Nick Mangold calls it a career in the NFL
Former Ohio State offensive center Nick Mangold has called it a career in the NFL after spending 11 years with the New York Jets. The Ohio native was released by the team in early 2017 and signed a one-day deal for retirement purposes on Tuesday and announced his departure from the game.
Mangold was drafted by the Jets in the first round with the 29th overall pick and did not disappoint as a seven-time Pro Bowler and being named first-team All-Pro twice.
The former Buckeye played in 164 games during his NFL career and only missed 12 games, eight of those in his final season due to serious foot and ankle injuries that landed him in injured reserve and ultimately ended his playing career.
"Everything that happened from pee-wee football to high school football to having the good fortune to play at The Ohio State University molded me for my opportunity to play for the New York Jets," said Mangold. "My biggest regret is not bringing the Lombardi Trophy to New York but, as I retire, I will continue my efforts to bring the Trophy home in a different capacity. I have no idea what that capacity is but I'm sure I will figure something out in the future."
While with the Buckeyes, Mangold played in 45 games and started in 33 of them. Mangold was named second-team All-Big Ten in 2005 and despite not winning any of the major lineman awards, was taken ahead of 2005 Outland and Rimington Trophy winner, Greg Eslinger out of Minnesota.
"From the moment I stepped on the field, I was hooked," Mangold said via social media. "I won't say that I loved every minute as it was happening - Oklahoma drills, monkey rolls, bear crawls, Jim Tressel's conditioning tests, every loss and every injury. But as I reflect back, I wouldn't trade my experiences for the world."
Mangold spent more than a decade in the league and while he regrets never being able to win a Super Bowl, he feels that his career will go down as a successful one.
"I wanted to be the guy that other guys looked at to see how it was done."
