Mark Mangino
The combustible coach who engineered the greatest season in Kansas football history, then saw his tenure end in controversy.
Born 1956 (age 70)·American football coach·Birthday: August 26·Baby Boomers
Biography
Mark Mangino’s story at the University of Kansas is a tale of stunning ascent and a precipitous fall. Hired in 2002 after a successful stint as an offensive coordinator at Oklahoma, he was tasked with reviving a moribund program. A blunt, heavy-set figure from western Pennsylvania coal country, Mangino built his teams on toughness and defensive discipline. The pinnacle arrived in 2007: his Jayhawks, led by quarterback Todd Reesing, went 12-1, won the Orange Bowl, and finished ranked in the top 10. Mangino was named national coach of the year, a folk hero in Lawrence. Yet, his abrasive style, which included verbally berating players, became a liability. Two losing seasons later, an internal investigation into his treatment of players led to his resignation. His legacy remains sharply divided—forever the architect of a magical, unmatched season, and a cautionary figure about the limits of old-school coaching methods.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Mark was born in 1956, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Mark Was Born
The biggest hits of 1956
#1 Movie
The Ten Commandments
Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Mark's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1956Born
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1961Started school
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1969Became a teenager
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Could drive
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1974Could vote
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Turned 21
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1986Turned 30
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 40
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 50
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 60
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 70
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Led the University of Kansas to a 12-1 record and an Orange Bowl victory in the 2007 season.
- Won multiple National Coach of the Year awards following the historic 2007 season.
- Coached Kansas to four bowl game appearances, winning three of them.
- Had a winning record against in-state rival Kansas State during his tenure.
Did You Know?
He began his coaching career at his alma mater, Youngstown State, under then-head coach Jim Tressel.
Before becoming a head coach, he was the offensive coordinator for Oklahoma's national championship team in 2000.
The 2007 Kansas team was the only squad in school history to win 12 games in a season.
“We will outwork you, and we will be tougher than you.”
