John Wayne Mangum Jr. is part of one of the most tradition laden families to come from the State of Mississippi. His latest honor is being named to the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, Class of 2023.
The Mangums have churned out several professional athletes from John Mangum Sr., who spent time with the Boston Patriots, to his two sons, John and Kris Mangum, who played for the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers respectively.
Success in sports is coursing through the veins of the Mangum family, as well as a work hard mentality and a humbleness that is a breath of fresh air today. John Jr. grew up in Magee dreaming of one day being a Magee Trojan like his father before him. Like his father, he played on the defensive side of the ball, but unlike his father, who played defensive tackle, Mangum suited up as a defensive back who was known for playing much bigger than his size showed. During his early years, Mangum was aware of his father's success in football, but never had much thought about possibly becoming a professional athlete himself one day. Mangum simply enjoyed playing the game and wherever it took him, he was happy to go.
Like many boys who grow up in a small, rural town, Mangum enjoyed hunting, fishing, and playing sports. Magee was a special place to Mangum and has earned a place in his heart, "I wouldn't change a thing about where I was born or where I grew up and the town I lived in because I think it made me who I am." Mangum also loved the Magee Trojans and wished to one day be able to play for the team he so adored. "When I was young, I looked up to those guys playing in high school, I wasn't looking up to guys playing in the SEC [Southeastern Conference] or in the NFL, my heroes were the Trojans playing ahead of me." As a young man, Mangum spent several years on the sidelines as a manager for the Trojans and can still remember some of the good memories he had back then, "My dad coached football at Magee and it was just something I was around at a young age, some of my first memories of Magee football are of me as a manager and driving on the busses to the games and things like that you'll never forget." Mangum Sr. coached for the Trojans from 1979-81 and instilled a love of Magee football into his young son. The Mangum's deep roots in Magee football grew deeper as John grew older and developed into a very intelligent football player who had physical skills that far outmatched his size. Throughout his playing career, Mangum only focused on what was going on at that moment and what he could control right then. He did not think too far into the future and aspire to be an NFL star one day, he only dreamt of being the best player he could be at each level he was playing at the time.
As a young man, Mangum made good on his dream of becoming a Magee Trojan as he had a spectacular career for the Trojans. During his time with the Trojans under Head Coach David Bradley, the Trojans went 1-1 in State Championship Games and saw some talented teams take the field in Magee. Mangum was a force to be reckoned with defensively, as he deterred opposing teams from passing to his side of the field. He quickly developed into a solid defensive back that received much attention from colleges as a recruit. As far as playing football in college, Mangum planned on following the footsteps of his father, who was a standout at the University of Southern Mississippi. As Mangum began looking for a college to call home for the next four years, he decided to take a trip to the University of Alabama, where Mississippi native Ray Perkins was the Head Coach. Perkins, being a Mississippi native, made an instant connection with the Trojan standout, as did the campus of Alabama. Mangum fell in love with the campus and the atmosphere Alabama provided, along with a rich history in football, Mangum was sold on becoming a member of the Crimson Tide. The fact that Perkins was from Mississippi aided in the transition process for the young star, as he looked to blaze his own trail in the world his father was known as a local hero in Mississippi. "I had always planned on going to Southern Mississippi if I had the chance, that's where my father had graduated from," stated Mangum, "I took one visit to Alabama and it just felt different I just knew when I left that day that was where I was supposed to play college football, Ray Perkins was a Mississippi guy and that helped get me there." As a member of the Crimson Tide, Mangum was an instant fan favorite due to his hard work ethic, humble personality, and rock solid skills as a defensive back. Mangum was not known as a big player, being only 5'10", he was more known for his ability to time his jumps, coupled with his strong leaping ability and soft hands, made him an instant success in the Alabama secondary. During his four years at Alabama, Mangum played every single game for the Crimson Tide during that time. As a Freshman, Mangum was able to earn a spot on the field due to his production and hard work ethic that aided in improving his already impressive skill set. During his Freshman year, Mangum picked off the ball only once. However, during each of the next three seasons, Mangum intercepted the ball five times to finish his career with 16 total interceptions which still ranks third on the Alabama all-time interception list. Mangum also notched one touchdown on an interception during his Junior year. Aside from his ability to intercept the ball, Mangum was known for putting fear into opposing receivers as he was known for his hard hitting ability in the Tide secondary. As a member of the Crimson Tide, Mangum ranks first in tackles by a corner back with 231. Mangum was also known for being a bit of a pest to receivers as they reached for the ball, Mangum had the ability to time his punch just right to knock the ball out of their reach. In fact, Mangum holds three school-records for Alabama: most pass breakups in a game (6), most pass breakups in a season (24), and most pass breakups in a career (47). His skills were enough to earn him first-team All-SEC selections twice and first-team All-American pick in 1989. According to 247sports.com and BamaOnLine, Mangum ranks the #4 cornerback in Alabama history. This is saying a lot, as Alabama is well known for producing many talented defensive players.
Upon completing his Senior season with Alabama, Mangum had a feeling that he had done enough to earn an opportunity at being drafted into the NFL. Mangum did not expect to go early in the draft and was eager to see where his next landing spot would be. The draft day story for Mangum is truly something to read about, as he did not know he was drafted until someone told him they saw it in the local paper. "Back in those days I don't think there were cell phones, I think I maybe found out I got drafted reading the newspaper, it was just different times back then, I'm not even sure I heard my name called somebody just told me I was drafted and that was it." Mangum made good on his opportunity as he suited up for the Chicago Bears from 1990-1998 for two famous coaches, Mike Ditka and Dave Wannstedt. Mangum was not known as a flashy professional player, but more as an undersized, physical defender that would just as soon light up opposing receivers as bat away a pass. This fit well into the Bears style of play as they have always been known for their gritty defense and hard-nosed mentality. Mangum had a solid professional career racking up five interceptions, two forced fumbles, six fumbles recovered, and 306 total tackles. Arguably his best season came in his second to last in 1997, as he started all 16 games for the bears and added two interceptions, three fumble recoveries and 149 tackles in that season alone. Mangum took time to reflect on his playing career from start to finish, "Going to Chicago was the perfect fit for me being able to play for Coach Ditka, it was a good fit for me how my makeup was, playing four years at Bama, and nine in Chicago, as far as tradition rich football places it doesn't get any better than that, then you throw in Magee, every step of the way I played at were at places that have great football tradition."
Mangum added in some sound advice for this generation of aspiring football players and young men, "Just work hard, don't worry about things that you can't control, don't worry about how far you're going to get in the sport that you're playing, just worry about being the best you can be that day, every day just get up and out work people."
Mangum said, "Sometimes you can't control talent, but you can control effort." This is strong advice not only for athletes, but for people of all walks of life to live by in today's or any other society. Mangum continues to live life the way he played football, with respect, a humble attitude, and a whole lot of work ethic.
