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Jim Mitchell, 60; former Atlanta Falcon tight end on Pro Bowl teams twice

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From Times staff and wire reports

Jim Mitchell, 60, a former tight end for the Atlanta Falcons who was named to the Pro Bowl after the 1969 and 1972 seasons, died Saturday morning of a heart attack at a hospital near his home in Shelbyville, Tenn.

Mitchell was found unconscious on the front steps of his home by a friend. He suffered from diabetes in recent years and had lost his eyesight.

A native of Shelbyville, Mitchell played college football at Prairie View A&M; in Texas and was taken by the Falcons in the fourth round of the 1969 NFL draft.

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The 6-foot-2, 234-pound Mitchell played from 1969 to 1979. After retiring from the NFL, he coached at Morehouse College and Morris Brown College, both in Atlanta.

He later returned to Shelbyville, where he served as volunteer assistant coach for its two high school football teams.

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