Hall of Fame Inductees
A football lifer, Eric Mangini ’94 dominated on the field in his time as a Cardinal and went on to win at the sports’ highest level in his professional career.
More than 20 years after graduating Wesleyan in 1994, Mangini still holds the school record for career sacks (33.5), as he was a force on the interior of the Cardinals’ defensive line over his four years. His 11.5 sacks in the 1992 season remains the single-season team record to this day. Mangini followed that up with a 73-tackle, 10.5 sack season in 1993 that earned him Third Team All-American honors as well as First Team ECAC All-New England and First Team All-NESCAC honors. He was a two-year team captain (1992-93) and his 293 career tackles ranks second all-time at Wesleyan.
Upon graduating, Mangini rose through the coaching ranks within the National Football League (NFL), being a staff member or head coach for five division titles, three conference titles, and three Super Bowl Championships. He opened his career as the secondary coach for the New England Patriots (2001-04), winning three Super Bowl rings in that time, before serving as the Pats’ Defensive Coordinator in 2005. Each of those seasons came with fellow Wesleyan graduate Bill Belichick ’75 serving as head coach.
Mangini then served as Head Coach for the New York Jets for three seasons (2006-08) and the Cleveland Browns for two years (2009-10). He is currently an on-air talent, serving as an analyst for Fox Sports 1.
