KCL
11-18-2009, 12:39 PM
He is a big guy..I always wondered how the hell he could take standing during a game.
By JASON WHITLOCK
The Kansas City Star
http://www.kansascity.com/182/story/1577294.html
It’s the weight. That’s why Mark Mangino’s job is in jeopardy. That’s why Lew Perkins held a paper-trail meeting with Kansas football players Monday night.
If this is the end for Mark Mangino’s head-coaching career at Kansas — and it should be — his inability to deal with his weight problem is the cause.
This column is not an attempt to shame, embarrass or ridicule Mangino. As you know, I’m overweight. I’m a shade over 6 feet tall and this morning, I weighed 325 pounds. (Oh, that hurt to write.) I’ve been heavier. Much.
I can relate to Mangino’s struggle. He’s three or four inches shorter than me, and he weighs anywhere from 450 to 500 pounds. He’s a public figure in a demanding, high-stress job.
The weight and the stress form a perfect recipe for depression. They can put your mind in a very negative place. They can make you moody and volatile.
Football is a violent game, oftentimes coached by grown men who strain to control their emotions. For every Bill Snyder, there are a handful of Mike Stoops, especially among assistants.
We’ve known since his arrival at Kansas that Mangino labors to contain his temper. He berated refs at his son’s high school football game. We’ve watched him verbally undress his players on the sideline. We’ve seen assistant coaches bolt the program and heard the behind-the-scenes stories about the abuse they endured from their head coach.
In more than seven years of covering Mangino’s Jayhawks, I’ve never heard anyone associated with the program describe him as “happy.”
Mangino coaches from an angry place. It’s not surprising, to me, given his weight problem.
You might be inclined to dismiss the alleged complaints of a few current and former Jayhawks who grumble that Mangino is physically and verbally abusive to his players. You might think it’s no big deal that a coach yells, cusses and puts his hands on his players.
It’s not that big a deal when the coach loves his players as hard as he pushes them. That’s what’s missing in the Mangino equation. Where’s the love?
Beyond X’s and O’s, good coaching is a transference of energy. It takes a massive amount of energy to impact 100 boys on a college campus. At his age (53) and weight, Mangino cannot sustain the necessary energy level to positively influence his players. His team is being engulfed by his negative energy, a dark spirit driven by his excess weight.
The signs of this can be seen on and off the field.
A loss to Texas on Saturday will be KU’s sixth straight. And the promised “historic” season has turned into a nightmare primarily because Mangino’s prized offense lost its swagger.
Part of the rift between the football and basketball players was a byproduct of Mangino’s players mirroring their coach’s mentality about the basketball program. Despite a $2 million-a-year contract and a $33 million football facility, Mangino has always felt undervalued and unappreciated at Kansas.
Relieving Mangino of his coaching responsibilities at this moment would be the humane thing to do for his health and a blessing for his career.
Two years ago, Mangino peaked, carrying the Jayhawks to 12-1, an Orange Bowl victory and a top-10 ranking. He didn’t get one job offer. It was the weight.
If he spent two years away from football addressing his weight problem, applied for a job at 270 pounds, he would be a can’t-miss BCS candidate. Heck, he would be a terrific choice to coach in the NFL.
Every problem he experienced at Kansas could be blamed on his weight.
I’d love for Mangino and Perkins to reach an amicable, fair settlement. It would not be good for Mangino or Kansas for Mangino to return next year. He can’t recruit this offseason with everyone knowing he’s in a likely one-and-done situation.
“I may have lost some people around here, but it’s not the players,” Mangino said Tuesday.
Mangino asked the media to interpret that comment. It sounds like an admission that he doesn’t have the support of his administration. KU has a new AD and chancellor since Mangino arrived. In many respects, Mangino’s demise at KU is/was inevitable.
He’s working for an athletics director (Perkins) who has personal, intimate knowledge of how weight affects job performance. Perkins once weighed more than 400 pounds. It’s unfortunate that Mangino did not turn Perkins into his strongest ally when it came to battling weight.
We know Perkins is a formidable foe.
By JASON WHITLOCK
The Kansas City Star
http://www.kansascity.com/182/story/1577294.html
It’s the weight. That’s why Mark Mangino’s job is in jeopardy. That’s why Lew Perkins held a paper-trail meeting with Kansas football players Monday night.
If this is the end for Mark Mangino’s head-coaching career at Kansas — and it should be — his inability to deal with his weight problem is the cause.
This column is not an attempt to shame, embarrass or ridicule Mangino. As you know, I’m overweight. I’m a shade over 6 feet tall and this morning, I weighed 325 pounds. (Oh, that hurt to write.) I’ve been heavier. Much.
I can relate to Mangino’s struggle. He’s three or four inches shorter than me, and he weighs anywhere from 450 to 500 pounds. He’s a public figure in a demanding, high-stress job.
The weight and the stress form a perfect recipe for depression. They can put your mind in a very negative place. They can make you moody and volatile.
Football is a violent game, oftentimes coached by grown men who strain to control their emotions. For every Bill Snyder, there are a handful of Mike Stoops, especially among assistants.
We’ve known since his arrival at Kansas that Mangino labors to contain his temper. He berated refs at his son’s high school football game. We’ve watched him verbally undress his players on the sideline. We’ve seen assistant coaches bolt the program and heard the behind-the-scenes stories about the abuse they endured from their head coach.
In more than seven years of covering Mangino’s Jayhawks, I’ve never heard anyone associated with the program describe him as “happy.”
Mangino coaches from an angry place. It’s not surprising, to me, given his weight problem.
You might be inclined to dismiss the alleged complaints of a few current and former Jayhawks who grumble that Mangino is physically and verbally abusive to his players. You might think it’s no big deal that a coach yells, cusses and puts his hands on his players.
It’s not that big a deal when the coach loves his players as hard as he pushes them. That’s what’s missing in the Mangino equation. Where’s the love?
Beyond X’s and O’s, good coaching is a transference of energy. It takes a massive amount of energy to impact 100 boys on a college campus. At his age (53) and weight, Mangino cannot sustain the necessary energy level to positively influence his players. His team is being engulfed by his negative energy, a dark spirit driven by his excess weight.
The signs of this can be seen on and off the field.
A loss to Texas on Saturday will be KU’s sixth straight. And the promised “historic” season has turned into a nightmare primarily because Mangino’s prized offense lost its swagger.
Part of the rift between the football and basketball players was a byproduct of Mangino’s players mirroring their coach’s mentality about the basketball program. Despite a $2 million-a-year contract and a $33 million football facility, Mangino has always felt undervalued and unappreciated at Kansas.
Relieving Mangino of his coaching responsibilities at this moment would be the humane thing to do for his health and a blessing for his career.
Two years ago, Mangino peaked, carrying the Jayhawks to 12-1, an Orange Bowl victory and a top-10 ranking. He didn’t get one job offer. It was the weight.
If he spent two years away from football addressing his weight problem, applied for a job at 270 pounds, he would be a can’t-miss BCS candidate. Heck, he would be a terrific choice to coach in the NFL.
Every problem he experienced at Kansas could be blamed on his weight.
I’d love for Mangino and Perkins to reach an amicable, fair settlement. It would not be good for Mangino or Kansas for Mangino to return next year. He can’t recruit this offseason with everyone knowing he’s in a likely one-and-done situation.
“I may have lost some people around here, but it’s not the players,” Mangino said Tuesday.
Mangino asked the media to interpret that comment. It sounds like an admission that he doesn’t have the support of his administration. KU has a new AD and chancellor since Mangino arrived. In many respects, Mangino’s demise at KU is/was inevitable.
He’s working for an athletics director (Perkins) who has personal, intimate knowledge of how weight affects job performance. Perkins once weighed more than 400 pounds. It’s unfortunate that Mangino did not turn Perkins into his strongest ally when it came to battling weight.
We know Perkins is a formidable foe.