Brian Mitchell ( American football ) Brian Keith Mitchell ( born August 18 , 1968 ) is a former American football running back and return specialist in the National Football League . He was originally drafted by the Washington Redskins in the fifth round ( 130th overall ) of the 1990 NFL Draft . He played college football at University of Southwestern Louisiana where he was a quarterback . Mitchell also played for the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants . He is currently second on the NFL ' s all - time list in all - purpose yardage with 23 , 330 yards , behind Jerry Rice . He is also first all time for combined yardage for a non - wide receiver . His 13 special teams touchdown s are second in NFL history , behind Devin Hester , and his nine punt return touchdowns are third behind Eric Metcalf with 10 , and Hester with 11 . Mitchell was ranked the 2nd Greatest specialist in NFL History by NFL Network ' s NFL Top 10 Return Aces . Early years . Mitchell was born in Leesville , Louisiana , and calls Plaquemine , LA his home town . College career . Mitchell attended the University of Southwestern Louisiana ( now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette ) , where he played quarterback . At Southwestern Louisiana , Mitchell became the first player in NCAA history to pass for more than 5 , 000 yards ( 5 , 447 ) and rush for more than 3 , 000 yards ( 3 , 335 ) . He also held the NCAA record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback ( 47 ) . As a senior , he rushed for 1 , 311 yards and passed for 1 , 966 yards while accounting for 25 touchdowns ( six passing , 19 rushing ) . Yet , in his college career , he never returned a punt or a kickoff . Professional career . Mitchell was selected in the fifth round ( 130th overall ) of the 1990 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins . Washington Redskins . As a rookie , Mitchell started off his career by returning the opening kickoff of the Redskins first pre - season game for a touchdown . During a " Monday Night Football " game that came to be known as " The Body Bag Game " , Mitchell had to be subbed in as quarterback after the Philadelphia Eagles knocked the Redskins ' starting and backup quarterbacks out of the game . Mitchell went 3 - for - 5 for 40 yards passing and ran for a touchdown . During his second season with the Redskins , Mitchell led the NFL in punt return yards ( 600 ) and punt return touchdowns ( two ) , helping his team to an appearance in Super Bowl XXVI , where Washington defeated the Buffalo Bills 37 - 24 . Mitchell continued to play for the Redskins until 1999 , leading the NFL in punt return average ( 14 . 1 ) and touchdowns ( two ) in 1994 , and making a Pro Bowl selection in 1995 . He also led the league in combined yards every season from 1994 through 1996 , and again in 1998 . He is one of only two players to lead the league in that statistical category at least four times . The other is Hall of Famer Jim Brown , who did it five times . Mitchell was released following the 1999 season with the arrival of a new owner , Daniel Snyder . Later career . Mitchell signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2000 , and played for them until 2002 . In 2002 , Mitchell was one of only two players to be ranked in the top seven in both kickoff returns and punt returns ( the other being Michael Lewis of the New Orleans Saints ) . He was the only player in the NFC to be ranked in the top three in both categories . Mitchell was second in the NFC and third in the NFL with a career - high 27 . 0 - yard average on 43 kickoff returns . Mitchell was also third in the NFC and seventh in the NFL with a 12 . 3 - yard punt return average on 46 punts . He returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers on November 25 . It was Mitchell ' s 13th career kick returned for a touchdown , breaking a tie with Eric Metcalf and ranking Mitchell first in the record book . That week , he also set a record for kick return yards in a single game with 206 yards on six kick returns . He then signed with the New York Giants for the 2003 season . However , after the season , he was released before the 2004 season . He then re - signed to a one day contract with the Washington Redskins , allowing him to retire a Redskin . Legacy . Mitchell is the NFL ' s second all - time leader in total yardage , second only to Jerry Rice with 23 , 330 yards , thanks in large part to his 14 , 014 yards from kickoff returns and his 4 , 999 punt return yards . Both are NFL records , and his 875 postseason kickoff return yards are a record as well . He also rushed for 1 , 967 yards on 388 carries ( avg . 5 . 1 rushing yards ) , caught 255 passes for 2 , 336 yards , recovered 20 fumbles for 14 return yards , and scored 29 touchdowns ( four kickoff returns , nine punt returns , 12 rushing , and four receiving ) . His 13 special teams touchdowns rank second in the NFL only behind Devin Hester . His nine punt return touchdowns rank third behind Devin Hester ( 11 ) and Eric Metcalf ( 10 ) . Brian Mitchell also holds the NFL record for most combined yards by any one player against a single opponent : 3 , 076 all - purpose yards against the Dallas Cowboys He is also one of only four players to record four seasons of over 2 , 000 total yards , ( the others being Marshall Faulk , Dante Hall and Tiki Barber ) and missed out on a fifth by only five yards . He was inducted into the Washington Redskins Ring of Fame at FedEx Field during the 2009 season . Life after football . On television . Since retiring , Mitchell has been a TV and radio host and analyst for a variety of outlets . On TV , he is currently the NFL analyst for WUSA - TV in Washington D . C . , where he co - hosts the station ' s Sunday night wrap - up program entitled " " Sports Plus " . Additionally , Mitchell co - hosts " Sports Talk Live " with ex - hog Ric " Doc " Walker and can be seen on " Redskins Pre / Post Game Live , " both on Comcast SportsNet in Washington , D . C . On radio . On radio , Mitchell was the host of " The Brian Mitchell " show on WTEM , located in Rockville , Maryland , until the show ended on April 27 , 2007 because of program lineup changes . He then moved to " The John Thompson Show " as co - host . During the 2008 season on an edition of " The John Thompson Show , " Mitchell got into a heated argument with Redskins running back Clinton Portis , who was a guest on the show . Mitchell served as a frequent guest and guest host on " The Sports Junkies " and the " Mike Wise Show " on 106 . 7 The Fan . Brian announced on January 21 , 2010 edition of the Mike Wise Show that he would get his own show on Saturdays from 10 - 3 on 106 . 7 The Fan . He also runs the Brian Mitchell Football Camp throughout Virginia . Since March of 2012 , Mitchell has co - hosted ESPN 980 ' s " Inside The Locker Room " with former Redskin Rick Walker and local DC area broadcaster Scott Jackson . The show is produced by Aaron Leistner . Personal life . Mitchell has four children with his wife Monica . He founded the Brian Mitchell Foundation in 2001 to help disadvantaged children in Philadelphia , Washington , D . C . and his hometown of Plaquemine , Louisiana .