A Chicago native, Mitchell attended Crane High School there, where he was captain of the basketball and football teams.

[3] He later served in the United States Army at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri.

[3] He received a master's degree in health, physical education and recreation from Indiana University in 1967.

[4] Mitchell became the first African American appointed to a full-time athletics position at Boston University when we was hired as an assistant football and basketball coach in 1968.

[5] In 1971, he became the first African American appointed as head basketball coach for a major college program, also at Boston University.