Hall of Fame
The best coaches know how to be flexible and mold their athletes into successful teams. No one could do that better than Coach Orion Mitchell. Not only did he coach the Rams of the Georgia State College for Men when it was a four-year school, but he also coached the team when it became a two-year school called Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. Mitchell coached football, basketball, and baseball at the Georgia State College For Men and at ABAC from 1931-45. ABAC played intercollegiate football through 1937. Mitchell had many great wins but his 1931 team really attracted some attention by defeating the University of Miami 13-12. An Associated Press story about the game ran in the October 17 edition of the Tifton Gazette. According to that account, Miami went in front on a touchdown run in the second quarter. Down 6-0, the Rams took the lead when Mike Donehon intercepted a pass and ran 70 yards for a touchdown. Sherman England blocked a punt in the second quarter and recovered it in the end zone for another touchdown. Other teams on the schedule that year included Oglethorpe College and Fort Benning. Mitchell’s 1937 and 1943 basketball teams were the Georgia junior college state champions. Mitchell Hall, a former residence hall on the campus, was named for him.
