Eric Boggs
Buckeye Nation and the football world are mourning the loss of one of Ohio State’s greats. Nick Mangold. The former All-American center who anchored the Buckeye offensive line in the early 2000s and became an NFL legend with the New York Jets, passed away Saturday night due to complications from kidney disease. He was only 41.
For Ohio State fans, Mangold wasn’t just another great lineman—he embodied everything that defines the Scarlet and Gray: toughness, loyalty, intelligence, and heart. A Centerville, Ohio native, Mangold played for the Buckeyes from 2002 to 2005, starting 33 games and earning first-team All-American honors his senior year. In 2006, he became the first center in Ohio State history to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft, joining the New York Jets, where he would become one of the game’s most respected and durable players.
Mangold’s professional career was nothing short of exceptional. Over 11 seasons with the Jets, he made seven Pro Bowls, earned two first-team All-Pro selections, and started 164 of 176 games. Known for his cerebral command of the line and his blue-collar grit, he quickly became the heartbeat of the Jets’ offense. Alongside left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson—his longtime teammate and close friend—the duo affectionately known as “Nick & Brick” led one of the NFL’s most dominant offensive lines, paving the way for multiple playoff runs under coach Rex Ryan.
Ryan, now an ESPN analyst, fought through tears remembering Mangold. “It’s brutal,” he said. “Such a great young man. My last game with the Jets, Nick was injured—really injured—and he told me, ‘I’m playing this game.’ That’s who he was. He was awesome and just way too young.”
Mangold’s durability was legendary. He played five consecutive seasons before missing a single game and missed only four contests in his first 10 years. His toughness, leadership, and quick wit made him a cornerstone in the locker room and a fan favorite in New York, where he was inducted into the Jets’ Ring of Honor in 2022. True to form, Mangold punctuated his induction speech with his trademark backward baseball cap and a cold beer cracked open to the roar of the crowd—a fitting tribute to his everyman charm.
Off the field, Mangold was as genuine as they come. Known for his humor and humility, he transitioned into coaching after retirement, helping mold young athletes at Delbarton School in Morristown, New Jersey. “You get to mold boys into men and teach the game of football—but also teach them a little bit about life as you go along,” he told The New York Post earlier this year.
Mangold’s death comes less than two weeks after he publicly revealed his struggle with chronic kidney disease, a genetic condition diagnosed back in 2006. Earlier this month, he announced that he was undergoing dialysis and searching for a kidney donor with type O blood. His message to the Jets and Ohio State communities was one of openness and hope—but sadly, a transplant never came in time.
Tributes have poured in from across the football world. Jets owner Woody Johnson said, “Nick was more than a legendary center—he was the heartbeat of our offensive line for a decade and a beloved teammate whose leadership and toughness defined an era of Jets football.” His sister, former US Olympic weightlifter Holley Mangold, and countless teammates have echoed the same sentiment: Nick was as good a man as he was a player.
Mangold is survived by his wife, Jennifer, and their four children—Matthew, Eloise, Thomas, and Charlotte. For Buckeye fans, his loss feels deeply personal. He was one of their own—a son of Ohio who represented the university and the state with pride, from the Horseshoe to MetLife Stadium.
Nick Mangold’s life was a testament to what it means to be a Buckeye: to lead with courage, to compete with heart, and to leave everything on the field. He may be gone too soon, but his legacy—of toughness, laughter, and unshakable loyalty—will live forever in the brotherhood of Ohio State football.
