Growing up a short distance from the University of Tennessee, Shannon Mitchell spurned the nearby Volunteers and was part of Georgia’s heralded 1990 signing class. A four-year starter from 1990-1993, Mitchell totaled 99 catches for 1,146 yards and five touchdowns while also considered a tremendous blocking tight end. The 99-catch mark was a school record for tight ends for nearly 30 years until recently surpassed by Brock Bowers. Against Florida in 1993, Mitchell made what remains a school-record 15 catches, or what was then the second-most single-game receptions by an individual in SEC history. An integral part of UGA’s strong tight-end lineage, he was the first Bulldog at the position in history to be recognized as first-team all-conference.
An undrafted free agent, Mitchell made the San Diego Chargers’ roster his rookie season and played in Super Bowl XXIX. He started games in each of his four seasons with the Chargers from 1994 through 1997. Since his retirement from football, Mitchell has primarily worked in the aluminum industry in his hometown.
UGASports caught up with Mitchell from his home in Alcoa, Tennessee.
UGASports: Recognized as one of the top prospects out of the state of Tennessee in 1990, you were recruited as both a tight end and linebacker. How did you settle on solely playing the tight end position?
Mitchell: I always knew that if I was going to play college football, I wanted to play tight end. And there were some schools that let me decide where I wanted to play, like Georgia. Other schools recruited me to only play linebacker, even here locally. (Explain further?) At Tennessee, I was recruited by assistant Phillip Fulmer under head coach Johnny Majors. I had grown up a Tennessee fan. Coach Fulmer started to reach out to me as early as my sophomore year and I started taking unofficial visits to Tennessee all the time. But Coach Fulmer basically told me during my senior year at Alcoa that if I went to Tennessee, I would be coming to play as a linebacker, and not at tight end.
UGASports: Was that the reason why you decided to attend UGA—to play tight end?
Mitchell: Partly. But Georgia first started sending Dicky Clark to recruit me. Coach Clark coached outside linebackers. But eventually, Charley Whittemore started recruiting me. Coach Whittemore coached tight ends and would be my first position coach. Like I said, in the end, Georgia let me play where I wanted to—and I wanted to play tight end. But, also, I had grown up a Georgia fan too. I was eight years old when they won the national championship in 1980. In the end, my decision came down to Georgia and Alabama. And I just felt right at home on my official visit to Georgia. It’s funny, I remember on the last day of my visit to Georgia, Coach [Ray] Goff sat me down and said, “Well, we're going to sign two tight ends in this class—and we already got one guy committed. That leaves room for only one more tight-end scholarship.” Only room for one more?! So, I jumped on it right away (laughing)—committed right then to Coach Goff. Then, the next afternoon, Coach Goff was sitting in my mom and dad’s living room. (Mitchell later added that Goff and Georgia would ultimately sign three tight ends in the 1990 class; therefore, there was actually room for two more scholarships.)
UGASports: Ray Goff was the Georgia head coach who recruited you and was the Bulldogs’ head coach for the entirety of your playing career—not a ton of guys can claim that. Tell us about Coach Goff as a head coach.
Mitchell: To this day, I’m still close with Coach Goff. He was a great recruiter. That [1990] class that I was a part of was considered one of the top two or three in the country that year. During my time, we had two good seasons, when I was a sophomore (9-3 in 1991) and junior (10-2 in 1992)—but not so much when I was a freshman (4-7 in 1990) and senior (5-6 in 1993). As the head coach, Coach Goff often got blamed during the rough times for some things that were probably out of his control. However, he would be the first one to tell you that we underachieved during those times. And, since Coach Goff was the head coach then, he would take complete blame for the team underachieving.
UGASports: Besides being part of a loaded, heralded signing class, you also played back when Georgia often redshirted freshmen. Yet, you promptly played and contributed as a starter in 1990 and ultimately were selected to the All-SEC Freshman Team. How did you catch on at Georgia so relatively quickly?
Mitchell: Entering the 1990 season, we had two scholarship tight ends—Chris Broom and Paul Etheridge—a couple of walk-ons, and three incoming signees including myself. I came to Georgia being kind of naïve. I had just come off an Alcoa team that had gone a combined 30-1 my junior and senior seasons, when I started both ways and played special teams. I thought me playing at Georgia was going to be like high school. I’d come in and hit the ground running—that’s all I knew. So, I just competed hard in camp like I had before. During camp, Coach Whittemore came to the freshmen tight ends and said, “I don’t know which one yet, but one of you three is going to be playing for us from the start.” Honestly, I thought to myself, well, I’m going to be the one he’s talking about—the freshman tight end who plays. That was going to be me. That was my mindset. I didn’t start the season opener against LSU, but I played a good bit. I did start the next game.
UGASports: During your junior year in 1992, a newspaper claimed that you might be “the most underrated player in the SEC.” Do you think you were an underrated player while at Georgia?
Mitchell: When I played, I didn’t necessarily stand out. I just went out there and did my job—went out there and played football. Whether I got recognized or not really didn’t matter to me. Any notoriety would’ve just been a little icing on the cake for me. People who know me understand that I’m not a flashy person. I don’t stand out. In 1992, we had some real superstars on offense: Garrison [Hearst] at running back, Andre [Hastings] at receiver, Eric [Zeier] at quarterback... I just happened to be the tight end in the group.
UGASports: By the Florida game in 1993, Georgia had altered its offense to where you sometimes lined up in the backfield as an H-back. You became a bigger part of the offense, including when you made a school-record 15 catches against the Gators (no Bulldog had ever made more than 10 receptions in a game before). Although resulting in a [33-26] loss to Florida, what’s your feedback regarding your school record?
Mitchell: Yeah, that season (1993) was rough. We had a lot of individual talent, but we struggled to play as a team. By the Florida game, we were throwing a lot. And, that day, several of my 15 catches were from shovel passes, of course, but I still had to catch them! (laughing) Seriously, although we lost to Florida, the record is meaningful to me. One of the guys who held the school record before me was Coach Whittemore (10 catches vs. Kentucky in 1970)—my first position coach. Coach Whittemore and I remain close to this day. Also, because I did it playing the tight end position, and the record has lasted this long for more than 30 years (Michael Johnson’s 13 vs. Auburn in 2002 is the second-most in school history), it’s meaningful to me. Truthfully, I’ve even had people around here (Alcoa) who have mentioned the record to me.
UGASports: One of the smaller tight ends at the NFL combine in 1994, you eventually went undrafted. However, for a player who was on the cusp of getting drafted—but didn’t—did you find this to your advantage?
Mitchell: I fortunately did. As soon as the draft was over, and I hadn’t been selected, I got all kinds of phone calls about me signing as an undrafted free agent. So, I actually got to choose where I wanted to go. Bobby Ross, who was the head coach of one of the teams interested, the San Diego Chargers, had been Georgia Tech’s head coach when I had been recruited by him. I spoke with my agent, and we decided that to play out in San Diego for a coach who already was familiar with me could be a good opportunity. So, I was off to San Diego.
UGASports: You made an NFL active roster as an undrafted rookie, which was more uncommon back then than today. Then, you became a starter for the Chargers in your first year, capping the season by playing San Francisco in the Super Bowl. Similar to before (going from high school to UGA), how were you seemingly able to adjust so well?
Mitchell: It was like before. I had the same mindset, and I just wanted an opportunity to get on the field. The Chargers had a starting ‘H’ and ‘Y’ (tight ends). Our starting ‘H,’ Alfred Pupunu, got hurt and I filled in for him, starting several games down the stretch and playing a lot. We beat Miami and Pittsburgh in the playoffs until we ran into a buzzsaw with that ’94 San Francisco team. (The 49ers defeated the Chargers, 49-26, in Super Bowl XXIX.) Those 49ers have to be one of the greatest NFL teams of all time. They definitely had the greatest secondary I ever faced as a player.
UGASports: Please discuss your final year in the NFL—because it reveals the “business-decision” aspect of the NFL that some might not be familiar with—and your decision to retire from the league following the 1997 season.
Mitchell: For each of my first three seasons in the NFL, I signed a one-year contract. Since I had been considered a starter my third season, the base salary for my fourth year was naturally going to demand more money. Also, entering that season (1997), the Chargers had a new head coach. So, there were a lot of changes going on, including to the team dynamic. I was sitting at home on June 1 waiting on my next one-year contract to be FedExed to me, just like I had done the previous three years. But instead of a contract, I got a phone call from San Diego saying I had been released. However, I was soon contacted by the Washington Redskins. I worked out for them and made the team. But I was eventually released when I left the team to go home to Alcoa to be with my mother, who was dying from cancer. I got to spend her final two weeks with her. Around Thanksgiving of that year, I suddenly heard from San Diego, which had injuries at both the ‘H’ and ‘Y’ positions. The Chargers called me pretty much because they needed someone to fill a spot for their final five games of the year, and I was familiar with the offense. I remember thinking at the time, the Chargers need somebody who knows the offense for five games—and I need to be with an NFL team for at least two more games until I can get the league’s retirement... So, without even having to workout for them first, I finished out with San Diego until the season ended in January. That’s when I just realized I was done. I had played in the NFL, reaching a lifelong dream—but I was done. And it was time for me to go onto the next stage of life.
UGASports: Where did you go from there, professionally?
Mitchell: My best friend, Mitch Davis (Georgia linebacker, 1990-1993), had opened a courier service in Atlanta. I worked for him for a couple of years. My wife now and I had a daughter in 1999 and we decided to get married and moved to Alcoa in 2000. Once we moved back home, I installed cable for not quite two years. Since then, I’ve been working for Alcoa Aluminum, which is now known as Arconic. Our main plant is in Pittsburgh, and I’ve worked at one of its subsidiaries in Alcoa for 23 years in May. For the last seven years, I’ve specifically supplied aluminum to customers in the automotive industry. Ford is our biggest customer.
UGASports: Tell us about your family.
Mitchell: My wife, Frenchie, and I grew up in Alcoa together. We pretty much have known one another all our lives. We got married 24 years ago this June and have six kids. With a previous relationship, I had my oldest daughter, Shaniah, while I was still playing ball in ’96. Shaniah passed away in 2011. Our second-oldest, Tayia, was born in ’99. Shannon II was born in ’01. Then there’s Elijah in ’02, followed by Aaron in ’05, and finally Kennedy who was born in 2010 and is 13 years old. Plus, I originally come from a big family—so we all have a fun time.
UGASports: Residing four-five hours away and evidently living a busy life, we’re guessing it’s difficult for you to get back to Athens and associate with the UGA football program?
Mitchell: It’s hard for me to come back on a regular basis but I try to make it back at least twice a year to see a game. And, of course, I make it to see Georgia when they play up here in Knoxville every other year. This past year was really fun. I’ll go where the team stays and get to see a lot of the older guys who I played with. Some guys are now with the [UGA] administration. I’ve also come down for the spring game, alumni weekends, and Homecoming. Also, I’ve been part of a big tailgate for the SEC Championship for the last several years. So, doing stuff like that with other alumni has been really fun for me.
UGASports: Finally, when you look back at your time at the University of Georgia—whereby you are considered one of the greatest tight ends in the history of a program with a top-notch tight-end lineage—what first comes to your mind today?
Mitchell: I still can’t believe it. Like I said, I was just a small-town kid from Alcoa—and for God to have blessed me, giving me the ability to play a major college sport at UGA. And, from that experience, I was blessed to be able to play pro ball. I am forever grateful I got to do what a lot of people dream of doing. And for my name to be mentioned amongst Georgia’s greatest tight ends is certainly a huge honor I am proud of. I had a great experience at the University of Georgia, and it has been a big part of me living a really good life. Life hasn’t been perfect, and it hasn't been easy—but it's been good so far.
