Bing Mitchell loved athletics. He dearly loved the sports world.

This affable man also loved coaching. More important, he loved the young athletes, all of them, who played on every team he coached over the many, many years of his stellar career.

A friend and former colleague of Bing’s gave an eloquent, from-the-heart speech at the Northside High School athletics banquet this spring. That was the night the NHS athletics field was dedicated to Bing in his name and memory.

Rick Nittoli, a long-time teacher with Beaufort County Schools, knew Bing for many years. Would that there was sufficient available space to print the speech in its entirety.

Let me, then, just pass along a little — too little — of Nittoli’s tribute:

��Outside of his family, the schools and coaching was his life. He loved sports, especially football, basketball, baseball and golf, and had a great passion for East Carolina University sports, and the school itself.”

Nittoli went on to say, “Bing Mitchell was unique and very special. He always strived for excellence, and gave the world the best he had, and did so respectfully.”

In a poignant observation, Nittoli said, “Most people that would meet Bing or worked with him never realized how challenging it was for him to overcome his health problems that started when he was in his late 40s. Just coming to work the last 15 years of his career was not easy. … Yet he always had that sunny personality and presence about him.”

Near the end of his prepared remarks, Nittoli said, “We’re here tonight saying these things about Coach Mitchell, and dedicating Northside High School’s athletic field in his name because we respected him, and how he contributed so much for so long to the schools where he worked … and the people he touched.”

The word “passion” is much over used. Not so with Coach Bing Mitchell.

There is probably no better word to describe his love for and commitment to his career than passion.

Bing made a difference.

He was, truly, a coach for all seasons.