37 Facts About Angelo Mosca

Angelo Valentino Mosca was an American professional football player and professional wrestler.

Angelo Mosca was a defensive lineman in the Canadian Football League.

Angelo Mosca was elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1987, the Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame in 2012, and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.

Angelo Mosca's father Angelo was an immigrant from Panni in southern Italy, and his mother's mother was an African-American, which was kept a secret from neighbours in their segregated, working-class neighbourhood in Waltham since New England was not known for its racial tolerance at the time.

Angelo Mosca's parents were alcoholics, and he was often neglected and abused by them, which opted Angelo Mosca to run away from home at the age of 16.

Angelo Mosca's father died in 1986, and his mother died at the age of 93.

Angelo Mosca attended the University of Notre Dame on a scholarship, but was kicked out for bookmaking.

Angelo Mosca then went to Wyoming, but was booted out for theft, allegedly stealing typewriters and cameras from stores and selling them on campus.

Angelo Mosca was drafted by the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles in 1959 in the 30th round.

Angelo Mosca had already decided to play in the CFL, in 1958 for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Angelo Mosca went to Hamilton the same year after graduating from Notre Dame with a degree in business administration.

Angelo Mosca 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 for 5 games.

Angelo Mosca played his remaining years, 1962 to 1972 in Hamilton and was a five-time all star.

Angelo Mosca played both offensive and defensive tackle, middle guard and end.

Angelo Mosca played in nine Grey Cup games, more than any other player in CFL history, tied with his teammate John Barrow.

Angelo Mosca's teams won five Grey Cup games, one with the Ottawa Rough Riders and four with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Angelo Mosca is infamous for the 51st Grey Cup game out-of-bounds and late hit on BC Lions star running back Willie Fleming.

Angelo Mosca was the runner-up for the Schenley Most Outstanding Lineman award in 1963 and 1970.

Angelo Mosca only missed one game his entire football career.

Angelo Mosca was brought into wrestling by Montreal promoter Eddie Quinn.

Angelo Mosca began wrestling in the off-season, and became a full-time wrestler after his retirement from football.

Angelo Mosca wrestled all across North America, always at or near the top of the card, and almost always as a heel, even in Toronto until the late 1970s, then he became a face, and in the early 1980s, the lead face.

Angelo Mosca wrestled in Verne Gagne's American Wrestling Association and in Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling, where he was frequently paired with Superstar Billy Graham in tag team competition.

In 1981, during his time in the World Wrestling Federation, Angelo Mosca wrestled as as the promotion's most hated heel due to his brutal style.

Angelo Mosca became a top challenger to WWF Champion Bob Backlund's World Championship, but was not successful in winning the belt.

Angelo Mosca engaged in a feud with Pat Patterson, a part-time wrestler who did color commentary on the WWF's syndicated programs, after Mosca attacked Patterson at a television taping with a water pitcher; Patterson had grown disgusted with Mosca's rulebreaking tactics and, setting off the attack, publicly thanked a referee for disqualifying Mosca for refusing to pin his jobber opponent.

Angelo Mosca was the colour commentator and wrestled for the WWF TV tapings in Ontario from August 1984 until January 1985 as a babyface.

Angelo Mosca managed his son for a brief time in late 1984 in the WWF.

Angelo Mosca lived in and around Hamilton for many years, and lived in St Catharines, Ontario, with his wife, Helen, a real estate agent.

Angelo Mosca first met her in 1996 at a Ticats game; they married in 1998.

Angelo Mosca authored a book with Steve Milton called Tell Me To My Face, published by Lulu Canada Inc The book was released in September 2011.

Angelo Mosca auctioned off the cane he used against Kapp at the following year's alumni luncheon for $7,700, with the money going towards the alumni association's "dire straits" fund for struggling former players.

Angelo Mosca appeared in several Canadian TV commercials in the 1970s and 1980s.

Angelo Mosca still made PR appearances for the league and the Ticats and for other businesses.

In July 2016, Angelo Mosca was named part of a class action lawsuit filed against WWE which alleged that wrestlers incurred traumatic brain injuries during their tenure and that the company concealed the risks of injury.

Angelo Mosca died at the Maccassa Lodge in Hamilton at age 84 on November 6,2021.

Angelo Mosca had stayed there for a number of years.