Mickell accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Steve Spurrier's Florida Gators football teams in 1990 and 1991.[3] Mickell was a highly regarded recruit who was signed by the Gators' previous head coach, Galen Hall, but he did not qualify academically and was ineligible to play under the NCAA's Proposition 48 legislation during his freshman season in 1989. Spurrier subsequently benched him for the first five games of the 1991 season for his failure to attend classes as required. After his return to the playing field, Mickell was one of the defensive heroes in the Gators' 14–9 upset of the Florida State Seminoles in November 1991—widely regarded as one of the closest and hardest-fought games in the Florida-Florida State rivalry series. Mickell lettered in 1990 and 1991, and left school a year early, after being suspended for the 1992 season for undisclosed violations of team rules.[4]
Professional career
The Kansas City Chiefs selected Mickell in the second round of the 1992 NFL Supplemental Draft.[5] He played for the Chiefs for four seasons from 1992 to 1995.[6] Mickell was traded to the New Orleans Saints after the 1995 season, and was a consistent starter for the Saints from 1996 to 1998. He signed with the San Diego Chargers a one-year deal as a free agent in 2000,[7] and the Oakland Raiders in 2001. In his eight NFL seasons, Mickell played in eighty-nine regular season games, started sixty-one of them, and recorded 178 tackles and eleven forced fumbles.[1]
Life after football
Mickell is the father of four children: eldest son Darren C. Mickell, Delesha Mickell, Darreon Mickell and Anyae Mickell.
^National Football League, Historical Players, Darren Mickell. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
^Associated Press, "Chargers sign Chancey, Mickell," Lodi News-Sentinel, p. 14 (February 26, 2000). Retrieved July 20, 2010.
Bibliography
Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN0-7948-2298-3.
Golenbock, Peter, Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory, Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). ISBN0-9650782-1-3.
Hairston, Jack, Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told, Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). ISBN1-58261-514-4.