The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Hall of Honor
- Induction:
- 2025
A two-sport letterwinner in Football and Track and Field for the Longhorns, Bobby Mitchell was a versatile athlete who came to Texas after he and his high school teammate, Freddie Steinmark, led Wheat Ridge High School in Colorado to a state football championship in 1966. Mitchell, who earned all-state honors at fullback in high school and was a two-time state track and field champion and record holder in the shot put, played briefly as a running back as a freshman in 1967, but found a career home on the offensive line as part of one of the most prolific offenses in college football history, when Darrell Royal’s Longhorns installed the Wishbone offense in 1968. Mitchell lettered three years at offensive guard between 1968-70, during which time Texas posted a record of 30-2-1, including a school record 30-game winning streak, two National Championships and three Southwest Conference titles. Playing in three straight Cotton Bowl games. Mitchell was a starting guard on a dominant Longhorn offensive line that paved the way for Texas to lead the nation in rushing and scoring offense in 1969 (363 ypg/33.8 ppg) and 1970 (374.5 ypg/41.2 ppg). The Longhorns’ incredible 611 yards rushing at SMU in 1969 still stands as the school single-game record while the 3,745 rushing yards in 1970 remains the all-time program best in that category. While the winning was significant, it was Mitchell’s ability to deal with adversity that would mark his maturity as a student-athlete. First, he accepted the coaches’ decision to move him from a promising running back to an offensive lineman when the offense called for smaller, quicker linemen. During his sophomore year, his older brother was killed in Vietnam. And finally, in the aftermath of the team’s epic victory over Arkansas in college football’s “Game of the Century” in 1969, his best friend – Steinmark – was diagnosed with a cancer that would end his football career and eventually take his life. Still, he would continue to pursue his path as a successful student-athlete. He earned a letter in track in 1968 and was named consensus first-team All-SWC as an offensive guard during his senior season of 1970. Mitchell claimed second-team All-SWC recognition as a junior in 1969. He was part of offenses that still hold four of the top five best single-game rushing marks in UT history. The 1970 and 1969 teams still rank first and second, respectively, in single-season average rushing yards per game. Mitchell, who became a highly accomplished dentist after his graduation from UT and dental school, served the Dallas area in that role for more than 50 years while receiving numerous awards for his work. After graduating from Baylor/Texas A&M Dental School in Dallas, he was appointed by University of Texas Chancellor, Dr. Charles Le Maistre, to serve as the Dental Representative on the University of Texas Task Force on Tobacco Smoking for the American Cancer Society. Mitchell also served on the Texas Parents Advisory Board for four years. He has long been a critical contributor to the research of his era of Longhorn football and legend of Steinmark, his high school and college teammate as well as best friend. Mitchell’s personal story played a significant part in the making of the feature film “My All-American,” which chronicled the life of Steinmark and the story of that 1969 National Championship season. Mitchell is married to Dr. Honor Franklin, and their children are Hahn Franklin-Mitchell, Sullivan Franklin-Mitchell and her husband, Robert Ehrlich III.
