Nick Mangold, the former All-Pro center for the Jets who spent all 11 of his NFL seasons with New York, has died, the team announced on Sunday. He was 41.
Mangold died on Saturday night from complications of kidney disease, according to the Jets. Less than two weeks ago, Mangold had publicly stated that he needed a kidney transplant and asked for help in finding a donor. He was diagnosed in 2006 with a genetic defect that had led to chronic kidney disease.
Selected No. 29 by the Jets out of Ohio State in the 2006 NFL Draft, Mangold was a three-time All-Pro before retiring in 2016. He was a first-team All-Pro in 2009 and 2010, when he helped the Jets reach consecutive AFC Championship games. From 2008-2015, Mangold was named to seven Pro Bowls.
“It’s brutal,” an emotional Rex Ryan, who was the head coach of the Jets for six of Mangold’s seasons, said on ESPN’s “Sunday NFL Countdown.” “Such a great young man.”
With Mangold anchoring the front line alongside fellow Pro Bowl offensive linemen Alan Faneca and D’Brickashaw Ferguson in 2009, the Jets led the league in total rushing yards (2,756 yards). They ranked fourth in 2010.
Mangold was a leader on the Jets and, with an outgoing personality and long blond hair that peeked out from his helmet, he was a recognizable figure and beloved by fans. When he was inducted into the Jets’ Ring of Honor in 2022, he drank a can of Bud Light during his speech at halftime. Ryan recalled Mangold’s fierce loyalty, even in tough times.
“I remember it was obvious I was going to get fired,” Ryan recalled on ESPN. “My last game, Mangold’s injured, like injured, and he comes to me and says, ‘I’m playing this game.’ He wanted to play for me. That’s what I remember about this kid. He was awesome, and just way too young. I feel so bad for his wife and family.”
At Ohio State, Mangold was a three-year starter, earning first-team All-American honors as a senior in 2005. He was also a member of the Buckeyes’ national championship team in 2002 as a freshman.
This is a developing story and will be updated.