About Freddie Mitchell
Freddie Lee Mitchell II (born November 28, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He was chosen as a consensus All-American in 2000 while playing college football for the UCLA Bruins. Philadelphia selected him in the first round of the 2001 NFL draft, and he spent four seasons as a member of the Eagles, culminating in an appearance in Super Bowl XXXIX following the 2004 NFL season. A four-sport athlete at Kathleen High School, Mitchell committed to UCLA to play football for the Bruins. After limited play in his first two seasons due to injuries, he was a Fred Biletnikoff Award finalist in 2000 and earned first-team All-Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) honors at the conclusion of the season. He also helped lead the team to the 2000 Sun Bowl, where he had nine catches for a Sun Bowl record of 180 yards. Mitchell was selected by the Eagles with the 25th selection in the first round of the 2001 NFL draft. Mitchell alternated between a fourth and slot receiver during his first three seasons. In the 2003 NFC Divisional Playoff Game against the Green Bay Packers, with the Eagles facing a 4th and 26 situation, he caught a 28-yard pass from Donovan McNabb to help lead the team to a win in overtime. The presence of Terrell Owens in 2004 led to limited opportunities for Mitchell to catch passes and he showed his frustration on and off the field. When Owens went down with an ankle injury towards the end of the season, Mitchell replaced him as the starter and had a two-touchdown performance in the Divisional Playoff Game against the Minnesota Vikings. In the week prior to Super Bowl XXXIX against the New England Patriots, he created controversy by offending members of the Patriots' secondary, including Rodney Harrison. He caught one pass for 11 yards in the Super Bowl and was released by the Eagles on May 6, 2005. The Kansas City Chiefs signed him shortly after, but he declined to have arthroscopic surgery on his injured knee and he was released before the start of the season. After his NFL career ended, Mitchell bought a barbecue restaurant in Lakeland in 2008, but the venue was closed in September 2009. Mitchell served time in prison for tax fraud from 2013 to 2016.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.