LAWRENCE (KSNT) - There are few people more excited about Kansas football's program turnaround than former Jayhawk head coach Mark Mangino.
Mangino is being inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in October, largely for his accomplishments while coaching the KU. He took a program that had six consecutive losing seasons before his arrival to four bowl game appearances, winning three of them, including the 2008 Orange Bowl.
Now, 15 years after his departure, he's keeping up with the Jayhawks, and current head coach Lance Leipold.
"He's got discipline and organization, they have excellent schemes on offense and defense, he recruits really well, he's managed the portal really well, he's done a great job with that," Mangino said of Leipold. "You've got to give Lance all the credit in the world. That's a tough job... I know."
Leipold inherited a similar situation to Mangino when he got to Lawrence, taking over a program with three wins or less in the previous 11 seasons.
The former Jayhawk coach's praise does not stop at Leipold, though. Mangino had kind words to say about KU's athletic director, Travis Goff.
"He supports his coaches, he goes out and raises money, he has enthusiasm," Mangino said of Goff. "... He's sawing wood, a term I used a lot. He's getting it done, he supports Lance and getting him the resources. I think the key to getting that football program on solid ground was an athletic director. He's the guy."
Mangino says Goff actually called him prior to hiring Leipold to ask for his thoughts.
The former head coach applauded Goff and Leipold for creating an 'infrastructure' and establishing a consistency KU football hasn't seen in some time. He's also excited for the new David Booth Memorial Stadium.
"My [former] players can be happy and proud now," Mangino said. "They had a decade where they were hiding. They put too much into that program, they put their heart and soul in making Kansas football better, and they want to be proud of it. So, I'm very happy for them."
Mangino is retired now, splitting time between his home state of Pennsylvania and Florida. He'll be honored, along with 11 other inductees, at the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Oct. 13 in Topeka.
