Stump Mitchell joined the Redskins’ coaching staff in 2008, adding a fresh perspective to the Redskins’ talented group of running backs. He arrived at Redskins Park from the Seattle Seahawks, where he spent the last nine seasons coaching the running backs.
From 2001-07, he coached alongside current Redskins head coach Jim Zorn, who was quarterbacks coach there at the time.
“Stump is an excellent teacher,” Zorn said. “He has been a running back in this league and I’ve gotten the opportunity to know him well during our time together in Seattle. I’ve seen firsthand how he teaches and he is a great addition to our coaching staff.”
Under Mitchell’s tutelage, running back Clinton Portis had his second-best season as a Redskin, rushing for 1,487 yards and nine touchdowns, and catching 28 passes for an additional 218 yards. His rushing yards and total yards both ranked fourth in the NFL for the year, and when Portis rushed for more than 100 yards, as he did six times, the Redskins lost only one game.
In the fourth quarter when ball control is most important, Mitchell’s running game was particularly effective. Portis led the league with 22 fourth-quarter rushing first downs, and was fourth in the league with 378 fourth-quarter rushing yards.
Of the Redskins four Pro Bowlers, two came from Mitchell’s backfield--Portis and fullback Mike Sellers--and two more were instrumental in blocking for the running game (left tackle Chris Samuels and tight end Chris Cooley).
Mitchell coached a 1,000-yard rusher in each of his first seven seasons in Seattle (Ricky Watters for two years, Shaun Alexander for five years).
In 2005, Alexander led the NFL and set a franchise record with 1,880 rushing yards. He also set an NFL record with 28 total touchdowns (NFL record 27 rushing TDs, one receiving TD) en route to Alexander’s MVP season and third Pro Bowl berth. (The TD mark has since been broken by San Diego’s LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006.) In 2004, Alexander led the NFC with 1,696 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns.
Mitchell joined the Seahawks following three years as head coach at Morgan State University. He originally joined the MSU staff in 1995 as offensive coordinator, earning a promotion to head coach the following year. Under Mitchell’s tutelage, the Bears boasted a strong rushing attack that averaged 148.9 yards per game in 1997.
Mitchell’s coaching career began in 1991, when he served as an assistant coach on the World League of American Football's San Antonio Riders’ staff. He then accepted a position as the head coach at Casa Grande (Ariz.) High School (1991-94), where he led the team to a playoff berth in his second year.
Mitchell played nine years in the NFL as a standout running back with the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals. He was a ninth-round draft choice by the Cardinals in 1981 and would go on to become one of the great running backs and kick returners in Cardinals history.
Mitchell is the Cardinals’ all-time leader in combined yardage with 11,988 yards and ranks second with 4,649 yards rushing on 986 attempts and 32 touchdowns. His 177 kickoff returns for 4,007 yards are both franchise records. He posted 14 100-yard games and finished with a 4.7-yard rushing average, second-best in the franchise history.
With a 5.6-yard rushing average as a rookie in 1981, Mitchell earned All-Rookie honors from Pro Football Weekly. In 1984, he earned All-NFC honors as a kickoff returner by Pro Football Weekly. On Nov. 17, 1985, he set a career high with 179 rushing yards against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Mitchell was honored with the Chuck Drulis Award for community service in 1982 and the Byron "Whizzer" White Humanitarian Award for charity work in 1984. He was born on March 15, 1959, in Kingsland, Ga.
