Hall of Fame
Charles Mitchell played four years for the Colonels from 1969-73. He began his EKU career in grand style, coming to Eastern after an outstanding high school career at one of the state’s top high schools of Louisville Seneca. On the freshman team, he averaged 30.2 points and 17.1 rebounds while setting a school record for most points in a game with 50.
His varsity career at Eastern started with him averaging 16.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game as the Colonels finished with a 16-8 record.
His last two years at EKU were special as he helped lead the Colonels to the All-College Tournament Championship in Oklahoma City and to a berth in the NCAA Regional Tournament with EKU’s OVC Championship. His All-College Tournament games were magical as he scored 79 points in Eastern’s three victories and was named MVP of that eight-team tourney.
Called by Hall of Fame coach Guy Strong as “one of the most complete players I have ever coached”, he led the Colonels in scoring during the 1971-72 season with his 22.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game average, and was selected first-team All-OVC. He duplicated this outstanding effort his senior year by averaging 22.6 points and 7.0 rebounds, and being named first-team All-OVC.
He finished his senior year as the second-leading scorer in Eastern history with 1,507 points for a 20.6 points per game career average and 578 rebounds for a 7.9 career rebounding average. At the time of his induction, he was Eastern’s 11th all-time leading scorer and 17th all-time leading rebounder.
Following graduation, Mitchell was drafted by the Memphis Tams of the ABA. He returned to his hometown of Louisville, giving back to his community spearheading projects that empower and improve the financial, mental and physical health of those with whom he came in contact. He also spent seven years as a Louisville Metro Police Officer and was an advocate for the homeless in that city. Mitchell was the Public Housing Manager for the Louisville Metro Housing Authority for 20 years. He served as vice president of the homeowners association and participated in the Louisville Sports Mentoring program to give back to youths.
