It was two years ago when a tragedy struck the Waynesburg football team and the university.  

It was Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s homecoming weekend, meaning there were going to be parties. Sadly, the party the players chose would change their lives forever, especially for one player, Marcus Mitchell. 

Mitchell was a part of a shooting that took place at an off-campus site at IUP. The shooting led to one dead, eight injured, two of those also football players from Waynesburg, but Mitchell was the only one in critical condition from the incident. Being in the hospital, you have a lot on your mind.  

“When I first woke up, I was just in shock because I was hooked up and connected to all these machines. I had all these tools inserted inside of me,” Mitchell said. “Like my chest area, I was just in shock and surprised because I was in like a coma for like two or three days.” 

Mitchell wanted all the facts, including what happened to his teammates. 

Hearing that some of your players have been in a shooting, and one of them is in critical condition, is not what a head coach wants to hear. 

Head coach Dr. Cornelius Coleman said that he had all different types of emotions when hearing about the situation. 

“I was really shocked, worried, concerned, but not thinking about it as a football coach would think about it as a parent, someone who has four children,” Coleman said. “I have a son that also in college and wanting to understand that his administrators, his staff, his teachers, let alone his coaches, will be there for him and to make sure that like he is taken care of and situated.”  

After hearing the news, Coleman drove to the hospital to make sure Mitchell had somebody by his side with his family being seven hours away. 

Coleman wasn’t the only coach dealing with this. Defensive coordinator David Arnold got the news in the middle of the night.

“I got the call in the middle of the night, and they said he had been shot, but the first thing that came to mind was that he was still alive,” Arnold said. “When coach [Coleman] told me that he was shot numerous times, wrong place, wrong time, that was the first thing that came to my mind.” 

Arnold was asked to call Mitchell’s parents because they hadn’t been notified about what happened to their son. 

After the shooting and getting released from the hospital, Mitchell didn’t return to school for a whole year. In his absence, he focused on his recovery. 

“I took really good care of my diet and all that. So, I made sure I consumed a lot of protein. So that my body can heal faster,” Mitchell said.  

When Mitchell got clear to work out, he had to take it slow at first, but over time, he started getting his strength back. 

Most people who have gone through what Mitchell went through would probably not play football again, but he just couldn’t let the sport go. 

“For about my life, I’ve been playing football since I was seven years old, so it was kind of hard to stop when you’ve been doing it for so long,” Mitchell said. “When I heard that I was still able to continue the sport by the grace of God, you know I just couldn’t say no.” 

Arnold described how he feels about Mitchell coming back to play football. 

“We’re blessed to still have him. He’s blessed to be here,” Arnold said. “The medical team who worked on him backed home did a great job to where he can not only live but also play college football.” 

Mitchell gave sine advice to people who might be in a similar situation.

“I just tell people to keep going,” Mitchell said. “You know you never know what somebody is going through. There could be a worse situation than you. The fact that I’m still able to tell my story means a lot.” 

Through almost losing his life, Mitchell worked hard every day so he could earn a starting spot on the Waynesburg football team.