
Dallas Cowboys
The
Dallas Cowboys liked Mitchell's athletic ability and selected him in the second round (55th overall) of the
1979 NFL Draft
The 1979 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 3–4, 1979, at the Waldorf Astoria ...
. In
1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC.
* January 9 – ...
, he became the starter at right
cornerback, replacing
Aaron Kyle
Aaron Douglas Kyle (born April 6, 1954) is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos. He was drafted in the first round of the 1976 NFL Draft. He played college footbal ...
and recording 3 interceptions. In
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
, he was passed on the depth chart by
Dennis Thurman and was traded to the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for an eleventh draft choice (#295-George Thompson).
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers moved him to
free safety
Safety is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free safety and the strong safety. Their dut ...
to take advantage of his aggressive hitting and to limit his exposure in coverage. He was placed on
injured reserve list for the last two games of the season, after suffering a collapsed lung. He was released before the start of the
1982 season.
Arizona Wranglers (USFL)
In
1983
The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...
, he signed with the
Arizona Wranglers
The Arizona Wranglers were a professional American Football team in the United States Football League that, name-wise, existed from late 1982 to mid-1985. They played at Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, a su ...
of the
USFL.
Los Angeles Express (USFL)
In
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
, he played with the
Los Angeles Express of the
USFL, until announcing his retirement in
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
.
Personal life
He is currently a financial adviser.
References
External links
From Cougar to Cowboy: Aaron Mitchell Leads the Way
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Aaron
1956 births
Living people
Players of American football from Los Angeles
American football cornerbacks
College of the Canyons Cougars football players
UNLV Rebels football players
Dallas Cowboys players
Tampa Bay Buccaneers players
Arizona Wranglers players
Los Angeles Express players
North Hollywood High School alumni