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| Born: | (1937-02-13) February 13, 1937 (age 87) Waltham, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Career information | |
| Status | Retired |
| CFL status | American |
| Position(s) | DT |
| College | Notre Dame |
| NFL draft | 1959, round: 30, pick: 350 |
| Drafted by | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| CFL All-Star | 1963, 1970 |
| CFL East All-Star | 1960, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1970 |
| Career stats | |
Angelo Mosca (born February 13, 1938) is a former Canadian Football League player and professional wrestler. He is also known by the wrestling nicknames King Kong Mosca and The Mighty Hercules. Mosca has a son, Angelo Jr., who also wrestled.
CFL career
Mosca attended the University of Notre Dame and was drafted by the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles in 1959 in the 30th round (350th overall.) He had already decided to play in the CFL, in 1958 and 1959 for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He was traded to the Ottawa Rough Riders for Hardiman Cureton on August 15, 1960, and played for the Rough Riders in 1960 and 1961 before joining the Montreal Alouettes in 1962. He played his remaining years, 1963 to 1972 in Hamilton. He was a 5-time all star. At Hamilton, Mosca played at left defensive tackle, with John Barrow next to him from 1958 to 1959 and from 1963 to 1970, forming a veritable wall up the middle which few offensive teams were successful in running against.
Angelo played in 9 Grey Cup games, more than any other player in CFL history, tied with John Barrow, winning 5, one with the Ottawa Rough Riders, the 48th Grey Cup of 1960, and four with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the 51st Grey Cup of 1963, the 53rd Grey Cup of 1965 (the so-called Wind Bowl), the 55th Grey Cup of 1967 when Saskatchewan was throttled 24-1, and the 60th Grey Cup of 1972 when the defences predominated in a 13-10 win over Saskatchewan again, but also losing 4, the 46th Grey Cup of 1958, the 47th Grey Cup of 1959, the 49th Grey Cup of 1961, and the 52nd Grey Cup of 1964. He is infamous for the 51st Grey Cup game out-of-bounds and late hit on B.C. Lions star running back Willie Fleming. With Fleming out of the game, the Tiger-Cats went on to win the Grey Cup and Mosca's reputation as being the meanest CFL player grew. It was a reputation he later promoted as the notorious professional wrestler "King Kong" Mosca. This controversy flared up in 2011 when Mosca and Joe Kapp (the quarterback for the B.C. Lions during that infamous 51st Grey Cup) were invited on stage for a pre-99th Grey Cup event. The reunion escalated into an onstage fight.
Post-football career
Following his retirement, Mosca had a short run as a broadcaster for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). He left the broadcast booth to manage his son's career. He has lived in and around Hamilton for many years. Angelo currently lives in St. Catharines, Ontario with his wife, Helen, a real estate agent. He authored a book with Steve Milton called Tell Me To My Face, published by Lulu Canada Inc. The book was released in September 2011.
Championships and accomplishments
- Canadian Football Hall of Fame (Class of 1987)
- The CFW ranked him # 37 of the Top 50 players of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN.
- Other honoree (1996)
- NWA Columbus Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Macon Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Tri-State Brass Knuckles Championship (1 time)
- PWI ranked him # 305 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- Worst Television Announcer award in 1984
References
- Heroes of the Game, A History of The Grey Cup - Stephen Thiele, Moulin Publishing 1997
- http://www.thestar.com/sports/football/cfl/article/1093086--video-geezer-punch-up-upstages-big-game
- "Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame (1948-1990)". Puroresu Dojo. 2003.
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External links
| Philadelphia Eagles 1959 NFL draft selections | |
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- 1938 births
- Living people
- American players of Canadian football
- Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees
- Canadian football defensive linemen
- Canadian professional wrestlers
- Grey Cup champions
- Hamilton Tiger-Cats players
- Montreal Alouettes players
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players
- Ottawa Rough Riders players
- People from Waltham, Massachusetts