View source for Ron Mix

{{Short description|American football player (born 1938)}}
{{For|the Canadian political candidate|Ron Mix (politician)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name          = Ron Mix
| image         = Ron mix charges retirement cropped.jpg
| image_size    =
| alt           = 
| caption       = Mix with the San Diego Chargers in 1969
| number        = 74, 77
| position      = [[Tackle (gridiron football position)|Offensive tackle]]
| birth_date    = {{Birth date and age|1938|3|10|mf=y}}
| birth_place   = [[Los Angeles|Los Angeles, California]], U.S.
| death_date    = 
| death_place   = 
| height_ft     = 6
| height_in     = 4
| weight_lb     = 250
| high_school   = [[Hawthorne High School (Hawthorne, California)|Hawthorne]] {{nowrap|([[Hawthorne, California]])}}
| college       = [[USC Trojans football|USC]] (1956–1959)
| draftyear     = 1960
| draftround    = 1
| draftpick     = 10
| afldraftyear  = 1960
| pastteams     =
* [[Los Angeles Chargers|Los Angeles]] / [[San Diego Chargers]] ([[1960 American Football League season|1960]]–[[1969 American Football League season|1969]])
* [[Oakland Raiders]] ({{NFL Year|1971}})
| highlights    =
* [[American Football League playoffs|AFL champion]] ([[1963 American Football League Championship Game|1963]])
* 9× [[American Football League All-League Team|All-AFL]] ([[1960 All-AFL Team|1960]]–[[1968 All-AFL Team|1968]])
* 8× [[American Football League All-Star game|AFL All-Star]] (1961–1968)
* [[American Football League All-Time Team|AFL All-Time Team]]
* [[List of San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame inductees|Los Angeles Chargers Hall of Fame]]
* First-team [[List of All-Pac-12 Conference football teams|All-PCC]] ([[1959 All-Pacific Coast football team|1959]])
| statlabel1    = Games played
| statvalue1    = 142
| statlabel2    = Games started
| statvalue2    = 130
| pfr           = M/MixxRo00
| HOF           = ron-mix 
}}
'''Ronald Jack Mix''' (born March 10, 1938) is an American former professional [[American football|football]] player who was an [[Tackle (gridiron football position)|offensive tackle]].<ref name="profootballhof1">{{cite web|url=http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.aspx?PLAYER_ID=153|title=Hall of Famers profile|publisher=Profootballhof.com|access-date=January 12, 2011}}</ref> He is a member of the [[American Football League All-Time Team]], and was inducted into the  [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] in 1979. Mix played [[college football]] for the [[USC Trojans football|USC Trojans]], where he was named to the [[College Football All-America Team|All American]] team. He played at right tackle and [[Guard (gridiron football)|guard]] for the [[Los Angeles Chargers|Los Angeles]] / [[San Diego Chargers]] of the [[American Football League]] (AFL) and also played for the [[Oakland Raiders]] of the [[National Football League]] (NFL). While playing in Oakland for the Raiders he was a part of the only offensive line in NFL history to be composed entirely all Hall of Famers. Art Shell, Gene Upshaw, Jim Otto, Ron Mix, and Bob Brown from left to right. An eight-time [[American Football League All-Star game|AFL All-Star]] (1961–1968) and a nine-time [[American Football League All-League Team|All-AFL]] (1960–1968) selection, he is also a member of the [[Los Angeles Chargers Hall of Fame]].

== Early and personal life ==
Mix was born in Los Angeles, California, grew up in its [[Boyle Heights]] neighborhood, and is Jewish.<ref>[http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/57887/the-other-league How Three Jews Behind the AFL Invented the Modern Media Spectacle That is Pro Football Today – Tablet Magazine<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref name=autogenerated3>[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MixxRo00.htm Ron Mix Stats {{!}} Pro-Football-Reference.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref name=autogenerated5>[https://books.google.com/books?id=FzyXAgAAQBAJ&dq=Ron+Mix&pg=PA53 Jewish Sports Stars (2nd Revised Edition): Athletic Heroes Past and Present – David J. Goldman – Google Books<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> He attended [[Hawthorne High School (Hawthorne, California)|Hawthorne High School]] in [[Hawthorne, California]].<ref name=autogenerated3 />

Mix, who was listed at 6' 5" and 270 pounds, was an early proponent of weightlifting to enhance athletic power. He was years ahead of the curve that soon saw lineman and other football players taking up that practice to become better athletes. His lifts included a [[military press]] of 300 pounds, a [[clean and jerk]] of 325 pounds, and a [[bench press]] of 425 pounds, all of the lifts considered to be exceptionally strong for that era of play.

Mix went to the [[University of San Diego Law School]] in the off-season and earned a [[Juris Doctor]] degree in 1971.<ref name=autogenerated1>[https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/1985/oct/31/cover-the-long-trial-of-ron-mix/# The Long Trial of Ron Mix {{!}} San Diego Reader<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=McDonald |first=Jeff |date=August 27, 2019 |orig-date=August 27, 2019 |title=Ron Mix, San Diego Chargers standout turned lawyer, has been disbarred |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2019/08/27/ron-mix-san-diego-chargers-standout-turned-lawyer-has-been-disbarred/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250109224731/https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2019/08/27/ron-mix-san-diego-chargers-standout-turned-lawyer-has-been-disbarred/ |archive-date=January 9, 2025 |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=San Diego Union-Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref> He was nicknamed "The Intellectual Assassin" for his combination of intellectual excellence with his style of physical play.<ref name="profootballhof1" /><ref name=autogenerated5 />

== College career ==

Mix attended the [[University of Southern California]] (USC) on a football scholarship.<ref name=autogenerated5 /> There in 1959 he was a First Team All American, AP First Team All-Pacific Coast, First Team All Big Five, and won the USC Lineman Award.<ref name=autogenerated5 /> He was a member of the [[Delta Chi]] fraternity.  At USC he minored in English.  During his career Mix wrote a number of articles for ''Sports Illustrated''.<ref name=autogenerated1 />  He was elected the National Jewish College Athlete of the Year.<ref>[http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1435401-happy-hanukkah-the-greatest-jewish-sports-stars-of-all-time Happy Hanukkah: The Greatest Jewish Sports Stars of All Time {{!}} Bleacher Report {{!}} Latest News, Videos and Highlights<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

== Professional career ==
[[file:Ron Mix 1961.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Mix football card issued in 1961]]
Mix was selected in the first round by two teams in 1960. The [[Baltimore Colts (1953–1983)|Baltimore Colts]] picked him as the tenth pick in 1960 on November 30 in the [[National Football League]]. He was drafted by the [[1960 Boston Patriots season|Boston Patriots]] in the first round of the [[American Football League]] draft, but the rights to Mix were traded to the [[1960 Los Angeles Chargers season|Los Angeles Chargers]], who felt they had a worthy chance at getting the local player to sign with them. Baltimore offered him an $8,000 salary and a $1,000 signing bonus while Los Angeles offered $12,000 and a $5,000 bonus. Mix said he would've signed with Baltimore if they countered with a deal of $10,000 salary and $2,000 bonus. The Colts, telling him the league would flop in a year, declined, and Mix elected to sign with Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-07-17-sp-159-story.html | title=Chargers' Success in the 1960s Case of Having the Right Mix | website=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=July 17, 1990 }}</ref><ref name="profootballhof1" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sdhoc.com/awards/hall-of-fame/football/ron-mix/ |title=San Diego Hall of Champions Sports Museum " Ron Mix |publisher=Sdhoc.com |access-date=January 12, 2011 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316161859/http://www.sdhoc.com/awards/hall-of-fame/football/ron-mix |archive-date=March 16, 2012 }}</ref><ref name="googlemix">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oZxnNt28DhcC&q=%22ron+mix%22&pg=PA97 |title=Jewish sports legends: the International Jewish Hall of Fame |date=200 |isbn=9781574882841 |access-date=January 12, 2011|last1=Siegman |first1=Joseph |publisher=Brassey's }}</ref>

He was a factor in the Chargers' early domination of the AFL's Western Division, and in San Diego helped them win an [[Professional American football championship games|American Football League Championship]] in [[1963 San Diego Chargers season|1963]], when they defeated the [[1963 Boston Patriots season|Boston Patriots]] 51–10 in the [[1963 American Football League Championship Game|championship game]]. Mix was called for a mere two holding penalties in ten years.<ref name="profootballhof1" /><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NACkGVm3C3wC&q=%22ron+mix%22&pg=PA45|title=Jewish Sports Stars: Athletic Heroes Past and Present|year=2006|isbn=9781580131834|access-date=January 12, 2011|last1=Goldman|first1=David J.|publisher=Kar-Ben }}</ref> His coach in [[Sid Gillman]] once called him "the best offensive lineman I’ve ever seen."

Mix was the first white player in the 1965 AFL All-Star game in New Orleans to step forward and join his black teammates in a [[civil rights]] boycott.  The racist environment of New Orleans caused the black players to say they weren't playing in a city that denied them the most basic rights (to eat, to get a cab, etc.).  He made it clear that if the black players were not going to play, neither would he.  That caused other white players to join the boycott. The game was then moved to Houston.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2016/08/24/491170157/nba-moves-all-star-game-to-new-orleans-which-had-its-own-controversy-in-1965|title=NBA All-Star Game's Change Of Venue Reminds Our Commentator Of 1965|newspaper=NPR.org}}</ref>

He was elected to the [[American Football League All-Star games|AFL All-Star]] team for eight straight years as a Charger, was a nine-time All-AFL selection, is a member of the [[American Football League All-Time Team|All-time All-AFL Team]], and is one of only 20 men who played the entire 10 years of the AFL.<ref name=autogenerated4>{{Cite web |url=http://www.raiders.com/history/ron_mix.html |title=Oakland Raiders {{!}} Raiders in the Hall of Fame – Ron Mix<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=April 21, 2018 |archive-date=April 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180422000359/http://www.raiders.com/history/ron_mix.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> He  was the first [[San Diego Chargers retired numbers|Charger to have his number retired]] in 1969 after he announced he was quitting football after playing injured that season.<ref name=sullivan_03042010>{{cite news|last=Sullivan|first=Tim|title=Retiring a number can be tricky math problem|date=March 4, 2010|newspaper=The San Diego Union Tribune|url=http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2010/mar/04/retiring-number-tricky-math-sullivan/?print&page=all|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121209005200/http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2010/mar/04/retiring-number-tricky-math-sullivan/?print&page=all|archive-date=December 9, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Politics Lure Charger's Mix|date=December 3, 1969|newspaper=Schenectady Gazette|page=37|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CKRGAAAAIBAJ&pg=4164,759546&dq=ron-mix+retirement+permanent&hl=en|access-date=May 14, 2012}}</ref><ref name=wallace>{{cite news|last=Wallace|first=William N.|title=Chargers Trade Mix To Raiders|date=June 4, 1970|newspaper=The New York Times|page=56|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1970/06/04/121527223.pdf|access-date=May 14, 2012}}{{subscription required}}</ref> He earned a J.D. degree from the [[University of San Diego School of Law]] in 1970.<ref>{{cite news|last=Wolf|first=Bob|title=REMEMBER WHEN : At Offensive Tackle, Mix Was Master|date=July 11, 1990|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-07-11-sp-298-story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019092705/http://articles.latimes.com/print/1990-07-11/sports/sp-298_1_world-football-league|archive-date=October 19, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

Mix told the Chargers he wanted to play again, but they had found a replacement in [[Gene Ferguson]]. After he asked to be traded to the [[1970 New York Jets season|New York Jets]], San Diego dealt him to the [[1970 Oakland Raiders season|Oakland Raiders]] for two high draft picks in 1970 and 1971.<ref name=wallace /> The deal was contingent upon Mix unretiring and agreeing to play for Oakland;<ref>{{cite news|title=New Turf Rattles Pitchers|date=June 10, 1970|newspaper=The Vancouver Sun|page=28|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7ZplAAAAIBAJ&pg=1099,3629480&dq=ron+mix+retire+number+chargers+raiders&hl=en|access-date=May 14, 2012}}</ref> he&nbsp;played with the Raiders in [[1971 Oakland Raiders season|1971]].<ref name=rmmtpo>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bEwqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=lFAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7334%2C1925181 |work=Pittsburgh Press |agency=Newspaper Enterprise Association |title=Ron Mix might tackle politics |date=November 21, 1971 |page=D7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Sullivan|first=George|title=Any Number Can Play:The Numbers Athletes Wear|year=2000|publisher=Milbrook Press|page=58|isbn=0-7613-1557-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G1eiBErc8lQC&q=chargers%20retire%20number&pg=PT61|access-date=May 14, 2012}}</ref> <!--Then- -->Chargers owner [[Eugene V. Klein]], who hated the Raiders, unretired Mix's number 74.<ref name=canepa_05132012>{{cite news|last=Canepa|first=Nick|title=Chargers have several more numbers they should retire|date=May 13, 2012|newspaper=U-T San Diego|url=http://m.utsandiego.com/news/2012/may/13/chargers-have-several-more-numbers-they-should/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130105160617/http://m.utsandiego.com/news/2012/may/13/chargers-have-several-more-numbers-they-should/|archive-date=January 5, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Mix was also the [[general manager]] of the [[World Football League|WFL]] [[Portland Storm]] in [[1974 World Football League season|1974]].<ref name=autogenerated1 />

==Halls of fame==
In 1969 Mix was unanimously voted to the All-Time AFL Team by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and named to the Chargers Hall of Fame in 1978.<ref name=autogenerated5 /><ref name=autogenerated2>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20170509184507/http://jshofnc.org/inductees/ron-mix/ Ron Mix – Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Northern California<!-- Bot generated title -->]}}</ref>

He was voted to the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] in 1979.<ref name=autogenerated4 />  Mix was also elected a member of the [[International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame]] in 1980, inducted into the [[Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame]] in 1990,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://scjewishsportshof.com/mix.html|title = Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Home}}</ref> inducted into the [[National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame]] in 2008, and inducted into the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame of Northern California in 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.njjewishnews.com/njjn.com/112207/sptsSeven2BeAdded.html |title=NJ Jewish News on-line &#124; Seven to be added to National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame |website=www.njjewishnews.com |access-date=17 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705160713/http://www.njjewishnews.com/njjn.com/112207/sptsSeven2BeAdded.html |archive-date=5 July 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=autogenerated2 /><ref name="googlemix" /><ref>[http://www.jewishsports.net/biopages/RonMix.htm Ron Mix] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070419020737/http://www.jewishsports.net/biopages/RonMix.htm |date=April 19, 2007 }}</ref>  He was the second player from the AFL to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. [[Lance Alworth]] was the first in 1978.<ref name=autogenerated4 />

== After football ==

Mix practiced law in [[San Diego, California]] with his business focused on representing retired professional athletes in claims for [[workers' compensation]] benefits. Prior to that, he was a [[civil litigator]].

In 2016, the IRS accused Mix of filing a false tax return. Federal prosecutors said Mix got referrals for clients from a non-lawyer, a former professional basketball player client of his named [[Kermit Washington]] and that Mix made contributions to two charitable foundations run by Washington that supported a school and other causes in Africa. Mix took tax deductions for the contributions. Court records alleged that Washington diverted most of money donated to his charities for his own personal use. Mix pled guilty to one count of filing a false tax return. The plea agreement specifically said that Mix believed the charity was legitimate and did not know the funds were being diverted. Nonetheless, claiming the charitable contributions were wrong because Mix got something of value—the referrals.<ref>''San Diego Union Tribune'', May 23, 2016.</ref> US District Judge Greg Kays imposed a time-served sentence (less than probation). On February 24, 2019, Mix was permanently disbarred.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ronald Jack Mix # 49663 - Attorney Licensee Search|url=http://members.calbar.ca.gov/fal/Licensee/Detail/49663|access-date=2021-08-13|website=members.calbar.ca.gov}}</ref><ref>http://members.calbar.ca.gov/courtDocs/16-C-13639-3.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of American Football League players]]
* [[List of Jews in sports#Football (American)|List of select Jewish football players]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* {{Profootballhof|id=153|name=Ron Mix}}
*{{commonscatinline}}

{{1960 NFL Draft}}
{{Baltimore Colts 1960 draft navbox}}
{{ColtsFirstPick}}
{{1960 Los Angeles Chargers}}
{{1963 San Diego Chargers}}
{{AFL1960s}}
{{50Chargers}}
{{Los Angeles Chargers Hall of Fame}} 
{{1979 Football HOF}}
{{Pro Football Hall of Fame members}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mix, Ron}}
[[Category:1938 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Boyle Heights, Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Jewish American players of American football]]
[[Category:American football offensive guards]]
[[Category:American football offensive tackles]]
[[Category:USC Trojans football players]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Chargers players]]
[[Category:San Diego Chargers players]]
[[Category:Oakland Raiders players]]
[[Category:American Football League players]]
[[Category:American Football League All-Star players]]
[[Category:American Football League All-Time Team]]
[[Category:Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:United States Football League announcers]]
[[Category:Lawyers from San Diego]]
[[Category:Disbarred California lawyers]]
[[Category:American people convicted of tax crimes]]
[[Category:21st-century American lawyers]]
[[Category:American sportspeople convicted of crimes]]
[[Category:American lawyers]]
[[Category:University of San Diego School of Law alumni]]
[[Category:Portland Thunder (WFL)]]
[[Category:21st-century American Jews]]
[[Category:Hawthorne High School (California) alumni]]
[[Category:Jews from California]]
[[Category:Delta Chi members]]