To anyone who saw him play, the name Angelo Mosca conjures up images of one of the roughest and toughest guys to ever play in the CFL.  Mosca played three years for the Fighting Irish at Notre Dame before finishing his college career with Wyoming and then coming North to the CFL.  Mosca played 15 years in the CFL from 1958 to 1972, all but two and half with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.  There was two year sojourn in Ottawa (1960-61) and half a season in Montreal in 1962.  The Tiger-Cats of the late 1950s and 1960s under Jim Trimble and Ralph Sazio had the reputation as a tough team to represent a tough city - the Steel City of Canada.  For much of that time, the Hamilton defensive line was led by the duo of Angelo Mosca and John Barrow, maybe the best and toughest 1-2 punch ever on a defensive line.

Mosca won five East All-Stars as a defensive tackle, one with Ottawa in 1960 and four with Hamilton (1963, 1965, 1966 and 1970) and two CFL All-Stars (1963 and 1970).  In both his CFL All-Seasons (1963 and 1970), Mosca was named the Outstanding Lineman in the East and runner-up for the Outstanding Lineman in the CFL.  Unfortunately, there aren't many stats for defensive players from that era as quarterback sacks were not kept until 1981 and defensive tackles in 1987.  Certainly Mosca picked up more than his share of quarterback sacks and laid on a lot of devestating tackles.

Perhaps the most famous Mosca tackle was the controversial one on Willie Fleming in the 1963 Grey Cup that took the BC star running back out the game.  Whether it was a late hit or not, it characterizes the toughness with which Mosca played the game of football.

In total, Mosca played in 10 Grey Cups, winning five of them, one with Ottawa in 1960 and four with Hamilton in 1963, 1965, 1967 and 1972.  Besides playing football, Mosca also had an outstanding career as a professional wrestler.  Angelo Mosca was elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1987. In 2012, Angelo Mosca became the first CFL player to be inducted into the Gridior Greats Hall of Fame.

Anelo Mosca on fanbase.com

Angelo Mosca in Wikipedia

Angelo Mosca in the Canadian Football HOF

Meanest Man in the Game? CBC Archives Video

Angelo Mosca in the Professional Wrestling HOF

CFL Greats Fight Most Bizarre Thing

YouTube Video of Fight Between Mosca and Joe Kapp - 2011

Tell Me To My Face - Angela Mosca's Book on amazon.ca

Angelo Mosca Selected for Gridiron Greats HOF - CFLPA Press Release - February 12, 2012

Another Honor For King Kong Mosca - February 13, 2012