Mow Mitchell

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Mow Mitchell
United States Rugby Team in 1913.jpg
Mitchell with the US team in 1913 (pictured front row, third from right)
Full nameMowatt Merrill Mitchell
Date of birth(1886-09-18)September 18, 1886
Place of birthSan Francisco, California
Date of deathFebruary 18, 1980(1980-02-18) (aged 93)
Place of death Santa Clara, California
School Los Angeles High School
University Stanford University
Notable relative(s) Ruth Comfort Mitchell Young (sister)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Fly-half
Amateur team(s)
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1907–1910, 1913 Stanford University ()
1913–1914 Los Angeles Athletic Club ()
1915 Southern California All-Stars ()
Correct as of December 13, 2018
International career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1913 United States 1 (0)
Correct as of December 13, 2018

Mowatt Merrill "Mow" Mitchell (September 18, 1886 – February 18, 1980) was an American rugby union player and official who played at fly-half for the United States men's national team in its first capped match against New Zealand in 1913.

Biography

Mow Mitchell was born on September 18, 1886, in San Francisco, California, [1] the second child and eldest son of John Samuel Mitchell and Florence Standish Mitchell (born Mowatt). [2] Mitchell attended Los Angeles High School where he played basketball [3] and baseball. [2]

Mitchell began attending Stanford University in 1907. [2] In that year, Mitchell served as captain of the school's freshman baseball team and played first base. [4] Later in 1907, Mitchell joined the Stanford rugby team for a season that would be highlighted by a 21–11 victory over the University of California in the Big Game. [5] Mitchell began serving as captain of the Stanford rugby team in the 1909 season. [6] Mitchell graduated from Stanford with a degree in economics in May 1910. [2]

By 1910, Mitchell had begun officiating rugby matches in Southern California. [7] By 1914, his work as an official was well-regarded. [8] Mitchell returned to Stanford for graduate studies and rejoined the university's rugby team in 1913. [2] On November 15, 1913, Mitchell played for the United States at fly-half in its first test match against New Zealand—a 51–3 defeat. [9] (Mitchell was injured during the match and replaced by a substitute. [10] ) In 1913 and 1914, Mitchell played rugby for the Los Angeles Athletic Club team. [11] [12] In 1915, alongside fellow Stanford and United States rugby player Louis Cass, [13] Mitchell was a member of a Southern California All-Star rugby team that played a series of matches against university and Northern California All-Star opposition in October and November of that year. [14] Mitchell was a strong proponent of Stanford University continuing to play rugby instead of American football; [15] in spite of this, the University would ultimately revert to football.

On June 5, 1917, Mitchell enlisted with the United States Army. [2] Mitchell served with the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I. [2] Later in life, Mitchell married Simone Debruyn, with whom he had two children. [2] Mitchell's brother, Stan, was also a rugby player and Stanford University attendee. [2] Mitchell's older sister, Ruth Comfort Mitchell, was an author, playwright, and poet. [2] Mow Mitchell died on February 18, 1980, in Santa Clara, California, at the age of 93. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Mow Mitchell". ESPN. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Casey, Patrick. "Mowatt Merrill Mitchell". The Rugby History Society. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Basketball Boost; League Very Busy". Los Angeles Times . January 7, 1906. p. 31. Retrieved December 19, 2018– via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Southern Athletes on Northern Teams". Los Angeles Times . July 7, 1907. p. 47. Retrieved December 19, 2018– via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Stanford Rugby Team Get Gold Footballs". The San Francisco Examiner . Stanford University. December 15, 1907. p. 10. Retrieved December 19, 2018– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "International Rugby". The Sydney Morning Herald . No. 22555 (Second ed.). April 29, 1910. p. 10. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Local Ruggers Slam Olympics". Los Angeles Times . October 13, 1910. p. 83. Retrieved December 19, 2018– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "How it Looks to Angus". Los Angeles Times . October 27, 1914. p. 22. Retrieved December 20, 2018– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "New Zealand Tour – Berkeley, 15 November 1913". ESPN. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  10. ↑ Richards, Huw (October 29, 2013). "The tour that killed American rugby". ESPN . Retrieved December 19, 2018. Mitchell was one of two Americans injured during the match. The All Blacks allowed replacements...
  11. ↑ "Olympic Ruggers Off for South This Evening". The San Francisco Examiner . Vol. XCIX, no. 172. December 19, 1913. p. 15. Retrieved December 19, 2018– via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "L.A. High Rugby team Defeats U.S.C. Lawyers". The Los Angeles Herald . Vol. XXXIII, no. 12. December 20, 1914. p. 10. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Southerners Enthuse Over Rugby Outlook". The San Francisco Examiner . Vol. CIII, no. 94. Stanford University. October 1, 1915. p. 11. Retrieved December 28, 2018– via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "Southern Ruggers to Play at Stanford". The San Francisco Examiner . Vol. CIII, no. 119. Stanford University. October 26, 1915. p. 10. Retrieved December 19, 2018– via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "Mow Mitchell Harpoons Card Old Game Bubble". Los Angeles Times . May 6, 1915. p. 25. Retrieved December 20, 2018– via Newspapers.com.
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