Keith Mitchell, a former New Orleans Saints linebacker and Pro Bowl selection, has died at 51, according to a report from KBTX-TV in Bryan, Texas.
Mitchell arrived in New Orleans in 1997 as an undrafted free agent out of Texas A&M and carved out a long run with the Saints. He developed into a starter and also made his mark as a special teams standout.
His peak came in 2000, when he was a key piece for a Saints team that won the NFC West Division title and earned the first playoff victory in franchise history. In New Orleans’ 31-28 win over the St. Louis Rams in the NFC Wild Card playoffs, Mitchell recorded three tackles and a sack of Rams quarterback Kurt Warner.
Over five seasons with the Saints from 1997 to 2001, Mitchell finished with 272 solo tackles, including 20 tackles for loss. That 2000 season also featured two huge defensive scores: a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown in a 21-10 win over the Arizona Cardinals and a 90-yard fumble return for a touchdown in a 20-10 win over the Carolina Panthers.
Mitchell is one of just eight linebackers in Saints franchise history to make the Pro Bowl. He later spent one season each with the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars to close out his NFL career.
Before the NFL, Mitchell was part of Texas A&M’s famed “Wrecking Crew” defense from 1993-96. He earned All-Southwest Conference honors in 1995, then was an All-Big 12 selection and College Football News All-America selection in 1996.
In Other News...
Iowa State Mourns The Loss Of Beloved Former Coach Jim Walden
Jim Walden, who guided Iowa State football from 1987 to 1994, died at 88, leaving behind a run that Cyclone fans still remember for its grit as much as its results. He took over in a difficult stretch and managed to squeeze real progress out of a program dealing with scholarship reductions, delivering a 1989 season that stood out as one of the brighter chapters of that era and producing wins that gave the program a much-needed lift.
Waldens rsum stretched well beyond Ames, with a strong coaching career at Washington State after starting as an assistant at Nebraska. Even so, his time at Iowa State is where many fans will remember him most, because he showed that the Cyclones could be competitive in hard circumstances and occasionally knock off teams that were supposed to be out of reach. [Read more 🡒]
Phil Steeles Early Iowa State Outlook Will Frustrate Cyclones Fans
Phil Steeles annual college football preview is not exactly handing Iowa State a warm welcome into the Jimmy Rogers era. The longtime analyst sees a roster that has been turned over almost completely, with only three returning starters and a heavy transfer influx, including a notable group from Washington State, which is why the Cyclones are being framed as a rebuilding team before the season even begins.
The projection that will sting most in Ames is the Big 12 placement, with Iowa State slotted near the bottom of the league as the new staff tries to piece things together quickly. Steele does at least identify Jaylen Raynor as the projected starting quarterback and sees the defense as the steadier side of the ball, but the overall outlook is cautious enough to leave plenty of room for Cyclones fans to wonder whether this first year under Rogers can outpace the early expectations. [Read more 🡒]