Football Player With Dyslexia Moves Forward On and Off the Field

College football player Angelo Mangiro is a winner on the field and off.

The offensive linesman for Penn State’s Nittany Lions received a 2014 All-Big Ten honorable mention for his work on the gridiron this year. Mangiro and his teammates are heading to the New Era Pinstripe Bowl on December 27 to play the Boston College Eagles at Yankee Stadium.

Mangiro, who’s from Roxbury, New Jersey, finished high school in the top third of his graduating class with a 3.5 GPA. While in high school, he had no clue that he had dyslexia. But he knew it took him longer than his classmates to do his homework. When he struggled on entrance exams to Penn State, Mangiro was tested. He eventually was diagnosed with dyslexia, he said in an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

This year, Mangiro has been a key player for Penn State. He’s played center, right tackle, left guard and right guard. Mangiro says he works harder on the field and off because of his dyslexia. “I never use it as an excuse. I joke around about it a little bit with the guys, but I don’t let that hold me back,” he told the Post-Gazette.

That work ethic has helped him stay focused on his future. Now he’s nearing the goal line of a college degree. Mangiro expects to graduate this winter with a major in criminology and a minor in sociology. He’s applying to graduate school and wants to study early childhood education. One day, he hopes to coach and teach.

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