Angelo Valentino Mosca (February 13, 1937 – November 6, 2021) was an American professional football player and professional wrestler. He was a defensive lineman in the Canadian Football League (CFL). As a wrestler, Mosca was known by the nicknames King Kong Mosca and the Mighty Hercules. He had a son, Angelo Jr., who also wrestled. 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.
Early life
The second oldest boy in a family of four boys and seven girls, Mosca was born on February 13, 1937, in Waltham, Massachusetts, to Agnes and Angelo Mosca. His father Angelo was an immigrant from Panni in southern Italy, and his mother's mother was an African-American (and also half-Italian and half-Black), 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. His father died in 1986, and his mother died at the age of 93.
Football career
Mosca attended the University of Notre Dame on a scholarship, but was kicked out for bookmaking. He was booted out for theft, allegedly stealing typewriters and cameras from stores and selling them on campus. He had already decided to play in the CFL, in 1958 for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He played in nine Grey Cup games, more than any other player in CFL history, tied with his teammate John Barrow. Mosca's teams won five Grey Cup games, one with the Ottawa Rough Riders and four with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. 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. Mosca was the runner-up for the Schenley Most Outstanding Lineman award in 1963 and 1970. He also only missed one game his entire football career.
On August 25, 2015, the Tiger-Cats announced that they would retire Mosca's jersey number 68.