According to D. Mark Mitchell, he is Opelika's biggest fan.
"I love Opelika," Mitchell said. "I'm all about it. I like my name being associated with it and the Bulldogs."
Named the voice of the Opelika Bulldogs, Mitchell has been a radio broadcaster for high school sports for more than 30 years.
"As a child I always wanted to be a play-by-play announcer," Mitchell said.
Mitchell said he was a sophomore in high school when he told Jack Smollon, KICKER 97.7 station owner, he wanted to broadcast.
Now, Mitchell not only broadcasts live sports, but hosts his own weekday morning show between 7 and 9 a.m. called "On the Mark."
"We talk about local sports, all the high schools, especially Auburn, Opelika and Lee Scott," Mitchell said. "They all get equal share."
Mitchell said coaches call every week during their respective seasons.
Mitchell also created The High School Coaches show.
"I give every school equal opportunity to get on the air," Mitchell said. "Auburn and Opelika have radio stations that follow them, but other schools don't have a play-by-play radio."
Even with Mitchell's various shows, he hasn't been able to work full time since a surgery he had in 1992.
"I started experiencing pain in my lower hip," Mitchell said. "I went to the doctor, but it never went away."
Mitchell's doctor eventually discovered his sciatic nerve was wrapped around a muscle.
He had surgery to remedy the problem, but the worst came during post-operation.
Blood clots had gone undetected, crushing the sciatic nerve in his left leg and causing excruciating pain.
"I wanted (the doctor) to cut off my leg," Mitchell said.
Mitchell said he went to Emory Hospital in Atlanta and they diagnosed him with reflex sympathetic dystrophy, a nerve disease.
"It's like turning a nerve inside out," Mitchell said. "I can't wear long pants. I'm very sensitive to movement. It's like raw nerve."
Mitchell received more than 100 injections in his leg and back, leaving him unable to walk.
Mitchell was offered an opportunity to try an experimental surgery in Houston. Doctors implanted a computer stimulation chip into his back and hip.
"I felt like the Bionic Man," Mitchell said. "I didn't know if it would work. They said I could be paralyzed."
Today, with the help of a Canadian crutch Mitchell is able to walk again, but his trials continue.
Four years ago, Mitchell was diagnosed with non-alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver.
Mitchell said the doctor told his family he wouldn't make it through the night.
"I had a tough four years," Mitchell said. "I don't go around pouting about it. I think I handle it well."
With the help of his family and friends, including Pat Dye, who went through the same struggles with liver problems, Mitchell said he is making it through the tough times.
The two people he said he most credits with his high spirits are his daughters, Mallory, 20, and Madison, 18.
"I love first and foremost my kids," Mitchell said.
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