James Michael Mandich(July 30, 1948 – April 26, 2011), also known as "Mad Dog",was an American professionalfootballplayer who was atight endin theNational Football League(NFL). Mandich playedcollege footballfor theMichigan Wolverinesfrom 1967 to 1969 and was recognized as a consensus first-team tight end on the1969 College Football All-America Team.A second-round pick in the1970 NFL draft,he played in the NFL for theMiami Dolphins(1970-1977) andPittsburgh Steelers(1978). After his playing career ended, he worked as thecolor commentatorfor the Miami Dolphins and also hosted a sports talk show on local AM radio in Miami.
 Mandich leaps for the ball in 1967 Michigan State game. | |||||||||
| No. 88, 87 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Tight end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | July 30, 1948 Cleveland, Ohio,U.S. | ||||||||
| Died: | April 26, 2011(aged 62) Miami Lakes, Florida,U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 224 lb (102 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Solon(Solon, Ohio) | ||||||||
| College: | Michigan | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1970/ round: 2 / pick: 29 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Early life
editMandich was born inClevelandto aSerbianimmigrant father.[1]He graduated fromSolon High SchoolinSolon, Ohio.[2]While at Solon High, Mandich won 12 letters and was an All-Ohio and All-America football player.[3]
University of Michigan
editMandich enrolled at theUniversity of Michiganin 1965 and played for coachBump Elliottand coachBo Schembechler'sMichigan Wolverines footballteams from 1967 to 1969. As a sophomore, Mandich started six games at theleft endposition for the1967 Michigan Wolverines football teamthat compiled a 4-6 record.[4]Mandich caught 25 passes for 248 yards during the 1967 season.[5]
As a junior, Mandich started eight of ten games at the left end position for the1968 Michigan teamthat improved to 8-2 and was ranked No. 12 in the finalAP Poll.[6]WithDennis Brownatquarterback,Mandich caught 42 passes for 565 yards and three touchdowns.[5]Brown and Mandich were both selected by theAssociated Press(AP) as first-team players on the1968 All-Big Ten Conference football team.[7]
Prior to the start of his senior season, Mandich was elected captain of the1969 Michigan teamunder new head coachBo Schembechler.[8]Mandich led the 1969 team to aBig Ten Conferencechampionship, an upset victory overOhio Stateand the1970 Rose Bowl.[9]Mandich had the best game of his collegiate career on October 11, 1969, catching 10 passes for 156 yards while scoring a touchdown and setting up two others in a victory overPurdue.[10]Over the course of the 1969 season, Mandich caught 51 passes for 676 yards and three touchdowns and was selected by the AP as a first-team All-Big Ten player for the second consecutive year.[11]Mandich was also selected as the most valuable player on the 1969 Michigan team,[9]and a consensus first-teamtight endon the1969 College Football All-America Team.[12]
Mandich finished his collegiate career at Michigan ranked second only toJack Clancyin career receptions (Mandich had 118, Clancy had 132) and receiving yards (Mandich had 1,489, Clancy had 1,917).[5]Mandich was inducted into theUniversity of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honorin 1994 and theCollege Football Hall of Famein 2004.[13]
Professional football
editMiami Dolphins
editMandich was selected by theMiami Dolphinsin the second round (29th overall pick) of the1970 NFL draft.[2]He signed with the Dolphins in July 1970.[14]
Mandich joined the Dolphins in1970,their first season under head coachDon Shula.Mandich appeared in 14 games for the 1970 Dolphins, but caught only one pass for three yards and a touchdown against theHouston Oilerson September 27, 1970.[2]In Mandich's second NFL season, the Dolphins lostSuper Bowl VIto theDallas Cowboys.Mandich appeared in 11 games for the1971 Dolphinsand caught three passes for 19 yards and a touchdown.[2]
In his third year in the NFL, Mandich appeared in all 14 games for the undefeated1972 Miami Dolphinsthat defeated theWashington RedskinsinSuper Bowl VII.Mandich had 11 catches for 168 yards and three touchdowns for the 1972 Dolphins.[2]In the playoffs, he had two catches, a five-yard catch against thePittsburgh Steelersand a 19-yard reception in Super Bowl VII.
In 1973, Mandich again appeared in all 14 games for the Dolphins team that defeated theMinnesota VikingsinSuper Bowl VIII.Mandich caught 24 passes for 302 yards and four touchdowns for the 1973 Dolphins.[2]
Mandich's most productive year in the NFL was 1974, when he again appeared in all 14 games and had 33 receptions for 374 yards and six touchdowns.[2]Mandich remained with the Dolphins through the 1977 season, totaling 21 catches for 217 yards and four touchdowns in 1975 and 22 catches for 260 yards and four touchdowns in 1977, before dropping off in 1978 to only six catches for 63 yards.[2]
Pittsburgh Steelers
editIn May 1978, the Dolphins traded Mandich to theWashington Redskinsin exchange for two eighth-round draft selections in 1979 and 1980.[15]He did not appear in any regular season games for the Redskins,[2]but, after an injury toBennie Cunningham,Mandich was signed in October 1978 as a backup tight end for thePittsburgh Steelers.[16][17]Mandich appeared in 10 regular season and three playoff games for the1978 Steelersteam that wonSuper Bowl XIII,making him the only man to play on the first two teams in NFL history to win 14 games in a season.[2][18]Mandich had no receptions during the 1978 season, and at the conclusion of the season, Mandich announced his retirement from football.[18]
NFL career statistics
edit| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won theSuper Bowl | |
| Bold | Career high |
Regular season
edit| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1970 | MIA | 14 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 3 | 1 |
| 1971 | MIA | 11 | 1 | 3 | 19 | 6.3 | 10 | 1 |
| 1972 | MIA | 14 | 0 | 11 | 168 | 15.3 | 39 | 3 |
| 1973 | MIA | 14 | 3 | 24 | 302 | 12.6 | 28 | 4 |
| 1974 | MIA | 14 | 10 | 33 | 374 | 11.3 | 44 | 6 |
| 1975 | MIA | 14 | 6 | 21 | 217 | 10.3 | 32 | 4 |
| 1976 | MIA | 14 | 3 | 22 | 260 | 11.8 | 31 | 4 |
| 1977 | MIA | 14 | 0 | 6 | 63 | 10.5 | 15 | 0 |
| 1978 | PIT | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 119 | 23 | 121 | 1,406 | 11.6 | 44 | 23 | ||
Playoffs
edit| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1970 | MIA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971 | MIA | 3 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | 9 | 0 |
| 1972 | MIA | 3 | 0 | 2 | 24 | 12.0 | 19 | 0 |
| 1973 | MIA | 3 | 3 | 5 | 49 | 9.8 | 13 | 1 |
| 1974 | MIA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1978 | PIT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | 3 | 9 | 86 | 9.6 | 19 | 1 | ||
Later years
editMandich was the radio sports talk show host onWIOD610 AM from 1983 to 1987, and joinedWQAM560 in 1987. He also did color commentary on Dolphins radio broadcasts on which he was teamed withJimmy CefaloandJoe Rose.He was known for his trademark soundbite "All right, Miami!" When he gave out the call-in number for cell phone users, he playfully told his radio listeners to call "if you're riding around with the windows down." Diagnosed withcholangiocarcinoma,a cancer of the bile duct, in early 2010, Mandich became absent from his afternoon show. In the fall of 2010, the terminally ill commentator returned to the broadcast booth for his final season of game-day color commentary.[citation needed]
Death
editMandich died from cancer in April 2011 inMiami Lakes, Florida,at age 62. At a public memorial the following month atSun Life Stadium,Mandich was remembered by speakers that included former Michigan teammateTom Curtisand former Dolphins teammates,Nat Moore,Dick Anderson,Kim Bokamper,Joe Rose,Nick Buoniconti,Bob Griese,Jimmy Cefalo,and coachDon Shula.Shula announced at the service that Mandich would be added to the Miami Dolphins Honor Roll — a ring around the second tier at Sun Life Stadium that honors former players, coaches, contributors, and officials who have made significant contributions to the Miami Dolphins franchise.[19]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^"ANTHOLOGY: Those Who Stay - The Entire Series".WolverinesWire.December 4, 2019.RetrievedSeptember 4,2022.
- ^abcdefghij"Jim Mandich".Pro-Football-Reference.com.Sports Reference LLC.RetrievedMarch 9,2015.
- ^John Hannen (November 13, 1968)."Wolverines' Mandich Compared To Kramer".The Blade, Toledo, Ohio.p. 70.
- ^"1967 Football Team".University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library.RetrievedMarch 10,2015.
- ^abc"Michigan Football Statistic Archive Query Page".University of Michigan. Archived fromthe originalon November 12, 2007.
- ^"1968 Football Team".University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library.RetrievedMarch 10,2015.
- ^"Podolak and Meskimen Named All-Big 10"(PDF).The Daily Iowan.November 27, 1968. p. 3.
- ^Eric Siegel (September 5, 1969)."Mandich to captain Wolverines".The Michigan Daily.p. 11.
- ^ab"1969 Football Team".University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library.RetrievedMarch 10,2015.
- ^"Michigan's Mandich The No. 1 Lineman".Schenectady Gazette.October 15, 1969.
- ^"No Hawks Named All-Big Ten"(PDF).The Daily Iowan.November 26, 1969. p. 6.
- ^"2014 NCAA Football Records: Consensus All-America Selections"(PDF).National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2014. pp. 6–7. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on November 26, 2018.RetrievedFebruary 10,2015.
- ^"Jim Mandich".College Football Hall of Fame.Football Foundation.RetrievedMarch 10,2015.
- ^"Mandich Signs With Dolphins".Owosso Argus-Press (AP story).July 13, 1970. p. 10.
- ^"Dolphins trade Mandich to 'Skins".St. Petersburg Times.May 12, 1978. p. 3C.
- ^"Steelers Sign Jim Mandich".Daytona Beach Morning Journal (AP story).October 12, 1978. p. 4C.
- ^"Mandich Catches On".Observer-Reporter.October 12, 1978.
- ^abGlen Sheeley (December 22, 1978)."Steelers End of Super Trail For Tight End Jim Mandich".The Pittsburgh Press.p. B-6.
- ^Brian Biggane (May 7, 2011)."im Mandich's life celebrated by Dolphins past and present, crowd of about 2,000".Palm Beach Post.Archived from the original on April 2, 2015.
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