After a year and a half of silence, former Kansas coach Mark Mangino finally opened up about his time at Kansas to a paper where very few could find the article.
Mangino resigned at Kansas after allegations surfaced that that he was being insensitive and using humiliating remarks toward his players. Mangino told the New Castle News of Pennsylvania, the local paper from Mangino's hometown, that leaving Kansas actually brought him closer to his family.
"In some ways, Kansas did me a favor," Mangino told the paper. "For the first time in 30 years, I've gotten to spend time with my family. My wife and I have been able to travel for the first time ever; we've made three trips back to New Castle in the past year to see our families. I got to see five of my son's junior college games and love every minute of watching him coach. I feel like I cheated my kids out of my time over the year, so it seems right that I'm getting to spend time with both them and my grandkids now."
But Mangino didn't just have positive comments about the experience. During the 2007 season opener, Mangino was filmed chastising Raimond Pendleton, who received a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after leaping into the end zone following a 77-yard punt return. The video clip of Mangino yelling at Pendeleton is still on YouTube and was cited as one of the many instances where Mangino would publicly berate players.
(As an aside, I think we all know what former Colorado coach Dan Hawkins would say about that.)
"That should never even have been an issue," Mangino said of the video. "The conversation was between me and the player. It is an unwritten rule in college football that video is fair game in the coaches' box, but audio is absolutely off limits. An ambitious young TV reporter from Topeka (Kan.) trying to make a name for himself stood in the end zone and put the audio on the coaches' box without the knowledge of me or our university. He caught heck from our sports information department, but by then it already was out there."
Two years later, six other players spoke out about abuse from Mangino dating back to 1996.
Mangino has not lost his love of coaching. He visited spring practices at Oklahoma, Akron, Delaware and Robert Morris ,and BYU offensive coaches visited him for tips. He also spent some time consulting with the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mangino hopes someone is willing to take a chance on him in the near future.
"I think it was wise for me to take a step back, but I also feel like I have some unfinished business," he said. "Obviously, I'd like to be a head coach, but if that is not in the cards, then I will be the best assistant coach I can be.
"The juices are still flowing. I'm getting the itch."
Mangino stayed in Kansas for a year after his resignation fending off media at his door before he and his wife, Mary Jane, moved to Naples, Fla. His house is still unsold in Lawrence, Kan.
"Hopefully, by this time next year, someone will have decided that they would like to make use of my services," Mangino said. "I'm 54 years old, I definitely feel that I've got some games left in me to coach. And if not, then I will concentrate on having fun as a grandfather. Either way, it's been an awfully good life."
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Curtsy (the female version of the hat tip) to the Sporting News
Graham Watson is a regular contributor to Dr. Saturday. Follow her on Twitter: @Yahoo_Graham
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