Eric Mangini
Encyclopedia
Eric Mangini 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
.
and holds the school's single-season (11.5) and career (36.5) sacks
records. 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. Mangini joined the Chi Psi
Fraternity that coaching mentor Bill Belichick
, a Wesleyan alumnus, was part of two decades earlier.
, 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.
After spending 1996 as an offensive assistant with the Baltimore Ravens
, Mangini rejoined Belichick 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 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.
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. He was quickly nicknamed "The Penguin" by receiver Laveranues Coles
because of his waddle and fierce stare.
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.
Mangini was hired as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns
on January 7, 2009, signing a four-year deal. He is only the second of 12 Browns head coaches to have prior NFL head coaching experience, joining Nick Skorich
. 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. 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. On January 3, 2011 Mike Holmgren fired Mangini as the head coach after two consecutive 5-11 seasons.
Assistant coaches under Eric Mangini who became NFL head coaches:
, Luke William is named after Patriots head coach Bill Belichick
and Zack Brett is named after Minnesota Vikings
quarterback Brett Favre
. 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.
Mangini had a cameo role in an episode
of the mob drama The Sopranos
.
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.
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
of the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) and current NFL analyst for ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
.
College
Mangini played nose tackle at Division III Wesleyan UniversityWesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
and holds the school's single-season (11.5) and career (36.5) sacks
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
records. During the second semester of his junior and senior years, he coached the Kew Colts, a semi-professional football team in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, to two regional championships. Mangini joined the Chi Psi
Chi Psi
Chi Psi Fraternity is a fraternity and secret society consisting of 29 active chapters at American colleges and universities. It was founded on Thursday May 20, 1841, by 10 students at Union College with the idea of emphasizing the fraternal and social principles of a brotherhood...
Fraternity that coaching mentor Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick
William Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991...
, a Wesleyan alumnus, was part of two decades earlier.
Assistant coach
Mangini first caught the attention of Bill BelichickBill Belichick
William Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991...
, under whom he would coach for nine seasons, as a 23-year-old ball boy with the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. His work ethic impressed Belichick, and the head coach was instrumental in promoting Mangini to a public relations intern, and later, an offensive assistant.
After spending 1996 as an offensive assistant with the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
, Mangini rejoined Belichick and spent three seasons as a defensive assistant with the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. When Belichick was hired as the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
head coach in 2000, he brought along Mangini as his defensive backs coach. Mangini, who won three Super Bowls with the Patriots, turned down defensive coordinator positions with the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
before accepting the position with New England in 2005.
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
Donnie Henderson
Donnie Henderson is an American football coach. He is currently the Defensive Backs Coach for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League.-Biography:...
, Mike Heimerdinger
Mike Heimerdinger
Michael "Mike" Heimerdinger was a football coach in the National Football League.-Career:Heimerdinger was most recently the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans, a position he had served in from 2000-2004 and again from 2008-2010...
and Mike Westhoff
Mike Westhoff
Mike Westhoff is a special teams coach for the New York Jets of the National Football League. Westhoff is considered a "pioneering special teams coach" and his special teams units are generally ranked very highly in the NFL.-New York Jets:...
and external candidates Jim Haslett
Jim Haslett
James Donald "Jim" Haslett is an American football coach and former linebacker. He is currently the defensive coordinator of the Washington Redskins. Previously, he served as the head coach for the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League, and the New Orleans Saints and St...
, Mike Tice
Mike Tice
Michael Peter Tice is an American football National Football League coach, best known as the former head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. He is currently the offensive line coach for the Chicago Bears.-Playing career:...
, Tim Lewis
Tim Lewis
Tim Lewis is an American football coach and former cornerback. He is currently the secondary coach for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League.-Playing career:...
and Joe Vitt
Joe Vitt
Joe Vitt is the linebackers coach and assistant head coach of the New Orleans Saints.Vitt played four seasons as a linebacker for Towson State near Baltimore, even though he was an undersized 5'10" and smallish 190 pounds...
for the job. He was quickly nicknamed "The Penguin" by receiver Laveranues Coles
Laveranues Coles
Laveranues Leon Coles is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the third round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State University....
because of his waddle and fierce stare.
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
Chad Pennington
James Chadwick "Chad" Pennington is an American football quarterback who played in the National Football League for ten years. He is currently a football analyst with FOX Sports though he plans to return to playing after recovering from an injury...
. 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.
Cleveland Browns
Mangini was hired as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on January 7, 2009, signing a four-year deal. He is only the second of 12 Browns head coaches to have prior NFL head coaching experience, joining Nick Skorich
Nick Skorich
Nicholas Leonard Skorich was an American football offensive lineman and coach.Skorich played guard at Bellaire High School and the University of Cincinnati before joining the Navy in 1943. After the end of World War II, he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who had drafted him in 1943...
. Mangini faced early criticism in his tenure with Cleveland, with Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
columnist Joe Posnanski
Joe Posnanski
Joe Posnanski is an American journalist and senior columnist for Sports Illustrated and former columnist for the The Kansas City Star. He writes extensively on his personal site, Joe Blogs and his SI blog Curiously Long Posts.-Journalism:Posnanski began his journalism career as a multi-use...
going so far to call Mangini's hiring by the Browns as the worst coaching hire from the past 25 years. Mangini had a 10-22 record as the head coach of the Browns. On January 7, 2010 it was announced that Mike Holmgren
Mike Holmgren
Michael George Holmgren is a former professional football coach and current President of the Cleveland Browns. He served as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1992 to 1998, and the Seattle Seahawks from 1999 to 2008...
had decided to retain Mangini as head coach of the Browns for the 2010 season. On January 3, 2011 Mike Holmgren fired Mangini as the head coach after two consecutive 5-11 seasons.
Head coaching record
| Team | |Regular Season | NYJ 2006 New York Jets season The 2006 New York Jets season began with the team trying to improve on their 4–12 record in 2005. The season marked the first for rookie head coach Eric Mangini, who replaced Herman Edwards after the latter left the Jets to coach the Kansas City Chiefs... |
2006 2006 NFL season The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006... |
10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 2nd in AFC East AFC East The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference. There are four members: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots , and New York Jets... |
0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to New England Patriots New England Patriots The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National... in AFC Wild-Card Game. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYJ 2007 New York Jets season The 2007 New York Jets season was the 38th NFL season and 48th overall season for the football team. This season was the second under head coach Eric Mangini. The team attempted to improve upon their 10–6 record from 2006, but finished the season with a 4–12 record.-Free agents heading into the... |
2007 2007 NFL season The 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30.... |
4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 3rd in AFC East | - | - | - | - | ||
| NYJ 2008 New York Jets season The 2008 New York Jets season was the 49th season for the club and the 39th season in the National Football League. The team succeeded in improving upon their 4–12 record from 2007, but did not make the playoffs.-Signings:... |
2008 2008 NFL season The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now."Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009, with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out victorious over the... |
9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3rd in AFC East | - | - | - | - | ||
| NYJ Total | 23 | 25 | 0 | .479 | 0 | 1 | .000 | |||||
| CLE 2009 Cleveland Browns season The 2009 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 63rd season as a professional sports franchise and its 59th season as a member of the National Football League . The team placed fourth in the AFC North with a record of 5–11, improving upon its 2008 record of 4–12... |
2009 2009 NFL season The 2009 NFL season was the 90th regular season of the National Football League.The preseason started with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 9, 2009, and the regular season began September 10. The season ended with Super Bowl XLIV, the league's championship game, on February 7, 2010 at... |
5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 4th in AFC North AFC North The American Football Conference North Division, or AFC North, is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference. It was created prior to the 1967 season as the NFL Century Division when the NFL split into four divisions... |
||||||
| CLE 2010 Cleveland Browns season The 2010 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 64th season as a professional sports franchise and its 60th season as a member of the National Football League . The team failed to break the longest playoff appearance drought in franchise history, a current streak of eight seasons without reaching... |
2010 2010 NFL season The 2010 NFL season was the 91st regular season of the National Football League.The regular season began with the NFL Kickoff game on NBC on Thursday, September 9, at the Louisiana Superdome as the New Orleans Saints, Super Bowl XLIV champions, defeated the Minnesota Vikings 14–9.Tom Brady,... |
5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 3rd in AFC North AFC North The American Football Conference North Division, or AFC North, is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference. It was created prior to the 1967 season as the NFL Century Division when the NFL split into four divisions... |
||||||
| 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:- Ted MarchibrodaTed MarchibrodaTheodore "Ted" Joseph Marchibroda is a former American football quarterback and head coach in the National Football League.-Player:...
, Baltimore RavensBaltimore RavensThe Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
(1996) - Bill ParcellsBill ParcellsDuane Charles "Bill" Parcells is a former American football head coach, most recently with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2006...
, New York JetsNew York JetsThe New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
(1996–1999) - Bill BelichickBill BelichickWilliam Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991...
, New England PatriotsNew England PatriotsThe New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
(2000–2005)
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 HarrisonRodney Harrison
Rodney Scott Harrison is a retired professional football player of the National Football League. Harrison played safety for the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots...
, Luke William is named after Patriots head coach Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick
William Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991...
and Zack Brett is named after Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
quarterback Brett Favre
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
. 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
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
President Mark Shapiro
Mark Shapiro
-Biography:Shapiro has been in the Cleveland Indians organization since 1991, when he was recommended by former Tribe GM Hank Peters. He officially became the general manager in 2001 when John Hart left....
is Mangini's brother-in-law and sports agent Ron Shapiro
Ronald M. Shapiro
Ronald M. Shapiro is a well-known sports agent, attorney, New York Times best selling author, expert negotiator, educator, speaker, and civic leader.-Biography:...
, who currently represents him, is his father-in-law.
Mangini had a cameo role in an episode
The Blue Comet
"The Blue Comet" is the twentieth episode of the sixth season of the HBO television drama series The Sopranos and eighty-fifth episode overall. It is the eighth episode of the second part of the sixth season, which was broadcast in two separate batches and the show's penultimate episode...
of the mob drama The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
.
On August 4, 2011, it was announced that Mangini would join ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
as an NFL studio analyst on NFL Live
NFL Live
NFL Live is a National Football League studio show, currently airing Monday through Friday at 4:00 p.m and 12:30 a.m ET on the ESPN cable network. Formerly known as NFL 2Night, the program is the only NFL-related studio program to air during the week...
, Sportscenter
SportsCenter
SportsCenter is a daily sports news television show, and the flagship program of American cable network ESPN since the network launched on September 7, 1979. Originally broadcast only daily, SportsCenter is now shown up to twelve times a day, replaying the day's scores and highlights from major...
, ESPN First Take
ESPN First Take
ESPN First Take is an American morning sports talk program on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. The show was formerly known as Cold Pizza. The official switch was made on May 7, 2007. Two back-to-back two-hour episodes air each weekday from Monday through Friday, with the live episode airing from 10 a.m...
, and other programs.