Mitch Mustain had the kind of storybook high school football career most players could only dream of.
Tall and blessed with a rocket launcher in his right arm, Mustain garnered every possible award that could be bestowed upon a high school football player at Springdale in 2005. The list of honors is long and impressive, starting with the National Player of the Year from Parade Magazine and earning similar accolades from USA Today and Gatorade.
“It was a lot of fun playing with those guys,” said Mustain, who now lives in Phoenix and runs a supply chain for a defense company. “We all just wanted to work and get better and fight for a common goal.”
Mustain became a household name in Arkansas before he ever took a snap in a varsity football game. In the summer prior to his junior season in 2004, Mustain led Springdale to the championship in the prestigious Southeast Select 7on7 tournament in Hoover, Ala., where he lit up every team the Bulldogs faced, leading the team to 11 wins in 12 games including two wins against powerhouse Shreveport Evangel.
The same day he led the team to the championship, he was offered a scholarship by the University of Arkansas football coach Houston Nutt. Two months later the Bulldogs beat Evangel again to open the regular season, and Mustain Mania was launched.
“That summer and going to Hoover in July, that was interesting,” said Mustain. “We rolled up in school buses and all these teams rolled up in tour buses, so that was an eye-opener for us. We felt good, but our coaches, Gus (Malzahn) and the others, they just instilled a confidence in us. We knew our stuff and how to execute it because we’d done it 100,000 times by then.
“That tournament put us on the map. That was a big boost for us.”
Mustain At a Glance
SPORT Football
SCHOOL Springdale
CREDENTIALS Led Springdale to a 26-1 record as a two-year starter under Gus Malzahn. … Was offered a scholarship at Arkansas before he ever took a varsity snap. … As a junior, led Springdale to 12-1 record and state semifinals, going 139 of 222 for 2,169 yards and 20 touchdowns. … As a senior, was 190 of 274 for 3,744 yards and 42 touchdowns for 14-0 state champions. … Was named the national player of the year by Parade Magazine, USA Today and Gatorade and played in the US Army All-Star Game. … Signed with Arkansas and played one season before transferring to USC. … Played briefly in the Arena Football League and was in the Chicago White Sox organization for a brief time. … Lives in Phoenix.
QUOTABLE “It was a lot of fun playing with those guys. We all just wanted to work and get better and fight for a common goal.” - Mitch Mustain
Editor's Note
The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette is looking back at the greatest high school athletes in its 12-county coverage area.
Mustain led the Bulldogs to a 12-1 season in 2004 by completing 139 of 222 passes for 2,169 yards and 20 touchdowns against just five interceptions. He also ran for more than 350 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns.
Springdale’s one loss came in the state semifinals at historic Quigley Stadium in Little Rock. On a wind-swept November night, Central shut down the Bulldogs’ vaunted offensive attack and sidelined Mustain in the process. The Tigers sacked Mustain in the game and he suffered a broken arm, sealing Springdale’s 30-21 loss.
“Central was way better. Give credit to them where it’s due,” Mustain said. “They were in a league of their own. If we could have played them with our 2005 team, it would still have been a fight. That Central team was the best team we played either year.”
As 2005 rolled around, a healed Mustain and a senior-dominated team set out to make a statement. And they did that.
The Bulldogs went 14-0 and invoked the Arkansas Activities Association’s 35-point mercy rule on 12 opponents. Mustain had a record-setting season, going 190 of 274 for 3,744 yards and 42 touchdowns, numbers compiled mainly playing just half games because of the mercy rule.
Springdale set the tone for the season early, blasting Evangel 35-7 in the opener and crushing Oklahoma powerhouse Jenks 44-0 in week three as Mustain went 18-of-25 for 262 yards and 4 touchdowns.
“In my view, there was no doubt that was our run,” Mustain said of the 2005 season. “I don’t know that losing to Central the year before was motivation, but we knew we were bigger and more senior-heavy. I think Central was always kind of there. We knew we could not take days off. Praise to Gus and the staff, they did not let that happen.”
Damian Williams was a huge presence in the Bulldogs’ offense, catching 63 passes for 1,476 yards and 24 touchdowns. For Williams, it seemed that the bigger the game, the bigger he played. In the win against Jenks, Williams caught 9 passes for 147 yards and 4 touchdowns as he destroyed the Trojans’ defense. In the state championship game against West Memphis, the former Tennessee Titans receiver caught 6 passes for 155 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Before Williams and Mustain were teammates at Springdale, they were rivals in junior high.
“He was the quarterback at Southwest and I was the quarterback at Central,” said Williams, who like Mustain, spent one season at Arkansas before transferring to USC. “But we enjoyed every minute of being teammates at Springdale. We didn’t always agree on everything, but we enjoyed the camaraderie. We always agreed on the common goal, and that was to win.
“Anytime you get a chance to play with the high school Heisman winner, you’ve got to relish that. He was a really special payer. He had an extremely live arm. He was pitching and throwing in the 90s in baseball.”
After his college career ended at USC, Mustain had a brief stint in the Arena Football League and earned a contract with the Chicago White Sox after attending a tryout camp and clocking in the 90s as a pitcher.
“I was fortunate to play with some great coaches and players,” Mustain said. “I just had a bad experience in 2006 (at Arkansas). It was odd, to say the least, but I was able to get through it. I enjoyed USC and the program.
“It could have turned out far worse.”