John Mangum (1984) - Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame

John Mangum

Induction:
1984

His size, strength and determination set John Mangum apart from others that played in the defensive line at Southern Miss in the mid 1960s and made him into one of the school’s all-time best. Playing for Coach Pie Vann on the 1964 and 1965 teams Mangum as valuable a player to the team from his position in the line as any player on the squad.
   The 6-3, 260 pound Mangum was large for a player in the mid-1960s, but it was not his size that made him such an outstanding player for Southern Miss. Mangum had a way of just dominating a game unlike few offensive lineman at Southern Miss ever have.
   He wasn’t one of those players that just seemed to get in the way of the offense and allowed his teammates to slip on by. He was a player who thanks to his skills and abilities seemed to psyche out the opposition and had them looking around to see which direction he was coming from. He was as effective as any player on the defense and as valuable as any player on the team.
   Mangum was an integral part of the 1964 Southern Miss team that posted a 6-3 record and finished the year by winning four of its last five games. Although few defensive statistics were kept back in those days, those that played with Mangum and his coaches will quickly tell you that he would have been among the team’s leaders in tackles and in quarterback sacks.
   That 1964 defense would allow only 16.0 points a game that season and shut out two of its opponents. Three other times they would hold the opposition to 14 points or less. With Mangum and company putting the pressure on up front, Southern Miss would limit its opponents to just 238.3 yards per game, and just 107.2 on the ground.
   In 1965 Mangum was again a key part of one of the greatest Southern Miss defenses in history. The team would finish the year with a 7-2 record, while the defense ranked second in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 14.1 points per game. The defense ranked No. 1 in the country in total defense allowing just 161.8 yards a game, third in rushing defense giving up 75.4 yards a game and ninth in pass defense allowing 86.3 yards a game.
   That 1965 defense with Mangum one of the leaders, would record four shutouts, meaning that he was involved in six shutouts in 18 games.
   Following his career at Southern Miss Mangum played in the Blue-Gray All-Star game in Montgomery, Alabama and was later taken in the fifth round of the AFL: draft by the Boston Patriots. Mangum was one of three Southern Miss players taken that year in the draft by Boston (Doug Satcher & Ken Avery were the others). Mangum would go on to play a couple of seasons (1966-67) with Boston.
   Few defensive lineman have had the ability to take over a game like Mangum could. The big man with the big heart who has earned a big spot in the Southern Miss Sports Hall of Fame.