Ron Mix San Diego Chargers & Oakland Raiders

"I play the game mechanically. I’m like a guy packing a lunch and going to work. A ditch-digger breaks up clods of dirt, but he doesn’t do it because he hates dirt. He’s just got a job to do. I generally approach football the same way.”

The most amazing aspect of the Ron Mix story is that he played football at all. In high school, he really wanted to play baseball, was fairly successful in track but somehow ended up playing football, a sport he really didn’t like.

Ron did well enough to earn a scholarship to the University of Southern California. With the Trojans, he put on some weight, became an excellent offensive tackle, and attracted the attention of scouts from both the National Football League and the new American Football League.

 Since the Los Angeles Chargers offered a better contract, Mix opted for the AFL. The fact that he would be playing in his hometown was of little consequence because he intended to play only long enough "to get a start in life, just a year or two."

But as his development as a player continued, he realized he was really enjoying the game, and decided to stick around. A good student who continued his education eventually earning a law degree, Ron was nicknamed "The Intellectual Assassin."

He was also a student of the game. On passing plays, he would pop out at his opponent at the moment of the center snap, hit him, drive him back and continue to attack until the pass was in the air. On running plays, his uncanny balance enabled him to take out the defensive end with a chopping block and proceed downfield where he could wipe out the cornerback.

During his 10 years with the Chargers he was assessed for only two holding penalties. He was an All-AFL selection eight times as a tackle and once as a guard, and played in eight AFL All-Star games and five of the first six AFL title games. He was unanimously chosen for the AFL's all-time team in 1969.

Ron Mix's Stats

Ron Mix's Championship Games

Championship Games

1960 AFL – Houston Oilers 24, Los Angeles Chargers 16
Mix started at right tackle.

1961 AFL – Houston Oilers 10, San Diego Chargers 3
Mix started at right guard.

1963 AFL – San Diego Chargers 51, Boston Patriots 10
Mix started at right tackle.

1964 AFL – Buffalo Bills 20, San Diego Chargers 7
Mix started at right tackle.

1965 AFL – Buffalo Bills 23, San Diego Chargers 0
Mix started at right tackle.

Ron Mix's Career Highlights

All-AFL: 1960 (AP, UPI, OL), 1961 (AP, UPI, OL, NY), 1962* (AP, UPI, OL), 1963 (AP, UP, OL, NEA, NY), 1964 (AP, UPI, OL, NEA, NY), 1965 (AP, UPI, NEA, NY), 1966 (AP, UPI, NEA, NY), 1967 (AP, UPI, NEA, NY), 1968 (AP, UPI, NEA, NY, SN, PW)

All-AFL Second Team: 1966 (OL), 1967 (SN)

All-Pro Second Team: 1968 (PFWA)

* Earned All-AFL honors at guard in 1962. All other honors earned as tackle.

(8) – 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969

• All-Time AFL Team
• AFL-NFL 1960-1984 All-Star Team

Ron Mix's Career Capsule

Full Name: Ronald Jack Mix

Birthdate: March 10, 1938

Birthplace: Los Angeles, California

High School: Hawthorne (CA)

Elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame: January 20, 1979

Enshrined into Pro Football Hall of Fame: July 28, 1979

Presenter: Joe Madro, Mix's offensive line coach with the Chargers

Other Members of Class of 1979: Dick Butkus, Yale Lary, Johnny Unitas

Pro Career: 11 seasons, 142 games

Drafted: 1st round in 1960 by Boston Patriots, AFL. Also selected in 1st round, 10th overall, by the Baltimore Colts (NFL).

Transactions: 1960 - traded by Patriots to Chargers. June 3, 1970 -- Mix traded by Chargers to Oakland Raiders in exchange for two conditional draft picks, one each in 1971 and 1972 (draft picks were never secured by Chargers).

Uniform Number: #74 with Chargers. Also wore #77 during one season with the Raiders.
 

Ron Mix Enshrinement speech