Mangino was hired as Kansas head football coach in December 2001. The program had not posted a winning season in any of the 6 seasons prior to his arrival. In 2003, his second season at KU, Mangino led the Jayhawks to an appearance in the 2003 Tangerine Bowl (now known as the Camping World Bowl). This was the first bowl appearance for Kansas since 1995. In 2005, his fourth season at KU, the team finished the regular season 6–5, to post its first winning record under Mangino, and went on to the Fort Worth Bowl, its second bowl game in three seasons. Among the Jayhawks' wins was a 40–15 victory over Nebraska, breaking a losing streak against the Cornhuskers that had begun in 1969, which was the second-longest such streak of consecutive losses in NCAA history. The same year Mangino also built a defense that ranked 11th nationally (based on yards allowed per game) and featured third-team All-American and Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year linebacker Nick Reid. The 2005 team also ranked 6th nationally in total punts. In 2007, Mangino coached the Jayhawks to a 12–1 record and a win in the 2008 Orange Bowl (their first ever BCS appearance). Mangino's defense was ranked 12th in the nation, and 4th in scoring defense. On the other side of the ball, the Jayhawks finished 2nd in scoring offense.