John Wayne "Big John" Mangum Sr. (September 30, 1942 — April 29, 1994) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

in the

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. ...

(AFL).

College career

Mangum started his collegiate career at Ole Miss before transferring to

Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to a ...

. He was considered the anchor of the Golden Eagles' defensive line when the team led the nation in total defense in his junior and senior seasons. Mangum played in the

Blue–Gray Football Classic The Blue–Gray Football Classic was an annual American college football all-star game held in Alabama, usually in late December and often on Christmas Day. The brainchild of Alabama college football legend Champ Pickens, the contest began in ...

and the

Senior Bowl The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Pr ...

after his senior season.

Professional career

Mangum was selected in the fifth round of the 1966 American Football League Draft by the

Boston Patriots Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most ...

. He played two seasons for the Patriots, playing in 28 games.

Personal life

Mangum is the father of former Alabama and

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

defensive back John Mangum and former

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

tight end

Kris Mangum Kris Thomas Mangum (born August 15, 1973) is a former American football player who played tight end for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League throughout his entire NFL career. He attended the University of Mississippi. His father ...

. His grandson,

Jake Mangum Jake Thomas Mangum (born March 8, 1996) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Miami Marlins organization. He played college baseball for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Early life and high school Mangum was born in Flowood, Mis ...

, played college baseball at Mississippi State and is the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...

's career hit leader and is now a member of the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

organization.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mangum, John 1942 births 1994 deaths American football defensive tackles Boston Patriots players Southern Miss Golden Eagles football players Ole Miss Rebels football players People from Magee, Mississippi Players of American football from Mississippi