SPRINGVILLE — He didn't play at BYU, even though he grew up attending Cougar games and camps, lived in Utah County, was a star quarterback, a Mormon and, most of all, a relative of LaVell Edwards.
Instead, he went to Utah.
Now he's leaving a prosperous land development business in Florida to become a high school football coach in Utah.
Nobody ever accused Scott Mitchell of choosing the obvious.
Amid the works of Madeline L'Engle and Judy Blume, surrounded by valentine decorations and welcome banners, Mitchell was back home on Thursday. Back to the very school where he was a three-sport star 22 years ago. This time it was to accept the coaching position at Springville High.
"I finally figured out where the library is," he cracked.
And strange as it may sound, he's a rookie again, or perhaps the excited kid who just signed his letter of intent.
"It may defy logic and common sense, but I felt it was the best for me. I feel the same as I did then (1986)," said Mitchell. "Does it really make sense to work for three cents an hour and leave a beautiful place? No. But it feels right."
Even though it did take him more than a year to get that feeling.
When longtime coach Doug Bills retired after the 2006 season, Mitchell got calls from friends who suggested he apply for the job. But the timing wasn't right, he said.
And a year later Springville was again looking for a coach, and this time Mitchell got serious. He wanted his kids to live in Utah and he wanted to, as he put it, "have an influence on young people's lives."
Never mind he has never technically coached a down.
The way he sees it, sitting next to Don Shula in all those team meetings, and learning all those offense and defensive schemes, has to count for something.
Before you could say "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" — he most recently lived within walking distance of Disney World — he was on his way home.
"No matter where I've lived, this is where I've always been from," he said, voice choking with emotion.
And not because it was 84 degrees when he left Orlando.
"To move my family 2,400 miles is a pretty big commitment," he added.
During a career that took him from Springville, to the U., to Miami, Detroit, Baltimore and Cincinnati in an 11-year NFL career, Mitchell had his share of good and great days. At times he produced prodigious numbers. Of course, he always looked prodigious just sitting in a chair. At 6-foot-6, 240 pounds, he was a heck of a quarterback for a tight end. Opponents nearly always had to summon the cavalry to bring him down.
He not only proved he could beat BYU (1988), but he could also beat numerous NFL teams, leading the Lions to three playoff appearances.
Now all he needs to prove is that he can beat Spanish Fork, Provo and Payson.
Which may not be as easy as it sounds.
Everyone wants to knock off the famous guy.
"I'm not afraid of having a bull's-eye on me," he said. "I've been chased by some of the biggest, meanest people on the face of the earth, and they wanted to rip my face off."
To understand the stir this move made in Springville, you have to understand that Mitchell wasn't just an ordinary small-town-hero-become-coach. He was a legend. He was big enough to withstand the battering, tall enough to see the field, smart enough to read defenses, and had an arm strong enough to go deep.
If he settled on a quarterback sneak, forget about it. He could pretty much tumble beyond the first-down marker.
Springville's last state title came when he was the quarterback.
In college he set Ute records for passing yards in a game (631), season (4,322) and career (8,981).
Mitchell threw only eight passes in his first two years in Miami. Of course, he was playing behind Hall of Famer Dan Marino, so that explains that. After moving on to Detroit as a free agent, he set team records for yardage (4,338) and touchdowns (32) in a season. He started 71 games in the NFL, 57 with the Lions.
Now he's starting in a different capacity.
Although his actual coaching experience is thin — nonexistent, actually — Mitchell certainly has a plan. He spoke Thursday of commitment, discipline and respect. He said he expects his teams to run on and off the field, start and finish every play and to be committed.
He isn't sure what scheme he'll run, but he does know this: He plans on his players being tough.
"Just because someone tries to touch you doesn't mean you have to fall down," he said.
And just because people expect you to stay one place doesn't mean you have to stay.
E-mail: rock@desnews.com