No. 49 | |||||||||||||||||||
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Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
Born: | Hot Springs, Arkansas, U.S. | June 6, 1935||||||||||||||||||
Died: | April 5, 2020 | (aged 84)||||||||||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||||||
Weight: | 192 lb (87 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||||||
High school: | Langston (Hot Springs) | ||||||||||||||||||
College: | Illinois (1954–1957) | ||||||||||||||||||
NFL draft: | 1958 / round: 7 / pick: 84 | ||||||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||||||
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As an executive: | |||||||||||||||||||
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Robert Cornelius Mitchell (June 6, 1935 – April 5, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a halfback and wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini and professionally for the Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins. He was the first black player to play for the Redskins, who were the last NFL team to racially integrate.
After his playing career, Mitchell became an executive with Washington. He joined their scouting department in 1969 and was named assistant general manager in 1981, spending over 40 years with the team in total before retiring in 2002. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and had his jersey number 49 retired by the Redskins following his death in 2020.