 Mangold in 2011 | |||||||
| No. 74 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Center | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born | (1984-01-13)January 13, 1984 Centerville, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | October 25, 2025(2025-10-25) (aged 41) | ||||||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||
| Weight | 307 lb (139 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school | Archbishop Alter(Kettering, Ohio) | ||||||
| College | Ohio State (2002–2005) | ||||||
| NFL draft | 2006: 1st round, 29th overall pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Nicholas Allan Mangold[1] (January 13, 1984 – October 25, 2025) was an American professionalfootball player who spent his entire 11-season career as acenter with theNew York Jets of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theOhio State Buckeyes and was selected by the Jets in the first round of the2006 NFL draft.
Mangold was born on January 13, 1984.[2] He was raised inCenterville, Ohio, and attendedArchbishop Alter High School inKettering,[3] where he was aletterman infootball,wrestling andtrack and field.[4] In football, he was a three-yearstarter on bothoffense anddefense; as a senior, he garnered All-Ohio honors. He also earned three letters in wrestling and two in track and field, competing in theshot put.[5]
Mangold was not ranked by recruiting services such asRivals.com andScout.com, but he played in the 2002U.S. Army All-American Bowl.[6]
Mangold attendedOhio State University and was a three-year starter at center for theOhio State Buckeyes football team.[5] He was rated on par with former Buckeye All-American and 2001Rimington Trophy winnerLeCharles Bentley by offensive line coachJim Bollman, who said: "Most guys you get out of high school have to be taught to play center. He already knew the mechanics of the position. That was a big, big advantage."[7] Mangold was known for his durability and logged more than 300 minutes of action in several seasons.[8]
In histrue freshman year, Mangold appeared in eight games as the backup forAlex Stepanovich, who later played in the NFL. In 2003, Stepanovich suffered a knee injury in the second game of the season against theSan Diego State Aztecs. Mangold entered the game and started the final 11 games of the season.[9] When Stepanovich returned, he shifted to playing guard and Mangold continued to play the center position.[10]
He earned All-Big Ten Conference Honorable Mention[11] honors in 2004, when the coaching staff named Mangold Offensive Lineman of the Week seven times and Offensive Player of the Week against theNorthwestern Wildcats. Mangold was again chosen second-team All-Big Ten in 2005. He finished his career with 33 starts in 45 games.[12]
After a "tremendous performance" at the2006 Senior Bowl,[13] Mangold was widely regarded as the top center available in the2006 NFL draft, ahead of 2005Outland Trophy andRimington Trophy winnerGreg Eslinger.[14][15][16]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | Wonderlic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft3+5⁄8 in (1.92 m) | 300 lb (136 kg) | 31+7⁄8 in (0.81 m) | 10+3⁄8 in (0.26 m) | 5.05 s | 1.74 s | 2.90 s | 4.36 s | 7.47 s | 27.5 in (0.70 m) | 8 ft 8 in (2.64 m) | 24 reps | 35 |
| All values fromNFL Combine[17][18] | ||||||||||||
TheNew York Jets selected Mangold in the first round (29th overall); they had just used their No. 1 pick onoffensive tackleD'Brickashaw Ferguson in an effort to rebuild their offensive line.[19] The Jets originally acquired the pick from theAtlanta Falcons in a trade forJohn Abraham. It marked the first instance of a team drafting two offensive linemen in the first round after the1975 NFL draft, when theLos Angeles Rams tookDennis Harrah andDoug France.[20]
ReplacingKevin Mawae at center, Mangold started all 16 games his rookie season, allowing only 0.5 sacks, committing only three penalties and making all of the line calls.[5] He garnered someRookie of the Year consideration[3] at a position that does not normally receive as much attention as skill-position players. From 2007 through 2010, Mangold started all 16 games in each season.[21] The Jets reached the playoffs twice during the span in the 2009 and 2010 seasons, but lost to theIndianapolis Colts andPittsburgh Steelers in twoAFC Championship Games respectively.[22][23]
Mangold was aPro Bowl selection in2008 and2009, and was part of an offensive line that started the same players for 32 games, the longest active streak among NFL offensive lines at the time, which is regarded as one of the league's best in run blocking to date.[24] In 2010, Mangold wanted to restructure his contract with the team; however, he became disappointed with the pace of the contract talks.[25] On August 24, 2010, Mangold signed a seven-year, $55 million contract with $22.5 million guaranteed,[25] becoming the highest-paid center in the NFL,[25] The record has been surpassed byRyan Kalil andAlex Mack. Mangold was ranked 47th by his fellow players for theNFL Top 100 Players of 2011.[26]
During Week 2 of the 2011 season against theJacksonville Jaguars, Mangold left the game with ahigh-ankle sprain.[27] Undrafted rookieColin Baxter played center in Mangold's absence for the next two games. Mangold returned for Week 5 against theNew England Patriots. He finished the 2011 season by starting 14 games and was named a Pro Bowl selection for the fourth time.[21]
In 2012, Mangold started all 16 games but was not named to the Pro Bowl, ending his four-year streak. In 2013, Mangold again started all 16 games and was named to the fifth Pro Bowl of his career. Mangold started 15 games in both the 2014 and 2015 seasons, and was named a Pro Bowl selection in both years, bringing his Pro Bowl selection total to seven.[21] In Week 7 of the 2016 season, Mangold injured his ankle and missed the next four games. He returned in Week 13 against the Colts before reinjuring his ankle. He was placed on injured reserve on December 8, 2016, ending his season.[28]
On February 25, 2017, Mangold was released by the Jets after 11 seasons with the team.[29][30] The team had experienced a poor season and was entering a rebuilding mode.[30]
On April 17, 2018, after spending the entire2017 season away from football, Mangold announced his retirement. He signed a one-day contract on April 24, 2018 to officially retire as a member of the Jets.[31]
On September 25, 2022, during a halftime ceremony atMetLife Stadium, Mangold was inducted into the New York Jets' Ring of Honor.[32][33]
Mangold was born to Vernon and Therese Mangold.[34] He was the oldest of four children and had three sisters: Kelley,Holley (an Olympic weightlifter) and Maggey.[34]
He hailed from the same hometown as did fellow Ohio State alumniMike Nugent andA. J. Hawk.[35] Mangold and Nugent were later teammates with theNew York Jets.[36]
Mangold married Jennifer Richmond, his high-school sweetheart, in April 2007, and the couple had four children.[37] The family lived inChatham, New Jersey, during his playing days and moved toMadison, New Jersey, after his retirement from the NFL, where he coached youth football.[35] Mangold participated in various charitable events throughout his career.[35] He appeared on theWrap Up Show on Howard 100 after the broadcast ofThe Howard Stern Show on April 30, 2009.[38] He campaigned withRepublican presidential candidateMitt Romney in2012.[39] He appeared virtually on the January 22, 2021 episode of the television game showLet's Make a Deal.[40]
On October 14, 2025, Mangold appealed publicly onsocial media for a kidney donation, revealing that he had been suffering fromchronic kidney disease since 2006.[41] However, he died from kidney-disease complications on October 25 at the age of 41.[42]
