Position: pitcher Bats: left Throws: right

Bob Mitchell was born in West Palm Beach, Florida on November 18, 1932. He was eating, sleeping and dreaming baseball form the time he was around eleven years old. He graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1951. Bob had an interest in writing, and a real love for baseball. His talents would allow him to play ball and take classes simultaneously. His story is one of intrigue and courage and he shares it with pride.

Bob began his route to the Negro Leagues in 1952, pitching for the Florida Cubans of the Florida Negro League in Lakeland, Florida home field and training center of the major league Detroit Tigers. In the spring of 1953, Bob was challenged to take the mound against the Kansas City Monarchs. He remembers facing the Monarchs young superstar (and future Major League Baseball legend) Ernie Banks. Bob was disappointed with his performance, however his effort was noticed. After the game Bob was approached by the Monarchs manager Buck O'Neil. He was encouraged by Mr. O'Neil's interest in his pitching abilities. Buck said that the team owner Tom Baird may be calling on him in the near future. Bob moved to Philadelphia later that year. It was here that Mr. Baird finally caught up with Bob and offered him a $250 a month contract. Mitchell left Philly soon after, on a train headed for Newport News to join the traveling Monarchs. He made his first appearance against Indianapolis and gave the Clowns a taste of his fastball and his curveball. That was the start of his three year career with Kansas City.

Bob recalled many great memories amidst those that were less memorable. To witness the look on the people's faces as we rode into a town to play ball was unforgettable. They would marvel at the arrival of our new bus and our professional appearance. The players of that era took great pride in how they presented themselves. Another such memory occurred in Columbus Mississippi, during the 1955 season. Bob was stunned by what he heard over the team's bus radio. What he heard was the game that his Monarchs were playing, as it was being broadcasted live on the radio.

A personal highlight for Bob was to share pitching duties with Kansas City's ace and baseball's legendary superstar Leroy "Satchel" Paige. His spent many hours watching the Satchel closely, picking up tips and secrets that he would later apply to his game.

In 1956, Bob asked manager Jelly Taylor to let him pitch the game that evening in Canada, something pitchers didn't do. Then he would proceed to strike out 13 batters and complete the game with a win.

On one occasion in North Carolina, he recalled being denied bathroom use when they stopped to fill up their bus with gas. They team manager summoned the station attendant to immediately stop the pump and the team joined him in moving on, leaving behind the gas that they had originally stopped for.

In 1957, during a stop over in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Bob confided in his manager Dizzy Dismuth, that he longed to return to his home in Philadelphia to marry his fiancée. Dizzy had great respect for Bob, understood his situation and helped him out by covering his spot in the pitching rotation and buying his train fare to Philly.

From 1964 to 1993, Bob worked for Pratt Aircraft - United Technologies. Throughout the years, Bob has remained well aware of the many faces of racism. He has experienced the reality of overt racism as well as institutional racism and has tried to educate the masses through his experiences.

Mr. Mitchell has remained a very active and vital part of the Negro Leagues Communication Network. He has fought for the development of the limiting criterion as it relates to the pension funds qualification process. As of late, his efforts have been met positively received and additional players have become eligible to receive supplementary financial assistance from Major League Baseball. On behalf of all of us who know how hard you worked for our friends, Thank You! Your perseverance in this cause is most commendable.

Bob remains a mentor to children in his community. He has taken an active roll in teaching children the essentials of reading, writing, and arithmetic as well as moral values and the importance of faith as it is revealed in the God's Word.