Nick Mangold’s long, blond hair and bushy beard made him instantly recognizable wherever he went.
His gritty, outstanding performances on the football field made the offensive lineman one of the greatest players in New York Jets history, a two-time All-Pro first-team center who helped lead the franchise to the AFC championship game twice.
It’s a legacy that won’t be forgotten.
The Jets announced Sunday morning that Mangold died the night before. He was 41.
The team released a statement saying that Mangold died from complications of kidney disease, less than two weeks after he announced on social media that he had kidney disease and needed a transplant. He said he didn’t have any relatives who were able to donate, so he went public with the request for a donor with type O blood.