Two men in the world can claim a Big Sky Championship, a national championship, and a Walter Payton Award.
Montana’s Dave Dickenson won all three in 1995. The other, Eastern Washington’s Bo Levi Mitchell, led his team to the 2010 Big Sky Championship, a national championship, and then won the Walter Payton Award in 2011.
Mitchell, who played two seasons at Eastern Washington after transferring from SMU, ranks 20th on the list of the Big Sky Conference’s “50 Greatest Male Athletes.’’
Ironically, Dickenson and Mitchell are now in the same place. Mitchell is a rising star for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League, where Dickenson is the offensive coordinator.
“Everybody in our league and in the Big Sky knows how good of a player Dave was and what he did,’’ Mitchell said. “To be able to play for him, to be able to learn from him is amazing. He teaches you to be a true student of the game, to look at film nonstop. He makes me hungry to be better. I want to watch as much film as he does, and I can always try, but I’m never going to watch as much film as he does. You can see what made him such a great player and what makes him such a great coach. That’s what I strive to be.’’
Growing up in Katy, Texas, Mitchell likely had never heard of Dave Dickenson or the Big Sky Conference. A standout football and baseball player, Mitchell wound up in June Jones’ pass-happy system at SMU. He started all 12 games as a true freshman, but lost his starting job as a sophomore to Kyle Padron, who ironically also later transferred to Eastern Washington.
Mitchell’s decision to relocate to the Cheney, Wash., school in the summer of 2010 proved to be a life-changing decision. Eastern Washington also had a spot for Mitchell’s brother Cory, a wide receiver.
“To be honest, the main reason was to play with my brother,’’ he said. “We used to play baseball together, and it was great to go out and play on the same field. I got to hook up for a couple of touchdowns with him.’’
Mitchell proved to be the perfect fit for the 2010 Eastern Washington Eagles, who had lost four-year starting quarterback Matt Nichols to graduation. Mitchell assumed the starting role immediately, but wasn’t spectacular early in the season.
It wasn’t until the fifth game of the year – a 35-24 win over Weber State – that Mitchell threw for 300 yards. The win hiked EWU’s record to 3-2 and jumpstarted an 11-game winning streak that culminated with a victory in the national championship.
Mitchell, dubbed the “Gunslinger’’ threw for 3,496 yards and a school-record 37 touchdowns. The highlight was a 302-yard, three-touchdown performance in the national championship game as he led his team back from a 19-0 second-half deficit to win 20-19. The championship was played in Frisco, Texas, just hours away from his hometown of Katy.
“For me, that’s what it was all about,’’ Mitchell said. “I made the transfer and found out the championship game was in Frisco. I had over 40 people there, family, and friends. To see them rush the field, and to see the looks on their faces, that was a very gratifying feeling.’’
Expectations were high in 2011, and Mitchell opened the season by throwing for 473 yards and three touchdowns in a three-point loss to Washington of the Pac-12. Injuries early in the season devastated the Eagles’ offensive line, and the Eagles lost their first four games.
“Coach (Beau) Baldwin had never had a losing season,’’ Mitchell said. “I remember coming off that field after we started 0-4, and looking at Coach Baldwin and telling him, “I will not let you have a losing season. I promise.’ It drove me and motivated me to make sure we won every single game we could.’’
The Eagles won six of their final seven to finish 6-5. Mitchell put up gaudy numbers, completing 318-of-503 passes for 4,009 yards with 33 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He was named the Big Sky’s offensive MVP, and earned First Team All-America honors. He led the nation in total offense at 364 yards per game, which ranks third in league single-season history. He averaged a national-high 364.5 passing yards per game, and his 4,009 passing yards currently rank sixth in league history.
He returned to Frisco, in January of 2012, this time to accept the Walter Payton Award.
“Once the season was over, and we didn’t make the playoffs, the coaches let me know I was one of the top three candidates,’’ Mitchell recalled. “They told me I was going to Frisco to watch the (championship) game and possibly win the Payton. I didn’t know until Mrs. Payton made the announcement. My dad was there, my coaches were there. Everything kind of happened all at once. It was a huge day.’’
In two seasons in the Big Sky, Mitchell completed 61.3 percent of his passes for 7,508 yards and 70 touchdowns. His average of 288.65 passing yards per game ranks seventh in league history. He also ranks seventh in league history in total offense per game.
“I’m really thankful,’’ Mitchell said. “I had great teammates and was blessed with some good receivers, record-breaking receivers like Brandon Kaufman, Greg Herd and Nicholas Edwards. They really made me who I was. They made it pretty damn easy to be good.’’
Mitchell remains very close to the Eagle program. His brother Cory is a junior on this year’s team, which is ranked No. 3 in the nation and plays South Dakota State in the second round of the playoffs on Saturday. Mitchell will be at Saturday’s game, along with other former Eagle greats like JC Sherritt, Greg Peach and Matt Nichols, who all play in the CFL.
“There were so many guys at Eastern Washington who were overlooked by bigger schools because they weren’t big enough or fast enough,’’ Mitchell said. “We are really like a group of misfit toys out there playing as one. We’ve built so much camaraderie together. There really is a family atmosphere.’’
Mitchell certainly has a promising future in the CFL, but the future is a bit murky. He played well in limited action for the Stampeders in 2012, and many consider him the team’s future. An expansion draft for the new Ottawa franchise looms, and Calgary can only protect one quarterback. If he’s not protected, Ottawa may snap up the “Gunslinger.’’
“I’d prefer to stay in Calgary and play with Dave,’’ he said. “It’s a home that I feel comfortable in. I’m learning from those guys. Calgary is amazing. Seeing how the city came together after the flood, and seeing them come up and support us, the city really came together as one. I want to play for them. I want to win a Grey Cup for them. That’s our goal as a team. This is where I started, and I hope it’s where I end my career.’’
