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Veteran football coach Billy Mitchell enters his 27th year in the profession and will start his 23rd season alongside Jim Grobe this fall.
After working together for nine years at Air Force and six more at Ohio University, Grobe brought the veteran aide with him to Winston-Salem in 2000 to serve as assistant head coach, running backs coach and kickers coach for the Demon Deacons.
In the seven years since Mitchell's arrival, Wake Forest has posted six of the top eight rushing seasons in school history, with 2,438 rushing yards in 2001, 3,135 in 2002, 2,439 in 2003, 2,239 in 2004, 2,173 in 2005 and 2,099 in 2006. Wake Forest also broke the school record for rushing touchdowns in his first two seasons, with 33 such scores during the 2002 campaign.
In 2007, Mitchell coached the Atlantic Coast Conference's Rookie of the Year in tailback Josh Adams. Adams set school records for the most rushing attempts, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns by a redshirt freshman during the 2007 season. Adams rushed for 100 or more yards three times during his redshirt freshman season.
Adams is the latest running back prodigy to receive tutelage from Mitchell. At Wake Forest, Mitchell has guided the careers of Chris Barclay and Tarence Williams, two of the most productive backs in school history.
Barclay was the 2005 ACC Player of the Year, the first Deacon running back to accomplish that feat since Brian Piccolo, and a three-time All-ACC selection.
Barclay left Wake Forest as the school's all-time leading rusher (4,032 yards) and scorer (40 touchdowns). He ended his career as the ACC's fifth-leading all-time rusher, seventh in rushing touchdowns and ninth in total touchdowns. Barclay is the only player in ACC history to lead the league in rushing during the regular season for three straight years.
As a senior, Barclay carried 218 times for 1,127 yards and 10 touchdowns. Barclay led the ACC in rushing yards, rushing attempts and all-purpose yards (1,508).
In 2006, Mitchell had the daunting task of seemingly finding a new running back each week. Preseason first team All-ACC pick Micah Andrews suffered a season-ending knee injury in week three. Back-ups Kevin Harris and Kenneth Moore also missed major time with injuries of their own.
Despite the required "by-committee" approach, Deacon rushers combined for almost 2,100 yards, the eighth-most in school history. Three separate Deacons -- Andrews, Moore and De'Angelo Bryant -- each posted 100-yard rushing games.
Mitchell also hand-picks and coaches Wake Forest's kicking specialists.
He has guided the careers of punter Ryan Plackemeier, the 2005 Ray Guy Award winner and consensus first team All-American, and Sam Swank, a 2006 first team All-American placekicker and 2006 Ray Guy Award semifinalist.
Swank will enter his senior season in 2008 as Wake Forest's all-time scoring leader with 289 points. He has converted 60 of 76 field goal tries and is perfect on 106 career PAT attempts. Swank was a Lou Groza Award semifinalist in 2005, the only freshman in the country to join that list. As a sophomore, Swank broke 11 school records and tied the NCAA record for most 50-yard field goals in a single game when he booted three in a key win at NC State. Swank, the only player in the country to be named to the Ray Guy and Lou Groza semifinalist lists in 2006, was voted by his teammates as Wake Forest's MVP.
As a senior, Plackemeier led the nation in both net punting and average per punt. He finished his career as a three-time All-ACC first team selection and the NCAA's all-time leading punter among those with 200 career attempts. A seventh-round draft pick in 2006, Plackemeier is a member of the Seattle Seahawks.
During Mitchell's tenure at Ohio, the Bobcats posted the top five rushing seasons in school history. The program's success in its ground game was capped by a school-record 3,553 total rushing yards in 2000 and a rushing average which ranked second nationally (323.0 yards per game). Mitchell guided the career of Ohio tailback Steveland Hookfin, who was a three-time All-Mid-American Conference selection.
Mitchell also coached Ohio University punter Dave Zastudil to numerous awards, including Freshman All-America honors, 1999 MAC Special Teams Player of the Year and two appearances on the All-MAC first team (1999, 2000). Zastudil finished seventh in the nation in 2000 with an average of 44.34 yards per punt. A fourth-round NFL draft pick, Zastudil has punted for the Baltimore Ravens and now the Cleveland Browns.
Prior to arriving at Ohio, Mitchell spent a second stint as an assistant at the Air Force Academy for nine years (1986-94). He had also held the position of assistant coach at the Academy from 1979-1983. He served in various capacities at the Academy, coaching running backs, defensive line, special teams, kickers and the junior varsity squad.
During his tenure with the Falcons, Mitchell coached in seven bowl games. He also was the academic liaison to the dean and the military liaison to the commandant.
Mitchell lettered three seasons at wing back and defensive back for East Carolina and was named the team's Most Valuable Player in 1971. He also earned four letters as a member of the Pirates' track team.
Mitchell earned a bachelor's degree in health and physical education from East Carolina in 1972 and a master's degree in management and supervision, personnel management, from Central Michigan in 1978.
Mitchell and his wife, Nellie, have two sons, Brienne and Wrienne, and a daughter, Tarienne.
