A Buckeye whose strength was always his heart
Teammates, coaches and friends reflect on the humor, humility and character that guided Nick Mangold ’06 from high school to pro football.
It didn’t take high school football coach Ed Domsitz ’72 long to realize there was something unique about Nick Mangold. “You could tell he was going to be something special, that Nick was a leader,” the coach says. “It was his personality and character, and the other players coalesced around him.”
Mangold was indeed something special at Archbishop Alter High School south of Dayton, then at Ohio State, where he played on the 2002 national championship team as a freshman, and then with the New York Jets. There, Mangold was an All-Pro center and fan favorite, known for his toughness and intelligence, and his outgoing and down-to-earth personality.
Buckeye and former NFL linebacker Bobby Carpenter ’06, ’15 MBA came to Ohio State in the same recruiting class as Mangold. “You could tell he was a special person right from the jump,” Carpenter says. “Nick was incredibly smart and funny and loved to have a good time, but you could also see the talent and the respect he garnered because of the type of person he was. Everybody loved Nick.”
Eleven days before the 41-year-old died on Oct. 25, Mangold revealed in a social media post that he had been suffering from a chronic kidney disease since 2006. Only his closest family members had known, and Mangold wrote this “isn’t an easy message to share, but I want to be open about what’s been happening with me. … Unfortunately, I do not have any family members able to donate at this time, so this is why I’m reaching out to you, our NY Jets and Ohio State communities.”
Mangold let Carpenter know about his kidney disease the day before he posted his message and plea for a donor. “I don’t think he told any of us because he didn’t want us to worry about him. He didn’t want sympathy. … We thought he had longer, more than enough time to find a donor.”
In high school, Mangold was a standout not only in football, but also in wrestling and track. This is where he met the love of his life, Jennifer. They married and had four children: Matthew, Eloise, Thomas and Charlotte. “His family was everything to Nick,” Carpenter says. “He was omnipresent in his kids’ lives, coaching them, showing up to their games, spending time with them.”
Mangold’s dream was to play for Ohio State. “I live and die scarlet and gray,” he told the Dayton Daily News his senior year at Alter. “Just about everything I own is somehow related to Buckeye stuff.”
At Ohio State, Mangold started 33 games and was the first Buckeye center to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft (29th by the Jets). During his four years, Ohio State went 43-8 and won four bowl games. Mangold was enshrined in the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023.
With the Jets, he quickly became a starter and leader. During his 11-year career, Mangold started 171 games and played in two AFC championships. He was inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor in 2022.
Through the years, Mangold made several visits to his high school. “He’d walk into the weight room, and everything would stop. All the kids rushed over to say hello and talk to Nick,” Domsitz says. “And then he did something amazing—he paid to have our practice field turfed.”
In the days after Mangold’s announcement about his kidney disease, Domsitz received several calls from the high school community. “They offered to be tested to see if they could donate a kidney to Nick. And some of these people had never even met him,” Domsitz says. “That’s the impact and respect he had here.”
Carpenter wishes he’d had more time with his friend. “Nick was a big teddy bear. He was a hugger, he hugged everyone. If you were part of his tribe, he was so loyal and he’d do anything for you.”
