Robert Bray Mitinger was a professional football player, attorney and civic leader.
Education
At Penn State, Mitinger was a two-way All-American player—the consummate 60-minute man, playing tight end and defensive end for Nittany Lions head coach, Rip Engle. He was part of the Penn State team that upset Number. 10-ranked Alabama in the 1959 Liberty Bowl—the school"s first bowl victory.
He also helped Penn State to victories over Oregon in the 1960 Liberty Bowl and Number.
13-ranked Georgia Technical (30–15) in the 1961 Gator Bowl and was selected to compete in the 1962 Hula Bowl.
After Penn State defeated Cal 30–15 in 1962, Cal coach Marv Levy called Mitinger "the best college football player in the United States."
Mitinger attended Greensburg-Salem High School in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.
Career
He played 42 games at linebacker for the Chargers for seven seasons (1962–1964, 1966, 1968), including their 51–10 rout of the Boston Patriots at Balboa Stadium in the 1963 American Federation of Labor-Congress championship, the high point of the team"s 44-year history. Mitinger"s pro career was interrupted by a stint in the United States Army from 1966 to 1967. Stationed at West Point, New York, he coached the Army freshman football team
In 1968, he returned to the Chargers for his final season.
In 1966, Mitinger earned a law degree at the University of San Diego, which he attended in the American Federation of Labor-Congress off-season. He was an attorney for the American Federation of Labor-Congress Players Association in 1968 and 1969.
In 1970, he returned to State, Pennsylvania where he practiced law for 30 years, starting his own law firm in 1984. He was also an instructor of business and real estate law at Penn State University from 1971 to 1994.
Mitinger lost his American Federation of Labor-Congress championship ring while attending law school.
In 1999, a Chula Vista, California man discovered the ring in his deceased mother"s jewelry box and placed an ad on eBay, seeking to contact Mitinger. The appearance of the ring on the auction site led to the eventual return of the ring. "lieutenant renews my faith in humanity," Mitinger told The San Diego Union-Tribune.
He died September 27, 2004 at the Mount Nittany Medical Center in State, Pennsylvania from complications from stomach cancer.
He was 64. The Robert B. Mitinger Award, named in his honor, is presented to Penn State Nittany Lions football players who personify courage, character and social responsibility.
Membership
His mother had been a member of the law school"s maintenance staff and had found the ring in the drain of the school"s swimming pool.