BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Former Auburn All-American and All-SEC performer Mike Mitchell has been selected as Auburn's 2019 Southeastern Conference Legend. Mitchell will be honored posthumously at the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament in Nashville, Tenn., March 13-17.
Mitchell, who was 55 when he died on June 9, 2011 after a two-year battle with cancer, was a Second Team All-American at Auburn in 1977-78 and a four-time All-SEC selection, garnering First Team All-SEC distinction three times.
A native of San Antonio, Texas, Mitchell is the all-time leading rebounder in Auburn history with 996 rebounds and is second on the Tigers' all-time scoring list with 2,123 points. He ranks second in three other stat categories: field goals made (926) and attempted (1,830) and all-time scoring average (20.4).
Mitchell had his No. 30 jersey retired Jan. 19, 2013. He is one of six players in Auburn history to have his jersey in the rafters of Auburn Arena.
A NBA first round draft choice by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1978, Mitchell played in the NBA for 10 years from 1978-90 with the Cavaliers and the San Antonio Spurs, averaging 19.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. In his NBA career, he scored 15,016 points and had 4,246 rebounds while shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 77.9 percent from the foul line.
Mitchell was an NBA All-Star in 1981, averaging 24.5 points and 6.1 rebounds to rank eighth in the NBA in scoring. He then teamed with George Gervin and Artis Gilmore in leading the Spurs to back-to-back Midwest Division titles. He averaged 25.7 points and 8.3 rebounds in the 1982 NBA Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson.
Mitchell closed out his stellar 22-year professional career by playing his last 12 seasons in Italy. When his basketball career ended, he returned to San Antonio and worked with at-risk children.
Mitchell is one of 14 former greats from the conference's member institutions to be recognized.
Auburn Basketball's All-Time SEC Legends
1999 - John Mengelt
2000 - Gary Redding
2001 - Sonny Smith
2002 - Bobby Cattage
2003 - Bill Alexander
2004 - Charles Barkley
2005 - Rex Frederick
2006 - Lee DeFore
2007 - Henry Hart
2008 - Wesley Person
2009 - Doc Robinson
2010 - Chuck Person
2011 - Jimmy Fibbe
2012 - Chris Morris
2013 - Ronnie Battle
2014 - Gerald White
2015 - Chris Porter
2016 - Jack Stewart
2017 - Marquis Daniels
2018 - Joel Eaves
2019 - Mike Mitchell