A big night for a bigger man
Former foes, longtime friends celebrate with Angelo Mosca
HAMILTON— There are good days and bad days for Angelo Mosca. Wednesday was a very good day.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats legend, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease earlier this year, got a roaring tribute at an event called Still Mosca at Hamilton’s Carmen’s Banquet Centre. Introduced to the Tina Turner hit song Simply the Best, Mosca got a standing ovation from about 600 people.
“This is one of the classiest acts ever to come out of football,” said comedian and master of ceremonies Mike Bullard.
The crowd included a who’s who of Canadian sports figures, among them former boxer George Chuvalo, former Leafs centre Doug Gilmour, ex-CFL stars Russ Jackson, Matt Dunigan, Terry Evanshen, Peter Dalla Riva and Joe Poplawski, sports broadcaster Brian Williams and current Hamilton quarterback Zach Collaros.
Evanshen, a Hall of Fame receiver lost much of his memory after a near-fatal car crash in 1988, perhaps best understands what Mosca is going through. His life story was told in the June Callwood book, The Man Who Lost Himself: The Terry Evanshen Story, which was turned into a TV movie.
“When he told us (about the Alzheimer’s diagnosis), I was really taken aback,” Evanshen told the Star prior to the event. “I said, ‘Ang, you’ve entertained lots of people. We remember you. We’ll always re- member you. So when you don’t remember me, I’ll tap you on the shoulder and say, ‘Hi, it’s Terry again.’”
There were plenty who wanted to say hello Wednesday, from the celebrities to Mosca’s relatives, including a sister from California and a cousin form Boston. And plenty wanted a picture of Mosca, dressed in his famous No. 68 Ticats jersey, black slacks, slip-on shoes and no socks.
They were ready to share a few laughs, as well.
Instead of a head table, a wrestling ring was erected in the centre of the hall with guests seated around it. And high over the ring hung the likeness of Joe Kapp, in a No. 22 B.C. Lions football jersey.
Mosca famously got into a scuffle with Kapp over an old grudge during Grey Cup week in 2011 at the CFL alumni luncheon in Vancouver . Video of that incident became an Internet sensation.
People were invited to put in bids for the right to whack the Kapp pinata during a live auction, with bidding closing at $4,200.
At the height of his powers, Mosca was a six-foot-four, 315-pound giant. Afive-time CFL all-star, he appeared in a record-tying nine Grey Cup games, winning five, and he wrestled professionally as King Kong.
The Toronto Star story broke the news of Mosca’s condition in February and explained how Mosca’s wife, Helen, got scared when Mosca didn’t recognize her after she had been away for a week. She took him to a clinic, where the diagnosis was made two weeks after his 78th birthday.
The sports community has rallied around Mosca.
CHML radio personality Bill Kelly wrote a stirring tribute in March, concluding with a call to action: “As Ang Mosca faces his latest challenge,” Kelly wrote, “I hope we can find a way to say thank you for all he’s done for his beloved Hamilton.”
Mosca’s son, Angelo Jr., read the tribute and got together with Mosca’s daughter Jolene to make arrangements for the fundraiser. They contacted the CFL Alumni Association and president Leo Ezerins.
Said Helen: “It kept snowballing and it became bigger than we ever thought.”
Proceeds from the event will go to Alzheimer’s Canada research and the CFL Alumni Association to assist their members in need.
Although his memory is fading, Mosca still can fire a one-liner with the best of them, as he did when the event was announced:
“I am very excited at seeing a few old friends with new teeth,” Mosca said.
He will have his No. 68 retired at the Ticats game Thursday on Angelo Mosca Night at Tim Hortons Field. The only other retired Ticat number is the No. 10 of quarterback Bernie Faloney.
“I am very excited at seeing a few old friends with new teeth.” ANGELO MOSCA ON SHARING SOME LAUGHS WITH FRIENDS