Mike Mitchell, 52, is old enough now that two of his favorite musical acts -- Bruce Springsteen and the Grateful Dead -- are decidedly more classic rock than current.
But for high school basketball fans on the peninsula in the late 1970s, the memories of Mitchell and his Capuchino High team bolting onto the court to the strains of "Jesus Christ, Superstar" remain vivid.
Mitchell, who later as a college standout captained the Notre Dame basketball team under coach Digger Phelps, is now the Chief Growth Officer for Nestle USA after serving a three-year stint as CEO of Dreyer's Ice Cream.
The Southern California resident is an even bigger success in business than he was in basketball, which may seem like heresy to those who saw Mitchell fill up the hoop and dispense slick assists back in the day.
"I joined Nestle 20 years ago," said Mitchell by phone from Southern California where he and wife Barbara reared four children. "I just focused and dug in. When someone tapped me on my shoulder and asked me to do something, I did it. Later when I was put in a leadership role, I felt comfortable."
Mitchell agrees the experience of being captain at Notre Dame and the teamwork peculiar to basketball have benefited him.
"Mike was one of those athletes who made everyone else on the floor better," said Steve Filios, the former St. Francis High coach and long-time family friend. "I think that anyone on his team would admit they were average players that (Mitchell) made better. Teams would play gimmick defenses against (Capuchino) and he'd play to the strengths of everyone else."
So it was in 1978 that Mitchell scored 55 points against San Mateo and 52 against Hillsdale and fans walked away from the Cap gym marveling at his sleight-of-hand passes.
"I didn't really have any idols when I was growing up, but if I had one it would be Mike Mitchell," said former Cap basketball star Tim Bowler who was six years behind Mitchell in school. "I was more of a shoot-first, then look for the pass player, but he looked for the pass first. The thing that impressed me most was his work ethic. We had parties that we went to in high school, but he was always practicing and working on his game, even at 11 o'clock at night. It doesn't surprise me that he's such a success now because he was smart and worked so hard."
Santa Clara and USF were hot on Mitchell's trail before Notre Dame entered the scene. In fact, an unaware Filios stopped by the Mitchell household during the home visit from Phelps, who is now an ESPN analyst.
"I went by at the wrong time," Filios said with a laugh. "I guess Digger made quite an impact on the family because Notre Dame had not recruited him all along. I think that stuck in the craw (of other schools), but I think Digger just wowed the Mitchells off their feet."
Mitchell had a solid freshman season in South Bend, but knee injuries in both his sophomore and junior seasons hindered his career. After rehabbing the knee, Mitchell was named team captain his senior year. His best game, coincidentally, came against USF.
Said Phelps of Mitchell to the College Hoops Journal "I think he had 17 points, and we won that game. And because of what he did for four years, I gave him the game ball ... Today, Mike Mitchell is the president of Nestle’s food and beverage."
More than three decades after his final college game, Mitchell credits Phelps with much of his development.
"He's still a close friend of mine," the former Cap star said. "He took a guy from San Bruno, Calif. and brought him to the big-time. I was immature at the time and he was hard on me, but it helped me grow up. He emphasized that we graduate and aspire to something bigger than basketball."
Funny, because as a kid there was nothing bigger than basketball to Mitchell. His father Tom was the athletic director at St. Robert's School, close to the Mitchell's home in a middle-class neighborhood. Tom coached basketball and baseball and his little, sandy-haired son tagged along after him.
By second grade Mitchell was starring on the fourth grade team. By seventh grade he and future Cap teammate Dennis Haskins were tearing up the Peninsula Parochial School League.
The ultimate "gym rat" in high school, Mitchell's second home was the San Bruno Rec Center. Mitchell spent many of his waking hours there, even when the place was closed.
"Some of the rec center doors didn't lock very well," Filios said with a laugh.
Mitchell, inducted into the San Mateo County Sports Hall of Fame in 2004, doesn't get back to the Peninsula much anymore, he said. But he remains close to a cadre of high school friends and acknowledges those who helped him.
"I had great coaches at Cap, who were equally good in different ways," Mitchell said. "Ernie Schnurpfeil was a master tactician and Jimmy Johnson just let us play. I liked playing for both of them."
Now Mitchell is a coach in a sense, wise enough to hire good people and stay out of their way -- but also to inspire when necessary.
"My (strategy) is to hire people who are smarter than I am," Mitchell said. "I have 12 people who report to me and they're all better than me. But people can do more than they think, and it's important to help them understand that."
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John Murphy is the Web Content Manager for Prep2Prep.com. He can be reached at jmurphy@Prep2Prep.com.
