Mike Mitchell

I have grown over time to realize how important all those high school experiences and friends play in one's growth. I am looking forward to seeing you all again. I have also had a chance to deal with kids all my life and I have to say-our childhoods were much better than the youth of today. Our bad was playing in the woods .

Memory to share: I was sitting on the toilet in the old boys locker room at Rainier where there was no wall. You just basically sat out in the open(I am sure a lot of the guys remember that toilet). One of my coaches in football, "Boots Wooten," walked by and said, "you don't have to do that Mitchell, just tear a piece off." That was the day where a coach could play and build a relationship with his players. Now if you said that you would be on CNN by dinner time.

I have been coaching football for the past 51 years. My career has taken me through high school, college and Pro football in Europe. It has taken me to Idaho, Oregon, Montana and California. I have been fortunate enough to play for the State Championship in both Idaho and Oregon, and a National Championship in Central Europe in the country of Croatia. We also had a chance to take a team in Sweden, the Uppsala 86'ers, to the National Championship Semi-Finals in 2015.

This experience allowed my wife Gail and myself to travel extensively throughout Europe and see things we had never experienced.

I have never forgot who I was and where I came from. I am a Des Moines guy that got some breaks and had a good career in sports.
My friends then, have always been with me and will never leave. I hope to round many of them up now that I am getting more free time in life. It was all fantastic and appreciated. Every minute and every friend.

Nothing will ever replace the night we beat Renton in my Junior Year.
That was a Big Deal at that time. I still see Steve Wallace down here in Arizona from that team and that night!

They always made fun of my 55 Pontiac convertible. How can you make fun of a car like that?????