Can Mangino Follow Friedgen's Lead?

If you are a Jayhawk fan, you are fearful that Mark Mangino won't be our coach much longer. Typically this is because fans are worried that a coach will leave for another job or even to retire. In the case of Mangino, we are scared that his unhealthy weight will cut his coaching tenure—and his life—short.

We've all heard the jokes.

"Our coach is Phat!"
"Our coach can eat your coach."

Those are some of the nicer jokes. Yet Mangino's largess is no laughing matter. It is a serious health risk. Which leads me to a story I read today about Maryland Coach Ralph Friedgen and his loss of 105 pounds. I would love to be reading a story a year from now about how Mangino has lost at least that much weight. I would guess that he could lose at least twice that much.

From a recruiting standpoint, I would like to see Mangino compete on NBC's The Biggest Loser. Not only would he lose weight, he would be exposed to millions which would surely lead to a recruiting advantage. Unfortunately the time commitment required is more than Mangino's busy schedule can handle. Coach, please give Ralph Friedgen a call and find out about the diet that worked for him! Lew Perkins, please put an incentive clause in Mangino's contract to get down to a healthy weight.

As a fan of the Jayhawks, I want to see Mangino roaming the sidelines for many more seasons. I also fear that he could end up like John McSherry, the former MLB umpire, who died on opening day from a massive heart attack at only 51 years of age.