Sept. 11 hits close to home for fullback, coach

For most Americans, Sept. 11 has become a landmark that is vividly cemented in their memories. Just as generations before remember where they were when John F. Kennedy was assassinated, or what they were doing when the Challenger exploded, people of all generations can clearly recollect what they were doing when the news that the World Trade Center was struck by two planes reached them.\nFor two men in the IU football program, it is impossible not to remember -- they were in New York City when it happened.\nBoth Director of Football Operations Dino Mangiero and freshman fullback John Pannozzo were at Poly Prep High School in Brooklyn when the towers were hit.\nMangiero, who was the head football coach at Poly Prep, was in his office working on football related matters when he saw an item on television about a plane that had hit the World Trade Center.\nWith an amateur interest in aviation, Mangiero's instinct told him that the crash was no accident.\n"I know that a plane is not going to hit a building; it's going to ditch into the ocean," Mangiero said. "My first reaction was 'that was done on purpose, that was terrorism.'"\nWith the parents of a number of Poly Prep students working in the World Trade Center, Mangiero rushed to a school assembly where he told the principal what happened.\nIt was at the assembly that Pannozzo and his classmates heard an official confirmation of the rumors going around the school regarding the disaster.\n"Everyone thought it was an accident at first," Pannozzo said. "But after the second plane hit, the whole school went into a big panic."\nMany members of the Poly Prep faculty went to the school's clock tower, from which they were able to look into Manhattan and see the north tower smoldering. They also witnessed the second plane strike the south tower.\nBy that time, Mangiero had already returned to his office and witnessed the second plane crash on TV. With news trickling in about planes crashing into the Pentagon and Shanksville, Penn., everyone at the school found themselves searching for answers. \n"It was unbelievable," Mangiero said. "(You're thinking) it's the end of the world."\nBoth Mangiero and Pannozzo were overwhelmed with concern over friends and loved ones who were likely to be near the scene.\n"Every single one of us had friends that worked in the World Trade Center," Mangiero said. "So many of my friends that I grew up with were firemen and cops… So many of the kids on the team had parents working in the city. The shock turned into a great concern."\nMangiero spent "four to five hours" trying to find a way to get a hold of his brother-in-law who worked in the World Trade Center.\nFor students, the scene was just as chaotic. Since traffic was unable to cross the bridge from Brooklyn into Manhattan, those students who lived in Manhattan had to pair up with friends from Brooklyn to stay over night.\n"The majority of students probably didn't get home until the next day," Pannozzo said.\nSchool was canceled the next day, but was back in session on Sept. 13.\nOn Sept. 14, Mangiero, who once worked in the World Trade Center himself, visited the site that would become known as Ground Zero.\n"I didn't know where I was," Mangiero said. "There was dust and debris all over the place. It was like being in a different city; it was hard to get your bearings."\nWhile their game on Sept. 15 was canceled, Pannozzo and his Poly Prep teammates were back on the field a week later for their next game.\n"It was very hard to focus," Pannozzo said.\nFor Mangiero, who lost many friends, football at least momentarily helped take his mind off the sorrow.\n"We always tell guys 'You're young; you're healthy. The football field is a great place to be,'" Mangiero said. "I guess that was just a little more evident"