Paul Anthony Mitchell (August 10, 1920 – March 11, 2017) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

and tackle who played two seasons with the New York Yanks of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) and two seasons with the

Los Angeles Dons The Los Angeles Dons were an American football team in the newly formed football league the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1946 to 1949, and played their home games in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Dons were the first profes ...

of the

All-America Football Conference The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the ...

(AAFC) and won a National Championship with the Minnesota Gophers in 1941. Mitchell's parents had immigrated from Lithuania and Paul learned to speak English at school. 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 Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

where he was an All-American and had previously attended Edison High School in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

. At Minnesota he was named to many All-Big Ten and All American teams and was on the Minnesota '41 National Championship Team. He graduated with a Mechanical Engineering degree. He married Minnesota cheerleader and Miss Minnesota Ingrid Vallo, who also worked as a fashion model. Mitchell was drafted in the 2nd Round of the 1944 NFL Draft (12th overall) but went to serve as a Lieutenant in the Navy during World War II. After returning he played two full seasons of professional football with the Dons and was traded to the Yanks during the 1948 season. He played with the Yanks for the rest of that season and then three more seasons. In between seasons, he sold Goodyear Tires After leaving football he worked for the Garrett Corporation (now AlliedSignal/Honeywell) until he retired in 1985 and started his own real estate company in California. He is a member of the University of Minnesota Hall of Fame. Mitchell died in March 2017 at the age of 96.Paul Mitchell Obituary
/ref>

References

1920 births 2017 deaths American football defensive ends Los Angeles Dons players Minnesota Golden Gophers football players New York Yankees (AAFC) players New York Yanks players Players of American football from Minneapolis Edison High School (Minnesota) alumni {{defensive-lineman-1920s-stub