Eric Mangini (born January 19, 1971 in Hartford,
Connecticut) is the current head coach of the New
York Jets of the NFL. At the age of 35, he was the
youngest head coach in the NFL, as well as the
youngest coach in the four major North American
sports (the NFL, NHL, MLB, and NBA), until the
hiring of Lane Kiffin by the Oakland Raiders.
Mangini is the youngest head coach in Jets history.
Mangini is a graduate of Bulkeley High School in
Hartford, Connecticut and Wesleyan University in
Middletown, Connecticut, the son-in-law of renowned
sports agent Ronald M. Shapiro, and the
brother-in-law of Cleveland Indians general manager
Mark Shapiro. He played football in high school as a
linebacker and later at Wesleyan University. Mangini
played Nose Tackle at Wesleyan and set a school
record with 36.5 career sacks, also ranking second
in school history in total tackles. Mangini coached
a semi-pro team in Melbourne, Australia during a
semester abroad. His former head coach Bill
Belichick of the New England Patriots graduated from
Wesleyan as well, and the two were brothers in the
Chi Psi Fraternity.
Mangini worked his way up in the NFL under the
tutelage of Bill Belichick. He began his career as a
ball boy with Cleveland at the age of 23, and later
became an intern in the public relations. While
working as a ball boy, he was often quoted as saying
"no job is too small in the NFL." He worked 18 hours
a day in the PR department, and at night he took
copies of stats in the copyroom. Bill Belichick, at
the time the head coach of the Cleveland Browns,
found him there, and liked him so much that he asked
the general manager if they had another job for him.
Mangini was given the smallest coaching job in the
Browns, putting film together for the coordinators.
