Matt Mangan is a legacy athlete in more ways than one.
The last of four brothers to play two sports for Loyola, Mangan also is the latest in a long line of lanky, athletic receivers for the Ramblers.
The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder’s skills were on display last week when he caught a pair of touchdown passes in a 34-3 win over New Trier.
Mangan was a complementary piece for last year’s Class 8A state champs. But that team’s top three receivers graduated, moving Mangan up the depth chart for this fall,
“Rory (Boos), what he did for me -- Artie Collins, Jared Lombardi, Jack Fallon (too) -- they took me under their wing,” Mangan said. “Now I’m trying to do what they did.”
Mangan is also trying to honor the tradition of his older siblings Jimmy, Mikey and Peter.
“I’ve got three unbelievable older brothers who’ve help make me the person I am today,” Mangan said. “They taught me everything I know.
“It’s been a great ride. I’d like to keep it going and finish up the Mangan legacy in high school.”
He is definitely living up to the tradition of productive Loyola receivers, accorrding to coach John Holecek.
Mangan’s strengths? “His length, his caginess, his athleticism overall, his great hands,” Holecek said. “He knows how to run his routes and use his body. He watches a ton of film and really wants to get better.”
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Mangan also wants to play football in college. He has a couple of Division II offers along with a preferred walk-on offer from Iowa State, and isn’t concerned about being uncommitted.
That’s a function of not hitting the summer camp circuit, he believes.
“I’m not anxious about it at all,” he said. “I’m kind of a laid-back guy. If I don’t get the (scholarship) looks I want, then I’ll just go to the college I want.
“I’m going to work my hardest to get the looks I want. But that’s not my first priority. ... Right now I’m not thinking about where I’m going to play next year.”
His focus, instead, is on adding to a Loyola football legacy that features six trips to the state title game and two championships since 2011.
Job one, he said, is making sure his less experienced teammates look ahead rather than back.
Perrion McClinton to Matt Mangan TD pass. Nice grab. Loyola muffs the extra point but leads New Trier 13-3 in the 2Q. pic.twitter.com/rh3U8QikAN
— Michael O'Brien (@michaelsobrien) September 7, 2019
“With a young team like this, if they do feel that pressure of ‘I’ve got to defend a state championship,’ it gets them a little riled up,” Mangan said. “They’re young, they need to get that experience under their belt, to be cool under pressure. So I’ve just been trying to pound in: ‘New season, new season.’”
When this football season does end, it’ll be time for one more basketball campaign to wrap up his family’s tenure at Loyola.
Ramblers basketball coach Tom Livatino can’t wait.
“Obviously he’s a football player first, but he’s going to help us tremendously when he gets back,:” Livatino said. “He’s a better kid than he is a football player and basketball player. ... It’s going to be really said not to coach another Mangan.”
