Any Kansas fan feeling nostalgic for the days of bowl victories and winning football under former coach Mark Mangino will have to keep on cherishing those memories.
Whatever slim chances of a KU-Mangino reunion that took up shop in anyone’s minds went away Tuesday night with one tweet from the winningest coach in program history.
“Thanks for your support. I won’t be returning to Kansas in any capacity,” the retired coach wrote on Twitter, after various fans mentioned him as a longshot hire in KU’s ongoing search for its next football coach, or perhaps even returning as an offensive coordinator.
“I enjoyed my time there and loved my hardworking players,” Mangino added. “I’ve moved on long ago and so should the wonderful fans that supported me.”
Mangino went 50-48 as the Jayhawks’ head coach, from 2002-09, and his 2007 team finished 12-1 with an Orange Bowl title.
KU is now 18-88 in the post-Mangino era, and the athletic department’s first-year director, Jeff Long, is actively seeking to hire the fourth head coach since a previous regime forced Mangino to resign.
Thanks for your support. I won’t be returning to Kansas in any capacity. I enjoyed my time there & loved my hardworking players! I’ve moved on long ago & so should the wonderful fans that supported me!
— Mark Mangino (@KeepSawinWood) November 14, 2018