Iowa State football: Mark Mangino has no place with the Cyclones
By brianvoss
Throughout Iowa State’s search for a new offensive coordinator the name Mark Mangino has come up both in the conversations of fans and media. While Mangino took Kansas to a BCS bowl as a head coach and is considered by some to be an offensive mastermind, the potential hiring of Mangino would be a mistake.
Nov 30, 2013; Morgantown, WV, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach Paul Rhoads walks on the sidelines during the first quarter of the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Mangino has a history of potentially abusive behavior that should not be ignored by head coach Paul Rhoads.
In 1990, Mangino had his first head coaching job at Lincoln High in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania. Mangino’s team went 1-9, despite going 7-3 the previous season with a different head coach. Weeks into the season, a group of parents had complaints about Mangino’s language and harsh approach to people.
In 2002, more issues caused Mangino to make the news again when he became irate at a high school football game. Mangino’s son Tommy was the quarterback and Mangino believed a late hit should have been ruled.
In 2007, issues with Mangino occurred once again, and this time with something that had nothing to do with football. Mangino received a 23rd parking ticket when parking illegally outside of the campuses Parrott Athletic Center. Mangino reportedly “car and screamed, yelled and cussed 6 inches” from the face of the student employee who issued the ticket.
In 2009, up to six former Kansas football players spoke about personal experiences with Mangino’s verbally abusive behavior.
Raymond Brown was a former wide receiver for Mangino whose younger brother had been shot in the arm in St. Louis. Brown said Mangino once told him ‘If you don’t shut up, I’m going to send you back to St. Louis so you can get shot with your homies’ after he had dropped a pass.
Mangino has an interesting past that is more than likely something Rhoads will not want to get involved with. There is no doubt in my mind that Mangino is a good football coach, but his issues in the past are certainly questionable.
Some may simply say Mangino is a tough coach who yells. It’s one thing to yell at football players you coach, but Mangino has a history of verbal abuse that has had negative effects both on the team he coaches and occasionally on those outside the team.
Some coaches yell, and there is nothing wrong with yelling, but Mangino has a history of verbal abuse that has no place in football, and no place at Iowa State University.