On the Edge of Eminence – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/10/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 10, 2005
Complete Story in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, “caffeine” is defined as “a bitter alkaloid found in coffee, tea and kola nuts and is used medicinally as a stimulant.” In layman’s terms, caffeine is a sip of coffee or cola. For Ohio State senior center Nick Mangold, it was a godsend early in his OSU career.
“I use to drink about two 2-liters of coke to get through the day, but I cut down my coke consumption a lot,” Mangold said. “I just had to. Drinking that much pop wasn’t good for me.”
It seems plausible to think Mangold’s excess caffeine consumption spurred much of the nervousness he suffered early in his football career, but the Centerville, Ohio, native attributes his bout with anxiety to the varying transitions he made as a player.
Distinguishing himself as a two-time Rimington Award contender as the nation’s top center, Mangold has been donning football pads since he played in Pee-Wee league and has successfully evolved with each new level of play. Although each shift was difficult in its own way, the 6-foot-4-inch, Alter High School graduate could not have been more apprehensive when he stepped onto the high school scene.
For Mangold, the “lure of high school varsity football came into play.” Before he set foot on the field, he reflected on the great expectations that comprised the big games and some of the more notable players on past squads in the Centerville area.
But Alter High School head football coach Ed Domsitz saw a far different person than the apprehensive youth that characterized Mangold before his debut on the varsity team.
“When Nick received playing time during his sophomore year he made a good transition to varsity football,” Domsitz said. “He fit in well and made a great contribution to the team. Nick is a smart young man and it takes a special kind of person to make that kind of a smooth transition.”
As is the custom, Mangold soon went from the anxious high school freshman to the experienced senior leader when he was named the team captain of his high school squad in 2001. Mangold embraced the responsibility, Nick’s father, Vernon Mangold said, and deeply enjoyed the camaraderie that is natural of team sports.
Vernon recalls his son’s days as a wrestler at Alter, and although the three-time OSU football letterwinner performed exceptionally well on the mats, Vernon knew his son did not enjoy the sport as much as football because of the lack of fellowship.
After discovering his niche playing at center and finding comfort in his football surroundings in high school, the intensity and the trepidation mounted again for Mangold his freshman year at Ohio State. Mangold admits the playing time he earned as a rookie was a blur and when he received his first call to the stage vs. Kent State in 2002, he was abounding with nerves. He found it difficult to remember the game and many contests thereafter and often frequented the film room at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center in order to jog his memory.
Mangold’s freshman year was a big adjustment period recalls Therese Mangold, his mother. Nick, always serious about his responsibilities, never wants to get reprimanded and his first day of camp at Ohio State proved to be a challenge.
“I remember when Nicholas called me on his first day of practice,” Therese said. “He said `Mom, I got hollered at more times today than I have my whole life.’ I knew Coach (Jim) Bollman didn’t want to do it, but he had to get Nicholas up to speed and Nicholas became determined to stay focused and on task.”
“When you come to Ohio State it is such an eye opener to see how much bigger it is,” Mangold said. “It is overwhelming at first, but you have to cool the jets a little bit so you can stay focused.”
|
“When Nick is fired up he gets the job done with a controlled intensity.” Ed Domsitz, Alter High School head football coach |
Nevertheless, as the years passed, Mangold used each new experience as an opportunity to better himself and his teammates. Admitting he usually gets a little nervous before a game, Nick found the anxiety to be prominent at the beginning of last season because of the new faces on the line beside him and at quarterback. The offensive play caller was out of his element for awhile, but he and the rest of the offensive line were able to rally together and become more calm.
Domsitz would agree his former pupil takes his work seriously and knows how to take a new situation and use it to his advantage.
“When Nick is fired up he gets the job done with a controlled intensity,” Domsitz said. “He never gets out of control because then he knows he will not be affective on the field. With his strength of character, Nick generally knows what he should be doing. He sees what is important and focuses on that.”
Mangold notes it is his work ethic and concentration that has helped him mature as a student of the game. He has realized during his years at Ohio State what sort of effort everyone on the team has had to put in to ensure success. The senior recalls the organized chaos of coming into camp and being engulfed in a wave of information and being forced to sort through it all just to get to the specific material that was pertinent to his position. Now as one of the leaders on the squad, Mangold understands the importance of becoming more of an all-around player.
“As time passed, I began thinking about what I needed to do to know everything,” Mangold said. “That is the biggest change I have noticed in myself. I study the game and I study myself. From a technical point of view, I focus on my footwork a lot. If I need to take a specific step on a certain play, I make sure I take that step. I just spend a lot of time watching film. It can be tedious, but in the end, it gets things done.”
Mangold’s father has never been too concerned about his son’s multiple transitions as a student-athlete because at each step the 2005 All-America candidate has found a leader who has helped him improve his game and gain that extra boost of confidence.
“At every point, Nick always had someone to mentor or guide him,” Vernon said. “When he came to Ohio State, Alex Stepanovich was there for him and now as a senior, Nick is making every effort to help Jim Cordle.”
Stepanovich, who played for the Buckeyes during the 2000 and 2003 seasons, moved on to the National Football League, where he suits up for the Arizona Cardinals. Cordle is an OSU freshman who appears to be closely following in Mangold’s footsteps.
When Cordle made his first official visit to Ohio State, Mangold quickly took him under his wing. Detailing what was expected of him as a student-athlete, Mangold was the model instructor. When Cordle formally became a Buckeye, he became the model student, focusing on Mangold’s technique and style of play.
“If Nick was not here to help me, I would not have as good of an understanding of the position as I do now,” Cordle said. “But he is that kind of guy. He is such a team player.”
The team player that he is, Mangold is using every opportunity in his final season as a Buckeye to build an even tighter bond between himself and his teammates on the offensive line. Mangold has been playing the role of event party planner as much as offensive lineman, as he has been responsible for several dinner and golf outings that are exclusive to the most anonymous of football positions.
With 10 guys huddled up at a table eating until their hearts are content, hijinks and laughs are bound to happen in between courses, even if it is at the expense of a teammate. Left tackle Rob Sims remembers an incident when Mangold began to severely cramp up soon after the group had wrapped up dinner. Mangold was unable to walk to the car and was forced to wait at the curb while the rest of the assembly brought the vehicle around, offering him curb-side service and chuckling at his demise.
But instances in which he is the object of ridicule do not bother Mangold. According to his dad, Nick naturally is a laid back and mellow person who is “slow to boil,” which is why he takes after his mother, he added with a laugh.
Nick was 3 ½ years old before his sister, Kelley, was born, so he had plenty of time to pick up on the mellow attitude that characterizes him so well.
“For those first three years, it was just me and Nicholas most of the time because his dad traveled a lot for work,” Therese said. “Nicholas and I were running buddies, going everywhere together. But when his sister was born, he embraced the role of being a big brother and helping around the house.”
The Mangold family will cling to the memories that big brother has provided over his four years as a Buckeye. Nick’s mother realizes it is a series of “last times” for not just her son, but the entire family, as well.
“It has been hard watching him go through his senior year,” Therese said. “There will be plenty of tears, but it has been unbelievable. As a family, we are trying to embrace the moment as much as we can so we don’t miss anything. But we will move on and Nick has some great choices ahead of him. I couldn’t ask for anything better for my son.”
Later this season, as Mangold prepares to make his final walk down the ramp at Ohio Stadium, he will have completed a collegiate career that included a national championship and three OSU Scholar-Athlete honors. When he gives the NFL or a career in business a try, there will be no doubt the business management major will be equipped with a fresh set of butterflies in his stomach, but he will overcome them on his path to professional prominence. After all, it is nothing new.
