SUFFOLK, Va. — One man who gets a lot of cheers during the

CIAA Tournament

is Mr. CIAA himself. WRAL recently traveled to Suffolk, Va., where everybody knows his name.

When he is not Mr. CIAA, Abraham Mitchell works as an assistant at Crocker's Funeral Home. He said the business of death has been part of his life for 30 years.

"Ninety percent of the people come in here and ask where I am, and regardless of how broke up they are, I can bring a smile or laughter to them," Mitchell said.

Mitchell still lives in the neighborhood where he grew up. He is actually more popular there than in Raleigh, not because of his clothes, but because of his generosity, always giving of his time and money.

Peter Mitchell, Abraham's nephew, said his uncle's gestures of goodwill are at work in his neighborhood too.

"From the little kids to adults, he helps everybody," he said. "He pays people's light bill. He pays people's rent. He brings them food from the churches certain days of the week."

Mitchell even has his own personalized license plate. Each year, you can find him at the CIAA tournament.

When Mitchell is at the tournament, he travels with enough outfits to change at least five or six times a night. He tries not to wear a suit more than once.

Last year, Mitchell said he gave away close to 100 pairs of shoes.