Ex-NFL QB has high expectations for Springville High school football

SPRINGVILLE — Soon after moving back to Utah last spring with his wife and two young children, the days became long for Scott Mitchell.

On most days he leaves home before 7 a.m. and returns around 9 p.m. The portable filing cabinet that sits on his truck's back seat continues to get thicker with notes and documents. His to-do list is growing rather than shrinking.

Nowadays, instead of watching Disney World's fireworks from his front porch every night, Mitchell is picking up blocking pads off the grass and hauling them back to storage.

This never-ending workload and minimum-wage salary that comes with being a high school football coach is what many thought would have the former Utah Ute and NFL quarterback quickly second-guessing his decision to leave his comfortable lifestyle and upscale Orlando neighborhood for a thankless job of working with teen athletes in his former hometown. However, this doesn't seem to be the case.

"I know what it takes, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes," Mitchell said after a recent practice. "I'm here and I'm committed to doing whatever I have to to be successful at it. I'm not afraid of this. It's not something I'm not used to doing and it's not something I'm uncomfortable with. I'm willing and capable of spending a lot of time with this, and I'm OK with that."

The former Springville alumnus, who led the Red Devils to a state title in 1986 before moving on to star at Utah and with four teams in 12 NFL seasons, is already earning praise from comrades.

"I think he really loves this," said former Springville coach Doug Bills, now the team's defensive coordinator. "He's going to be a great coach. He's great with the kids and I think they love having him as their coach."

When Mitchell first showed interest in Springville's head coaching job two years ago, the timing wasn't right because of commitments he had in Florida. When the job opened again last winter, the timing was much better. He was hired in February.

"We really made it a matter of being a family decision and prayer, and we really felt good about coming out here," he said. "It took a lot of personal time and thought, but from the very first day since we've been out here it's felt good and it just hasn't changed."

Besides providing a new environment for his family, the new job is also giving Mitchell a chance to fulfill his next desire in football.

"I've always wanted to coach, but I've always wanted to coach in the right setting. And this is probably one of the very few settings where I would consider coaching," he said.

"I like bringing people together, which is what you do as a quarterback. You orchestrate it all. And as a head coach you have to bring all the coaches together, you have to have a vision and you have to bring all these players together. I really like that. I really enjoy that. And to do it in a place where I grew up and to have a vision of where I want this program to go. This is just a great place to be."

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