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Eric Mangini
File:Mangini2007.jpg
Mangini signing autographs at 2007 Jets training camp
Personal information
Date of birth (1971-01-19) January 19, 1971 (age 53)
Place of birth Hartford, Connecticut
Alma mater Wesleyan
Head coaching record
Regular season 33–47–0
Postseason 0–1
Career record 33–48–0
Team(s) as a coach/administrator
1996

1997–1999

2000–2004

2005

2006–2008

2009–2010
Baltimore Ravens
(Offensive assistant)
New York Jets
(Defensive assistant)
New England Patriots
(Defensive backs coach)
New England Patriots
(Defensive coordinator)
New York Jets
(Head coach)
Cleveland Browns
(Head coach)

Eric Mangini (born January 19, 1971) is the former head coach of the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL) and current NFL analyst for ESPN.

Playing career[]

High school[]

Mangini was a linebacker at Bulkeley High School in Hartford, Connecticut.

College[]

Mangini played nose tackle at Division III Wesleyan University and holds the school's single-season (11.5) and career (36.5) sacks records.[1] During the second semester of his junior and senior years, he coached the Kew Colts, a semi-professional football team in Melbourne, Australia, to two regional championships.[2] Mangini joined the Chi Psi Fraternity that coaching mentor Bill Belichick, a Wesleyan alumnus, was part of two decades earlier.

Coaching career[]

NFL[]

Assistant coach[]

Mangini first caught the attention of Bill Belichick, under whom he would coach for nine seasons, as a 23-year-old ball boy with the Cleveland Browns. His work ethic impressed Belichick, and the head coach was instrumental in promoting Mangini to a public relations intern, and later, an offensive assistant.[3]

After spending 1996 as an offensive assistant with the Baltimore Ravens, Mangini rejoined Belichick[4] and spent three seasons as a defensive assistant with the New York Jets. When Belichick was hired as the New England Patriots head coach in 2000, he brought along Mangini[5] as his defensive backs coach. Mangini, who won three Super Bowls with the Patriots, turned down defensive coordinator positions with the Miami Dolphins, Oakland Raiders and Cleveland Browns before accepting the position with New England in 2005.[6]

Head coach[]

New York Jets[]

Mangini, 35, became the youngest head coach in the NFL when he was hired by the Jets on January 17, 2006, to replace Herm Edwards. He beat internal candidates Donnie Henderson, Mike Heimerdinger and Mike Westhoff and external candidates Jim Haslett, Mike Tice, Tim Lewis and Joe Vitt for the job.[7] He was quickly nicknamed "The Penguin" by receiver Laveranues Coles because of his waddle and fierce stare.[8]

In his first season, Mangini led the Jets to a 10-6 record and a postseason berth with NFL Comeback Player of the Year quarterback Chad Pennington. New York, which finished the previous year 4-12, lost to New England in a wild-card playoff game.

New York went 4-12 in 2007, failing to make the playoffs. Early in the regular season, Mangini complained to league officials that Belichick's Patriots illegally filmed the Jets' defensive signals, causing the "Spygate" scandal.

In 2008, a late-season collapse—the Jets missed the playoffs despite an 8-3 start—led to Mangini's firing on December 29, 2008, one day after the season ended.[9]

Cleveland Browns[]

Mangini was hired as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns on January 7, 2009, signing a four-year deal.[10] He is only the second of 12 Browns head coaches to have prior NFL head coaching experience, joining Nick Skorich.[11] Mangini faced early criticism in his tenure with Cleveland, with Sports Illustrated columnist Joe Posnanski going so far to call Mangini's hiring by the Browns as the worst coaching hire from the past 25 years.[12] Mangini had a 10-22 record as the head coach of the Browns. On January 7, 2010 it was announced that Mike Holmgren had decided to retain Mangini as head coach of the Browns for the 2010 season.[13] On January 3, 2011 Mike Holmgren fired Mangini as the head coach after two consecutive 5-11 seasons.

Coaching Statistics[]

Head coaching record[]

Team Year Regular Season Post Season
Won Lost Ties Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
NYJ 2006 10 6 0 .625 2nd in AFC East 0 1 .000 Lost to New England Patriots in AFC Wild-Card Game.
NYJ 2007 4 12 0 .250 3rd in AFC East - - - -
NYJ 2008 9 7 0 .563 3rd in AFC East - - - -
NYJ Total 23 25 0 .479 0 1 .000
CLE 2009 5 11 0 .313 4th in AFC North - - - -
CLE 2010 5 11 0 .313 3rd in AFC North - - - -
CLE Total 10 22 0 .313 - - .000
Total* 33 47 0 .413 0 1 .000

Coaching tree[]

NFL head coaches under whom Eric Mangini has served:

Assistant coaches under Eric Mangini who became NFL head coaches:

  • None

Personal life[]

Mangini and his wife Julie have three sons, Jake, Luke and Zack, whose middle names honor influential figures in his career. Jake Harrison is named after former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison, Luke William is named after Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and Zack Brett is named after former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre.[14] Zack was born on Favre's 39th birthday, and Mangini had promised Favre that he would name his son after the quarterback if he signed with the Jets.

Cleveland Indians President Mark Shapiro is Mangini's brother-in-law and sports agent Ron Shapiro, who currently represents him, is his father-in-law.[15]

Mangini had a cameo role in an episode of the mob drama The Sopranos.[16]

On August 4, 2011, it was announced that Mangini would join ESPN as an NFL studio analyst on NFL Live, Sportscenter, ESPN First Take, and other programs.[17]

References[]

  1. "Eric Mangini takes over as head coach of the New York Jets". Wesleyan Sports Information. 2006-01-17. http://www.wesleyan.edu/athletics/sportsinfo/news/newsmangininflcoachofjets.html. Retrieved 2009-03-16.[dead link]
  2. Solomon, Jerome (2005-07-26). "Winning formula: Patriots' Mangini draws on varied past". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2005/07/26/winning_formula/. Retrieved 2009-03-16.
  3. "'That Eric kid' now Pats' DB guru". New York Daily News. 2005-02-04. http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/2005/02/04/2005-02-04__that_eric_kid__now_pats__db.html. Retrieved 2009-03-16.[dead link]
  4. "Belichick busy filling staff". Rome News-Tribune. 1997-02-07. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=F54FAAAAIBAJ&sjid=nDMDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6874,1643820&dq=eric+mangini+new+york+jets. Retrieved 2009-03-16.
  5. Battista, Judy (2000-01-29). "Belichick Begins Work As Just a Coach For Now". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9503E7D9113CF93AA15752C0A9669C8B63. Retrieved 2009-03-16.
  6. "Players are all ears in Mangini's class". The Providence Journal. 2005-08-30. http://www.projo.com/patriots/content/projo_20050831_31pats.dffe6ff.html. Retrieved 2009-03-16.
  7. "Jets hire Mangini, NFL's youngest, to replace Edwards". Bloomberg. 2006-01-17. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aYwdoZ2FKZs4&refer=us. Retrieved 2009-03-16.
  8. "Mangini Is Trying to Make Strong Strides With a Waddle and Hum}date=2006-09-17". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE3D81331F934A2575AC0A9609C8B63. Retrieved 2009-03-16.
  9. "Mangini fired after three seasons with Jets". espn.com. 2008-12-30. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3797442. Retrieved 2009-03-16.
  10. "Mangini agrees to coach Browns". espn.com. 2009-01-08. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3817088. Retrieved 2009-03-16.
  11. "Mangini is second Browns coach with NFL head coaching experience". The Plain Dealer. 2009-01-09. http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2009/01/mangini_is_second_browns_coach.html. Retrieved 2009-03-16.
  12. Posnanski, Joe (2009-09-29). "Mangini: Worst coaching hire ever?". Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/joe_posnanski/09/29/mangini/index.html. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
  13. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4805274
  14. "As pledged, Mangini gives son middle name Brett in QB's honor". espn.com. 2009-10-11. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3636994. Retrieved 2009-03-16.
  15. "Hiring of Mangini a family reunion for Indians GM Shapiro". The Plain Dealer. 2009-01-08. http://www.cleveland.com/browns/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/sports/1231407028116460.xml&coll=2. Retrieved 2009-03-16.
  16. Mangini's cameo in The Sopranos
  17. "Eric Mangini joins ESPN". ESPN. http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/6833571/former-new-york-jets-cleveland-browns-coach-eric-mangini-joins-espn?campaign=rss&source=NFLHeadlines. Retrieved 6 August 2011.

External links[]

Sporting positions
Preceded by
Romeo Crennel
New England Patriots Defensive Coordinator
2005
Succeeded by
Dean Pees
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