On September 2, when the Night Hawks of Thomas University take the field for the first game in the school’s history against the Georgia Warhawks, a post-prep team, they will be led by Coach Orlando Mitjans. His younger brother Lazaro “Laz” will be among those in attendance in Thomasville, Georgia. Both brothers have spent roughly three decades teaching and coaching the game of football to young men under their tutelage. Football has been a way of life and a labor of love for the Mitjans brothers, with a heavy emphasis on the word labor.
How else can one explain why it has taken so long for Orlando, who is 64, to become a head coach at the college level (NAIA Division) following distinguished work as a defensive coordinator/assistant head coach at West Point? He made other stops on his coaching journey at The Citadel, Morgan State, Georgia Southern, Eastern Kentucky, Virginia State, Kent State, C.W. Post and Towson State. At Georgia Southern, he coached the secondary of a team that went to the NCAA 1AA semifinals four straight years.
Lazaro “Laz” Mitjans. COURTESY PHOTO
The man known as “Coach O” has helped to send 14 players (12 defensive backs) to the National Football League, the two most noteworthy being Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, a first round NFL draft pick by the Arizona Cardinals; and Derrick Huff, the defensive player of the year at Eastern Kentucky, a 1AA team.
Meanwhile, Orlando’s brother Lazaro, often called “Coach Laz,” was carving out his own niche, helping to produce championship teams at Framingham High School, Eastern Mass. Div. 2 Superbowl Champions in 2000, and The Rivers School, ISL Champions in 2010. The Rivers squad with him as defensive coordinator went undefeated for the first time in the school’s history.
Despite such credentials, Lazaro says it took 15 to 20 interviews before landing his first head coaching job, at Algonquin High School in 2003. He supported his family, a wife and three children, as a member of the Massachusetts State Police, spending 31 years on the job before retiring with distinction.
“I had to support and feed my family. And I couldn’t do that on a high school football coach’s salary,” he said. “But as much as I enjoyed coaching, my greatest achievement was getting so many young people through high school and college. You cannot put a price on that.”
The Mitjans brothers played football together at Beach Channel High School in Queens in New York City and at Northeastern University. Both played in the defensive and offensive backfields in high school, helping their teams compile a 19-1-1 record from 1975-1977. “There was family pride on the line every time we stepped on the football field,” says Orlando, the older brother.
Laz was a four-year starter at Northeastern. Orlando was a transfer from the University of Arkansas, where he played under Lou Holtz.
Despite the many frustrations placed before them in their football journey, the Mitjanses still express a genuine love for the game and coaching it.
Laz has moved forward with his life since his days as a high school football coach. He does high-level private security work following an assignment at the Diversity Protection Unit at Harvard University.
“But my heart is always with my brother Orlando as he dreams of someday getting a shot at a coaching position in the National Football League. I truly admire his courage to push on despite so many disappointments,” Laz said.
When questioned about that frustration, Orlando put things this way: “One of the hardest things to deal with is when people have told me, my brother Laz and other minorities is that we don’t have enough experience, or we are over-qualified for jobs while less qualified candidates constantly get recycled head of us.”
Orlando knows how to play the game, so he is reluctant to mention the disparity in the number of Black coaches in the NFL as a reason for his not getting a chance at that level, even though he has had three internships with NFL teams — Jets, Chiefs, and Rams.
“My agent says that my age may work against me, but that will not deter me from pursuing my dream of working in the NFL someday. All I ask for is a chance.” Orlando said. “When I was at West Point, I got a call from Jets head coach Todd Bowles. But I had only been on the job for two weeks, and I didn’t think that it was appropriate for me to leave at that time. Some may consider that a mistake, but my parents didn’t raise me that way.”
Orlando added: “Thomas University President Andy Sheppard has given me an opportunity to be a head football coach, and I am going to run with it.”
This reporter has talked about this coaching disparity for decades and will continue the fight to get more qualified Black coaches like Orlando Mitjans the chance to fulfill their dreams of working in the National Football League. It is 2023, and we are still fighting the same old battle for equality in this workplace.
Despite all this, on September 2, the dream of the oldest son of the late Orlando Sr. and Emilia Mitjans will write another page in the glorious family football legacy.
“When my team takes the field on September 2nd, I will look up to the heavens and blow a kiss to my mom and dad,” Orlando said. “I wish they could have been here to see me lead my team, but my faith tells me they will be watching. I will do my absolute best to make them proud.”
