GREENSBORO, N.C. – Guilford College senior Donte' Mitchell was recently named a member of the National Football Foundation's (NFF) 2013 Hampshire Honor Society. He is the fifth Quaker so honored by the foundation, which started the award in 2007.
The NFF Hampshire Honor Society is comprised of college football students who succeed both in the classroom and on the playing field. In 2012, a record 703 students from 259 schools qualified for membership in the society's seventh year. The NFF recognizes scholar-athletes who play football at over 700 college and universities nationwide. Honorees held a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 throughout their academic career, have been a starter or an important substitute in their last year of eligibility and met all NCAA-mandated progress towards degree requirements.
Mitchell, a 5-11, 270-pound offensive lineman, played five games for the Quakers last fall, starting two. He played for an offense that ranked third among Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) passing leaders with an average of 261.1 yards per game. The Quakers averaged 23.9 points and 376.1 total offensive yards per game. He blocked for Mike Williams, who ranked seventh among the league's rushing leaders with 717 yards and had three 100-yard games. Guilford had three contests with at least 400 total offensive yards, including a 565-yard effort in the Quakers' road win over league-rival Randolph-Macon College, the fourth-most prolific offensive game in school history.
Mitchell played a total of 14 games in his four-year career at Guilford. He was a six-time member of the school's Student-Athlete Honor Roll and a five-time dean's list student. He also participated in the Principled Problem Solving Scholars Program and has served as a resident advisor. In 2009-10 he earned Academic All-ODAC recognition and he plans to graduate next week with a degree in criminal justice.
Second-year head coach Chris Rusiewicz's Quakers posted a 5-5 overall record (4-3 ODAC) last fall, which marked a three-win improvement over the 2011 season. It was also Guilford's best football season since 2007. The Quakers could return as many as 68 letter winners for the 2013 campaign.