Hugh Mitchell, one of the greats from my youth. A great Bomber lost to us yesterday.
A truly great player - my favourite along with Jack Clarke from his era.
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Sorry but I don’t know too much about Hugh, can you tell me a bit about him and how he got the nickname ?
He was very elusive. He had the knack of giving his opponent the slip and bobbing up unattended, often within scoring distance.
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I know the name so well he must have been one of the “around the ground” guys providing score updates for one of the radio stations back in the early 80’s.
Can anyone confirm ?
Wonderful footballer - one of our best ever - and a decent man with it. Here’s his entry in Holmesby & Main’s Encyclopaedia of AFL Footballers :
1953-67, 224 games, 301 goals. (No. 31, b. 22 Nov 1934, 183cm, 79kg). In his long career he played everywhere except full-back. Mitchell was a superb, will-o-the-wisp player who had few equals as a ruck-rover. He had his best year in 1959 when he won Essendon’s best and fairest and ran third in the Brownlow. In 1955 he had kicked nine goals on South Melbourne’s Fred Goldsmith who went on to win the Brownlow that year. He had three major injuries during his career - a broken collarbone, broken leg and a knee injury - but kept going as a prolific kick winner. He headed Essendon’s goalkicking three times and played for Victoria six times, winning selection every year from 1959 to 1962. He starred in the 1962 and 1965 flag sides and also played in the losing grand final sides of 1957 and 1959. Mitchell joined Essendon from Moonee Imperials, but had originally been a Dandenong Junior player and eventually coached Dandenong in the VFA.
Hughie died a month short of his 90th birthday.
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Loved watching that Bomber #31 Hughie Mitchell as a tacker at Windy Hill. Tough, competitive and reliable. One of the original ruck-rovers but he was much more than that. Could play anywhere.
Sad news.
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One of the true greats during my childhood. Played with his socks down and ran all day. A tough, wiry type of build, not a bulldozer, and gutsy as they come in an era of dirty players, but very fair himself. He was a key player in the two flags we won under Coleman.
And yes, he was an around the grounds man for one of the radio stations for a long time, up on the Gold Coast.
I never met him but he was by all accounts a very decent human being.
Thanks for the memories, Hughie.
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I remember a game at Windy Hill in the 1950s. The ball was being thrown in, John Gill was in the ruck and he flicked it over the back right on to Hugh Mitchel’s chest as Mitchell came through at about three-quarter pace. Mitchel then let fly with a drop kick deep into the forward line.
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Hughie was a #AW around the grounds man for Harry Beitzel and may also have held a stint on ABC TV. Vale Hughie !
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Hughie was a favourite of mine also. I have images out on his own on the outer side at Windy Hill, near the
small scoreboard where the police horse stood.
The reference above of him kicking nine goals on Fred Goldmith in 1955, I have been told, that the full back was awarded three Brownlow votes in that game. He ended up beating Bill Hutchison by one vote 21 to 20.
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So sad to hear of the passing of Hughie Mitchell.
I had the privilege of spending some time with him in our corporate box a few seasons ago and he was truely the nicest friendliest bloke you could ever wish to meet.
Vale Hughie.
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Was listening to his interview with Dan Eddy not long ago, was still sharp as tack. Highly recommend a listen.
Not been a good year for our club, we’ve lost another club stalwart, and a gent to boot.
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Vale the great Hugh Mitchell. What a fantastic player, great record and an extensive list of achievements.
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Vale Hugh……an inspiration to young kids during his career and a gentleman as well. Played one game against Richmond at Windy Hill, with a broken leg, and was deemed best on ground! 
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I remember him well. A great Essendon man.
Three greats within a few months. Barry Davis, Reg Burgess and now Hugh Mitchell.
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Gee, so sad to hear this. I actually spoke to Hugh for a good thirty-five minutes on May 22nd this year. I wrote to Hugh when I was a little kid back in the late fifties as he was my favourite player and hero. He wrote back to me, and I have kept his letter to this very day. I’m a good mate of a player who played with Hugh back in the mid-sixties, and I happened to tell him about this letter earlier this year, so he got me to call Hugh to tell him about this letter. He was so happy to hear from me. I read out the letter to him and he couldn’t believe I had kept his letter for all those years. At the time he said he was going well with health and all. We talked about his playing days and was very proud playing for Essendon Football Club as he was a Bombers supporter when he was a kid. He said he was very fortunate he played in great teams, with great players like John Coleman, Jack Clarke, John Birt, Ian Shelton, and many others.
Ron Barassi was his hardest opponent and Ron acknowledge to him in later years that Hugh was his hardest opponent. He told me about the story of him kicking nine goals against Fred Goldsmith - South Melbourne and Goldsmith got the three Brownlow medal votes. He said he was very fortunate in life, and everything worked
out for him, even in work wise becoming a Broadcaster with the ABC. He appreciated me in calling him.
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A wonderful man. Known as the Phantom in his playing days.
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I also remember seeing him kick a goal with a drop-kick from a long way out. He was a scrupulously fair player in an era when that was not always the norm. Sad to hear of his passing.
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