Oct. 4, 2014
Wade Mitchell, a standout quarterback and safety for the Yellow Jackets in the 1950s, is the Geico Alumnus of the Game for Saturday’s #GTWhiteOut vs. Miami. Mitchell became the first Georgia Tech graduate to be inducted into the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame in 1996. An Academic All-America in 1955, he was a three-time Academic All-SEC selection from 1954-56.
During his four-year collegiate career (1953-56), Tech posted an impressive 37-7-2 record, winning four consecutive bowl games – 1954 Sugar Bowl, 1955 Cotton Bowl, 1956 Sugar Bowl and 1956 Gator Bowl. He quarterbacked the Yellow Jackets to a 10-1 record in 1956 and a Gator Bowl victory over the Pitt Panthers. Mitchell, who was a third-team All-SEC selection in 1955 and 1956, played in 43 career games, accounting for 1,352 yards of total offense and threw eight TDs and rushed for seven more. As a defensive safety, he intercepted 13 passes, including four as a freshman.
An Atlanta native, he was a four-sport star in football, basketball, track, and swimming at North Fulton High School. He was North Fulton’s football team MVP in 1951 and 1952, and also was named all-state and all-region at QB in 1951 and 1952. He lettered four years in basketball and led North Fulton to the 1953 state title.
Mitchell went on to become a prominent Atlanta banking executive. He was inducted into the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1976.
