He Can Run, Pass, Lift, Jump, or Do Anything!
By Greg Shepard You could call Brian Mitchell “Mr. Versatile.” At the pro-camps this year, Brian tried out at quarterback, running back, wide receiver and defensive back. However, when the dust had settled by the fifth round of the pro-draft this spring, it was the Washington Redskins who inherited the multi-talented Mitchell. He was drafted as a running back but as you will see Brian Mitchell could play anything. I see a great future in pro- Brian. extraordinarily well but Brian also has important intangible qualities that will enable him to rise even higher than his great talent.
For example, University of Southern Louisiana head football coach Nelson Stokley praised Mitchell, “Brian’s not the type of player to coast through spring football practice. He has a Brian went out there last year it looked like his first spring because he continued to play hard and work extremely hard.” Many people in Brian’s shoes might have coasted. After all, he’d been selected as Louisiana Player-of-the-Year over the likes of quarterback Tommy Hodson of LSU and Terrance Jones of Tulane. There was even Heisman Trophy talk.
Coach Stokley marvelled as he further emphasized another of Brian’s remarkable qualities, “Brian worked very hard in the off-season in the weight room. He’s really unique in that when he goes in the weight room he has the mentality of a lineman. He just attacks it. He was probably overall the strongest quarterback in the country, particularly for his size.
“He finds ways to put the ball in the end zone, and that’s the best measure of an offensive player that I know.” USL Head Coach, Nelson Stokley ¥ds..
960!
“The thing about Brian that amazes me is that he’s got such an outstanding knowledge of our run and shoot offense. He sees things happening before we do. He uses plays to set Yds.
TDs.
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* Only QB in history to rush for over 3000 yards and pass for over 5000 yards. * Brian’s 1311 yards rushing in his senior year was 3rd highest in NCAA history. up other plays. Brian’s always been smart but * Career Rushing TDs of 47 is NCAA QB record. he progressed to a point this year that it was * Two-time Louisiana Player-of-the- Year. almost unbelievable.”
* Drafted as Running Back in 5th round by the USL Offensive Coordinator, Barry Wilson. 64 Washington Redskins.
HE CAN RUN...PASS... Brian came from goodly parents who taught him well. “My Mom kept me straight and she was a good cook too,” stated Brian. “My Dad pushed me. He was a disciplinarian because of his 20 years in the army.” It must have worked as Brian maintained a 3.8 GPA at Plaquemine High School in Louisiana. He also received a 25 ACT score.
At Plaquemine High School which is a triple A school with an enrollment of about 900, Brian excelled not only in football but in track and baseball as well. He took 3rd in state in the long jump with a 24-3 effort and had a 48-8 mark in the triple jump. Brian has played quarterback ever since 8th grade and he became a varsity starter as a 9th grader. Under coach Dan Jones, Brian led his Plaquemine team to a perfect 10-0 regular season record before losing in the playoffs. His best lifts in high school were a 380 Parallel Squat and a 225 pound Power Clean. Brian was recruited by Ivy League schools and Stanford.
However, he broke down his choices to Arkansas, Tulane, and the University of Southern Louisiana (USL). “I chose USL because they were the only comfortable with the coaches.” revealed Brian. given a scholarship to USL by Dow Chemical and currently has a 2.7 GPA as a management maior. Coincidentally, both Coach Stokley and Brian arrived in Rajin’ Cajun Swampland at the same time.
Coach Stokley has now become the first coach in USL history to have winning seasons in the first four years. The University of Southern Louisiana is a Division I school and plays a tough independent schedule. Located in Lafayette, USL is the second-largest university in Louisiana. Founded in 1898, USL now has an enrollment of 15,400 students coming from nearly every state and 70 foreign countries. USL also offers 116 different bachelor degrees. USL takes a back seat to no one as far as athletic facilities are concerned. The football stadium seats 31,000 while the Cajundome seats 12,000 for basketball.
USL also boasts the state’s largest baseball facility with 7,000 seats. The Cajun track features an all-weather ninelane track which includes a modern photo-timing system for 5,000 spectators.
The USL weight room features mostly free weights with an expansive 16,500-square foot area and contains over five tons of weights. Coach Faulkinberry believes in free weights, cycling sets and reps, stretching, plyometrics and speed training. His core lifts consist of the Power Clean, Squat and Bench Press. Faulkinberry has the philosophy, “The excellence of your program eventually comes back to the athletes themselves. We've had 50 or more football players every year stay throughout the summer just for the weights and conditioning, and that says a lot for the program.” Brian Mitchell not only stuck around in the summer, he stayed during Christmas vacation.
In addition to lifting, Brian threw at least three times per week beginning in February. Some of Brian’s statistics include a triple for 405 pounds on the Parallel Squat and a 345 Clean. Not bad for a 5-10 1/2 198 pound quarterback. His 7% body fat makes him an efÏcient runner as Brian runs a 4.55 forty. “I don’t believe in steroids,” said Brian with some urgency, I believe in hard work. I came to USL Benching 175 and now I can do 340 pounds. I respect lineman but I don’t fear them. The improvement that I’ve made were earned and done by myself. It’s definitely increased my confidence.
HE CAN LIFT...JUMP...
“Brian was our #1 player. He shouldn’t have Power Cleaned 345 pounds for a new max on the above photo but he did it because he’s a competitor. Brian’s always willing to help. He’s a living testimony of what’s good. He influences high school coaches who say they can’t wait to get back to start working after Brian talks to their kids. Brian is serious about his training even when he’s tired. He will win at anything.” Mickey Faulkinberry—USL Strength and Conditioning Coach “Weights are important for all positions and sports. You gotta lift no matter what. It will also prevent injury.” on his education. “I will finish my degree so after football, whenever that is, I’ll be able to get a good job.
That’s why I went to college,” reasoned Brian.
OR DO ANYTHING! Continued from page 66 When asked about adverse affects of peer pressure, Brian advised, “Just hang with good people. Listen to these people once in a while for positive ideas. My family is important. My two older sisters and brother never drank or anything. I was always with him. Also, I'm not the type to follow. I like being the leader. I just tell people that I don’t need bad things.”
Brian Mitchell has done a lot already to be an upper limit person. He has a 4th grade pen pal. He was chosen by the Maxwell Club to go to Philadelphia to speak to kids about doing the right thing. Brian also attends a lot of FCA meetings and concluded our interview by saying, “Put God and family first and things will always work out.”
We thank Brian for being so special and sharing his story. We also thank Coach Mickey Faulkinberry for making this article possible. We wish everyone at USL our best and if any of our readers ever boldly venture into the Rajin’ Cajun Swamp, remember to be very very careful.
Get Out Alive...” The Rajin’ Cajun football field has a lush surface which has been none too kind to visitors. A big sign greets opposing teams which confirms that the field is two feet New! BFS JUMP ROPES Leather with Wooden Handles! below sea level. One night Coach Faulkinberry was suddenly hit with an inspired idea. It first started as a joke but then it became deadly serious. Coach Faulkinberry’s idea of calling the Cajun Field THE SWAMP caught on like wild fire. the past few years has been phenomenal. “There’s are stories about people going into swamps
From BFS Magazine — Summer 1990. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).
