Elmer Dayton Mitchell (September 6, 1889 – June 15, 1983)[1][2] was an American football and basketball coach in Michigan who is considered the father of intramural sports.

He was the first varsity basketball coach at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and the founder of that school's intramural sports program.

Through 2010, he has the highest winning percentage of any head coach in Eastern Michigan Eagles men's basketball history.

In the fall of 1912, he was hired as a teacher and coach at Union High School, where "[h]e developed state title contenders in baseball, football, and basketball".

While at MSNC, Mitchell taught physical education courses geared toward the school's future teachers, covering such topics as playground direction and athletic coaching, and he co-wrote a book about basketball.