2008-09 Top Ten: #10 - Michael Mitchell/Marc Krauss

If you're at all familiar with Ohio University athletics, you know they aren't exactly lighting the world on fire. In fact, outside of the volleyball team, they're usually downright bad. The Ohio football team did win the MAC-East and a berth in the GMAC Bowl in 2006...but that was only the third time in history the Bobcats reached a bowl game. In 2005 Leon Williams and the basketball team reached the NCAA Tournament, despite being coached by the inept Tim O'Shea who proceeded to ruin a team with tons of potential for the rest of Leon's career. Not only do Ohio squads struggle year in and year out, but athletes don't go to school in Athens to make it to the next level...Frank Solich definitely has to stay away from the pro potential pitch when he's on the recruiting trail. This mold was broken over the past year, though, as TWO Bobcats were not only signed by professional teams but taken pretty early in their respective drafts. Luckily I got to see both play while they were still in Athens, making the pair #10 on my 08-09 countdown.

Michael Mitchell

When you thought of Ohio's safety Michael Mitchell, you thought big hits. Sure he played in the MAC, but this guy could really lay the lumber. Two particular plays come to mind when I think of Mitchell from his senior season, the first from the homecoming game against VMI. One of the Keydets (yes, that's their real nickname) broke into the secondary and didn't see Mitchell coming all the way over from the far side of the field. His bad. Mitchell absolutely crushed him, forcing a fumble and injuring the player. I'm not saying it's awesome that he hurt someone, it never is, but it just helps show how hard this guy can hit...legally hit. The second is from a game I was shooting on the sideline against Central Michigan. A receiver was heading towards me, near the goalline on the sideline and had to turn his body and backpedal to see the ball and make the catch. Then along came Mitchell to make one of the best nat pops I've ever had, but that's not why I remember this one. After watching the video of the hit, you can see that something flies out from the players onto the sideline. I could never tell what it was, and one day Jake Young explained that it was one of the ear piece padding inserts from a helmet. The guy laid into someone, shoulder first, and managed to break part of a helmet. To this day I've never seen anything like it.

I'll never forget Mitchell getting selected in the 2009 NFL Draft. I was sitting on the couch on my computer, not really paying a whole lot of attention to the draft on TV. It was the middle of the 2nd round and the ESPN anchors were talking about one of the recent picks when the Raiders Selection graphic popped up on the bottom of the screen and out of the corner of my eye I saw, "Michael Mitchell - S - Ohio." Thank goodness DVR exists became I literally did not believe my eyes and had to rewind to make sure I read it correctly. Within seconds I instantly texted as many people I thought would care, "THE RAIDERS JUST DRAFTED MICHAEL MITCHELL." I've never seen NFL analysts less prepared to discuss a pick...they didn't even have vital statistics or any kind of full-screen graphic they could show. They basically talked about how ridiculous Al Davis is, taking Darrius Heyward-Bey in the first round, far above his projected spot, followed by an unknown safety from Ohio. I can't say I disagreed with them...Mitchell was injured while running the 40 at his pro day and of the graduating Bobcats he was thought to be the third most likely to get a shot in the NFL, behind CB Marc Parson and TE Andrew Mooney (neither made it to the league). I also won't forget the NCAA 09 cover (seen above) that I made featuring Mitchell. Yes, I'm that weird that I wanted to make a custom Bobcat cover, but it just so happens that that Bobcat is now in the NFL. Coincidence? I think not.

I can't say I think it was a good pick to take Michael Mitchell 47th overall, but you can't help but be happy for the guy. My experiences with him had always been good...he was very well spoken and would take time to talk to you and answer any questions you had in an interview. He even made himself available for us to do a phone interview with him the Monday after he was drafted, which says a lot about a guy who essentially just hit the jackpot but was still willing to take the time to talk with people back in Athens. A final moment that sticks out in my Mike Mitchell memory comes off the field. Actually, it was on the field but not during a game. After Ohio played Ohio State at the Horseshoe, the Bobcat Blitz crew headed back out to the field to shoot a standup at the stadium. As we were getting ready to leave, Mitchell was walking out onto the field with a little boy who couldn't have been any older than 5 or 6-years-old...I'm guessing it was a nephew. He had him by the hand and was pointing around the field and talking to him (I don't know what he was saying). It just seemed like a really great moment to me and added to my respect for the guy.

Marc Krauss

Usually when I think Ohio baseball, I think Joe Carbone's terrible management of his pitching staff. For the last couple seasons, though, I could think of Marc Krauss. This guy dominated the MAC and, before last season, was named one of the country's top 50 MLB prospects by Baseball America. He went on to destroy the Ohio single season home run record by hitting 27 long balls as a junior (the old record was 20), hit .402 and was a First-Team All American. He's good, real good.

Like Mitchell, I also remember Krauss for some things off the diamond, mainly the fact that I saw him quite a bit because he was a journalism major in the broadcasting sequence. During winter and spring quarters he would often be at the RTV building soing classwork and, while I didn't talk to him a whole lot, he seemed like a really nice and down-to-earth guy (I know people who had classes with him will back that up). He too would always make time for you if you ever wanted to interview him...and a lot of people did. Once or twice he would be working at the station when a story came out about some weekly honor he received and he always granted our sports department time to interview him. On the first day of the MLB draft I called him while he was in Columbus and, despite how busy the day was for him, he still made time for me to record a phoner with him. In that interveiw he even made a point to mention how much he owed to the people in Athens and what they meant to him.


Not only were these guys great athletes at Ohio, but they were great people, which is sometimes hard to find in the pros. I'm glad I got a chance to see them play and hope they can make it in the big leagues.

And so the countdown begins. Keep an eye out for the next installment, involving a squad that could be the start of something great.