Fang Mitchell facts for kids

Ronald L. "Fang" Mitchell (born February 8, 1948) is a famous American college basketball coach. He used to be the head coach for the men's basketball team at Coppin State University.

Fang Mitchell's Early Life and Education

Fang Mitchell was born in Philadelphia and grew up in Camden, New Jersey. He went to Woodrow Wilson High School in Camden. After high school, he worked different jobs because he couldn't afford to go to college right away.

Later, he attended Gloucester County College. While he was there, he played on the college's basketball team. He also worked at night as a computer operator at a bank. After a year at Rutgers University–Camden, he started a business career. He managed a shoe company and sold printing services. He even started his own clothing store called Mr. Fang's Athletic Attire, which grew to three locations!

Fang Mitchell's Coaching Career

Even though he didn't have any coaching experience, Fang Mitchell became the head coach at Gloucester County College in 1978.

Coaching at Gloucester County College

When Mitchell first started, the Gloucester County Roadrunners basketball team wasn't doing very well. But in his very first season, he led them to an amazing 19 wins and 11 losses! After that, the team kept winning, with 26 or more wins each year until the 1985–86 season. His teams also made it to the NJCAA tournament several times, in 1980, 1981, 1985, and 1986.

While coaching at Gloucester County, Mitchell also helped out at basketball camps for Temple University. There, he became good friends with Temple's coach, John Chaney. In 1984, Mitchell also earned his college degree in Business Administration from Thomas Edison State College.

Coaching at Coppin State University

In 1986, Coppin State University hired Fang Mitchell to be the head coach for their men's basketball team, the Coppin State Eagles. He stayed in this job for 28 seasons! While coaching, he also earned his master's degree from Coppin State in 1994.

During his time as head coach, Mitchell was named the MEAC Coach of the Year six times. He led Coppin State to win the MEAC regular season championship ten times. His teams also made it to the big NCAA tournament four times.

The Coppin State Eagles got better every year under Mitchell. In his first season, they won 8 games and lost 19. But by the 1989–90 season, they had an impressive record of 26 wins and 7 losses, earning a spot in the 1990 NCAA tournament. That season also included a big upset win over the Maryland team!

In the 1992–93 season, even though experts thought Coppin State would finish seventh in their conference, they ended up with 22 wins and 8 losses, finishing first in the MEAC. They also played in the 1993 NCAA tournament. In 1995, Mitchell was offered a coaching job at another university, FIU, with a much higher salary. But he decided to stay at Coppin State.

One of Coppin State's most exciting NCAA Tournament appearances was in 1997. They were a #15 seed, which meant they were expected to lose easily. But they pulled off a huge upset, beating the #2 seed South Carolina in the first round! They then played a very close game against Texas in the second round, losing by just one point (82–81).

Coppin State's last NCAA Tournament appearance with Mitchell as coach was in 2008. On March 28, 2014, after a few tough seasons, Coppin State decided not to renew Mitchell's contract.

Fang Mitchell's Personal Life

Fang Mitchell married Yvonne Forston in 1990. They were married until she passed away in 2002.