Johnny Mitchell Season 1991

Honors & Awards
Third-Team All-American (AP, 1991)
First-Team All-Big Eight (AP, UPI, 1990)
First-Team All-Big Eight (AP, Coaches, 1991)
Second-Team All-Big Eight (Coaches, 1990)
Big Eight Co-Offensive Freshman of the Year (Coaches, 1990)
Big Eight Offensive Player of the Week (Oklahoma, 1991)
ABC Chevrolet Nebraska Player of the Game (Oklahoma, 1991)
ABC Honda Scholar-Athlete of the Game (Oklahoma, 1991)
Phillips 66 Academic All-Big Eight (1991)
First-Round NFL Draft Pick (New York Jets, 1992)
Six NFL Seasons (New York Jets, 1992-95; Dallas, 1996; New Orleans, 2001)

1991 (Sophomore)
One of the most dynamic players in the country, sophomore tight end Johnny Mitchell claimed third-team All-America honors after hauling in a school position-record 31 receptions for 534 yards and five touchdowns in his second season as a Husker. Mitchell earned first-team All-Big Eight honors for the second consecutive season after playing in all 11 games as part of a strong tight end group that included William Washington (second-team All-Big Eight, 1989), Chris Garrett and Daryl Leise. Mitchell ranked fifth in the Big Eight in receiving yards per game (48.55) and tied for sixth in the conference in receptions per game (2.8). In Nebraska’s win over Oklahoma (Nov. 29), Mitchell caught seven passes for 137 yards – both single-game regular-season records for NU tight ends – while making the fifth and final start of his Husker career. His effort against Oklahoma followed a strong effort in a start against Iowa State when he had three receptions for 83 yards. He also caught two passes for 70 yards against Colorado in his third career start. He opened the season with two catches for 37 yards with one touchdown in a win over Utah State. Mitchell followed with four receptions for 58 yards and another TD in a win over Colorado State. He was held without a catch by Washington when he made the first of his three career starts. He had just two catches for nine yards against Arizona State, before pulling in four receptions for 47 yards and his third touchdown of the season against Oklahoma State. He added two more catches for 45 yards and a touchdown against Kansas State, before registering three receptions for 36 yards and his fifth touchdown of the year against Missouri in his second start. Mitchell added one carry for two yards and one kickoff for six yards during the season. He closed his Husker career with three receptions for 57 yards against Miami in the 1992 Federal Express Orange Bowl.

A two-year letterman, Mitchell played in 21 career regular-season games with five starts. He recorded 42 receptions for 816 yards and 12 touchdowns. He averaged 19.4 yards per reception. He added eight catches for 191 yards and a touchdown in two bowl games.

Mitchell chose to bypass his final two seasons of eligibility and enter the 1992 NFL Draft. He was selected by the New York Jets in the first round with the 15th overall pick. He spent four seasons with the Jets before playing for the Dallas Cowboys in 1996. Mitchell played in 57 career NFL games with 43 starts, totaling 159 receptions for 2,103 yards and 16 touchdowns. He had his most productive season with the Jets in 1994 with 58 receptions for 749 yards and four scores. He was a member of the Miami Dolphins in 1996 before joining the Cowboys. He rejoined the Jets in the offseason of 1999 but did not play a game, and was a member of the New Orleans Saints in 2001 but did not play. He made his final stop in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2003, but did not play a game. Mitchell helped the Toronto Argonauts to a Grey Cup championship in the Canadian Football League in 2004.

1990 (Freshman)
Mitchell became the first Husker freshman since the legendary Tom “Train Wreck” Novak in 1946 to earn first-team all-conference honors. Mitchell earned conference recognition from both the Associated Press and the UPI, while the coaches chose him as the Big Eight Co-Offensive Freshman of the Year. Mitchell recorded 11 receptions for 282 yards and seven touchdowns, while averaging a school-record 25.6 yards per catch. He helped the Huskers earn a trip to the 1991 Florida Citrus Bowl, where he produced a Nebraska bowl record 138 receiving yards on five catches, including a touchdown.

1989
Mitchell sat out the 1989 season because of the NCAA’s Proposition 48 guidelines. He worked in Lincoln and attended UNL as a part-time student before meeting Prop 48 requirements to become eligible as a freshman in 1990.

Simeon High School
An all-state tight end for Coach Al Scott at Simeon High School in Chicago, Mitchell caught 84 passes for 923 yards as a senior in 1988. He also intercepted two passes as a linebacker and returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. He was the starting tight end for Simeon’s public league championship team as a sophomore in 1986 (his first year of organized football). He started at tailback for Simeon as a junior before moving back to tight end for his senior season. He was also the heavyweight runner-up at the Illinois state wrestling championships in 1989. 

Personal
The son of Johnnie and Yvonne Mitchell, Johnny was born in Chicago. He was a human development major at Nebraska after starting his academic career as a broadcasting major. Mitchell was raised by his grandparents on a 150-acre farm in Tchula, Mississippi, before returning to Chicago at age 16.