Kansas coach Mark Mangino resigned Thursday in the wake of an investigation into his treatment of his players, stepping down only two years after leading the Jayhawks to the greatest season in their checkered football history.
The university made the announcement as athletic director Lew Perkins informed the players of the news.
The school said last month it would probe Mangino's alleged verbal and emotional abuse of players. In the following days, many former players described insensitive, humiliating remarks they claim he made to them in the heat of games or practice, often in front of others.
But next came a wave of support by former and current players who remained loyal, insisting Mangino had strengthened the long-struggling program with structure and discipline, crediting the rotund 53-year-old with making them better players and men.
Perkins declined to describe the school's settlement with its former coach, other than to say it was satisfactory to all parties. After going 12-1 in 2007, winning the Orange Bowl and being honored as the national coach of the year, Mangino was given a raise and contract extension through 2012. He would have been due $6.6 million if fired without cause.
Possible candidates to replace Mangino include Texas A&M offensive coordinator Nolan Cromwell, a great wishbone quarterback at Kansas in the mid-70s, Houston coach Kevin Sumlin and Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen.
Report: Bowl for Irish unlikely Barring a severe last-minute change of heart by the team during a Friday meeting, Notre Dame is not expected to participate in a bowl this season.
One source familiar with the decision told the Chicago Tribune the choice already has been made. But rousing, across-the-board sentiment to play in a bowl during a Friday meeting with players and coaches might be enough to alter that course.
