Mangino gets the boot at Kansas!
MARK MANGINO, FOLLOWING A DISAPPOINTING SEASON, IS OUT AT KANSAS, by Wayne Hodges
LAWRENCE, KS – It’s official. The “Big Italian,” known to many around the world as Mark Mangino, has been relieved of duties as head football coach at the University of Kansas. That’s right. Mangino is gone. Amid allegations of both physical and emotional abuse, Mangino has spent the better part of the past couple weeks defending his program; more specifically his treatment of players. “As you know we have recently completed an internal review of the football program,” said KU athletic director Lew Perkins. “I have been instructed by legal counsel that we cannot release any documents related to this investigation, nor any details regarding our settlement agreement. The investigation and settlement agreement will remain part of Mark’s personnel records.”
In 2008, Mangino led Kansas to its greatest football season in school history; which concluded with 12 wins and an Orange Bowl victory over favorite Virginia Tech. Otherwise, the “Big Italian” has been mediocre at best. In 8 years as head coach, Mangino could only muster one winning season in Big 12 play. One. After winning the first 5 games, the Jayhawks fell apart; losing their last 7 games of the season. Everything that could go wrong went wrong. The ‘brawl on campus’ was a national embarrassment. Mangino’s ‘Todd Reesing for Heisman’ campaign, in hindsight, was foolish. And the recent investigation into his treatment of players (both past and present) proved to be the straw that broke the camel’s back.
So what’s Mangino’s legacy at Kansas? The “Big Italian” finished with a 50-48 career record; just two victories shy of A.R. Kennedy’s school record of 52 wins from 1904-10. Many critics, including Kansas City Star columnist Jason Whitlock, attributed Mangino’s anger issues to his body weight. Could it be true? Only Mangino knows. But the track record hasn’t been pretty. For instance, a few years ago, Mangino was involved in an embarrassing argument with officials while watching his son’s high school football game. Recently, there was an altercation with a campus police officer regarding Mangino’s parking space outside his office.
Mangino also offended several African-American players with comments considered by many to be insensitive. “I dropped a pass and [Mangino] was mad,” said former wide receiver Raymond Brown. “And I said, ‘Yes, sir. Yes, sir.’ The yelling didn’t bother me. But then he said, ‘Shut up!’ He said, ‘If you don’t shut up, I’m going to send you back to St. Louis so you can get shot with your homies.’ I was irate. I wanted to hurt him, to be honest with you.” Brown also stated Mangino embarrassed a player in front of the entire team by insulting his family. “Are you going to be a lawyer or do you want to become an alcoholic like your dad?” said an irate Mangino. Ouch!
Now, throw in additional complaints of both physical and verbal abuse, and you have a gourmet recipe for termination stew. Perkins made it clear on Thursday a better coach is on the way. “I know people will float a number of names out there,” said Perkins. “But I will not comment on any potential candidates. I can only tell you I am certain that great things lie ahead for our Kansas football program. There’s a great buzz surrounding Kansas football; we have great fans and facilities, and we’ve demonstrated a strong commitment to the success of our program.” So long Mangino. Now get some anger management.
Wayne Hodges, an MBA from St. Mary University, is the Editor-in-Chief of “Mass Appeal News.” He is also an adjunct professor, MPA at Kansas University, and legislative intern with the Kansas Senate. Wayne welcomes your comments at whodges@massappealnews.com
To see ESPN’s coverage of Mark Mangino, click the play arrow.
December 5th, 2009 at 9:57 am
good riddance fat slob
December 6th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
I see why your alias is ‘Goofy Bastard.’ What a stupid comment. Mangino is a great coach and he will find another job somewhere. I hope Lew Perkins knows what he’s doing. Is there anybody out there better than Mangino???