The Pittsburgh Steelers have added to their coaching staff ahead of training camp starting next month. According to University of Alabama at Birmingham on X, RB coach Danny Mitchell earned a spot with the Steelers through the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship program.
According to the post, he will spend a week with the Steelers in Latrobe and then join them once again next offseason during spring OTAs.
Mitchell was recently promoted to UAB run-game coordinator and running backs coach by former NFL QB Trent Dilfer. He was previously a senior analyst for the program for two seasons.
He has a unique football background of his own as he was inducted into the European Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023. He helped lead the Vienna Vikings to the European Championship as their offensive coordinator during their first season as a franchise in 2022. He also had coaching stints in California, Germany and Sweden.
During his playing days, he was a quarterback for Willamette from 2009 to 2012 before heading to Europe to play for the Carlstad Crusaders.
Given his coaching background in Germany, I wonder if he knows or is familiar with Steelers OLB Julius Welschof, who grew up in Germany and is on the roster as part of the NFL’s International Pathways program.
The Steelers also brought in Johns Hopkins DBs coach Derrick Mason earlier this offseason and Grambling State RB coach Kris Peters as part of the program.
When applicants apply for a Bill Walsh Coaching Fellowship, they list five teams they would like to work with. I would imagine the Steelers are near the top of that list for many as Mike Tomlin is a graduate of the program himself.
With commitments to UAB in its fall camp, it sounds like the Steelers will allow Mitchell to circle back next offseason for the full Bill Walsh Coaching Fellowship experience.
In his Fellowship program introduction video on YouTube, Mitchell states his main goal as a coach is to “make people smile”.
