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]
