Former Canadian Football League legend Angelo Mosca passed away in November at age 84.
A defensive lineman Mosca played for Hamilton, Ottawa & Montreal and then returned to Hamilton for the majority of his career where he made his reputation as an all star, a champion and as a rugged performer.
With the Grey Cup set for this Sunday, it’s notable Mosca played in 9 Grey Cups winning 5 titles.
He’s best remembered for a play in the 1963 Grey Cup where he injured BC Lions star running back Willie Fleming with a late hit that was out of bounds.
The injury suffered by Fleming was said to be instrumental in Hamilton winning the Grey Cup Game that day.
Decades later, the lingering bitterness of the moment surfaced during the Grey Cup Week alumni function when an aging Mosca swung his walking cane and struck former BC quarterback Joe Kapp.
Undaunted, and now angry, the extremely fit Kapp fired a right hand that decked Mosca to the stage floor and Kapp followed with a lefthanded swing at the downed giant
It was hilarious.
And it was kind of sad.
But it represented that in sports, competitors, fierce competitors, have long memories
Often portrayed as a bully in football, and later in his career as a professional wrestler, Mosca did have a big heart and raised countless amounts of money for charity including auctioning off the very cane he swung at Joe Kapp.
That cane generated more than $ 7,000, with the money going towards the alumni association’s “dire straits” fund for struggling former CFL players
Enjoy Grey Cup Week and the memories of Mosca.