Literary Squared Circle #26 – TELL ME TO MY FACE
The Literary Squared Circle blog had planned to review a different book this week. However, upon learning of death of Angelo Mosca this past Saturday at the age of 84, an audible was called. To honor the memory of Angelo Mosca the Literary Squared Circle will instead review Mosca’s 2011 memoir, Tell Me To My Face by Angelo Mosca with Steve Milton (lulu.com, 2011).
Tell Me To My Face is divided into three sections. The first section covers Mosca’s childhood, growing up in Massachusetts with an abusive father and an alcoholic mother. These issues were exacerbated by the fact that Mosca’s mother was half-black. Though not an issue in today’s society, in the late 1940s and early 1950s Mosca and his family were subjected to racism, which led him to be ashamed of his ancestry and hide it away for much of his life. Mosca was able to escape his unhappy home life through football, which is covered in the second section of the book.
Angelo Mosca received a scholarship to play football at Notre Dame. Mosca’s time in South Bend was cut short when the university discovered that he was married. Instead of returning to Massachusetts, Mosca decided to travel north of the border to play in the Canadian Football League. He would call Canada “home” for the rest of his life. Mosca played in the CFL for 15 seasons, appearing in 9 Grey Cup games, winning 5 Grey Cup championships (4 with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and one with the Ottawa Rough Riders).
Mosca’s success on the football field made him a celebrity in Canada. He became a familiar face appearing in ads for a variety of products. Mosca then parlayed his popularity into a second career as a professional wrestler. His wrestling career is featured in the third and final section of Tell Me To My Face. Mosca actually began wrestling during the offseason months while still playing in the CFL. Throughout the 1970s, King Kong Mosca, as he was known, wrestled primarily as a heel for many NWA-affiliated promotions (Florida, Georgia, Mid-Atlantic, Tri-State, San Francisco, etc.) before joining the WWF in the early 1980s.
In the WWF, Mosca became one of the company’s top heels, challenging WWF Champion Bob Backlund and feuding with Pat Patterson. Mosca spent a few years working as a color commentator for the WWF before he retired in 1986. After a few unsuccessful marriages, Mosca married his wife, Helen, in 1997 and finally found the happy family life he had always lacked.
Tell Me To My Face is somewhat of a dry read, but Angelo Mosca’s openness and honesty was refreshing. Whereas many shy away from discussing the more unpleasant aspects of their lives in their books, Mosca told his story, warts and all. As a bonus for wrestling fans, in the appendix of the book there is a listing of the “Wrestling Career of Angelo ‘King Kong’ Mosca”, which highlights his achievements and presents a record of his matches from 1969 to 1987.
Tell Me To My Face was published in 2011. In 2015, Angelo Mosca was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. It was Alzheimer’s disease that claimed the life of the Mosca this past Saturday November 6th. He was 84 years old. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer remembered Angelo Mosca as a “Canadian sports icon”. Looking back at Mosca’s achievements in both football and wrestling, one would have to agree with that assessment.
Rest In Peace Angelo “King Kong” Mosca
3 Stars out of 5
Tell Me To My Face is divided into three sections. The first section covers Mosca’s childhood, growing up in Massachusetts with an abusive father and an alcoholic mother. These issues were exacerbated by the fact that Mosca’s mother was half-black. Though not an issue in today’s society, in the late 1940s and early 1950s Mosca and his family were subjected to racism, which led him to be ashamed of his ancestry and hide it away for much of his life. Mosca was able to escape his unhappy home life through football, which is covered in the second section of the book.
Angelo Mosca received a scholarship to play football at Notre Dame. Mosca’s time in South Bend was cut short when the university discovered that he was married. Instead of returning to Massachusetts, Mosca decided to travel north of the border to play in the Canadian Football League. He would call Canada “home” for the rest of his life. Mosca played in the CFL for 15 seasons, appearing in 9 Grey Cup games, winning 5 Grey Cup championships (4 with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and one with the Ottawa Rough Riders).
Mosca’s success on the football field made him a celebrity in Canada. He became a familiar face appearing in ads for a variety of products. Mosca then parlayed his popularity into a second career as a professional wrestler. His wrestling career is featured in the third and final section of Tell Me To My Face. Mosca actually began wrestling during the offseason months while still playing in the CFL. Throughout the 1970s, King Kong Mosca, as he was known, wrestled primarily as a heel for many NWA-affiliated promotions (Florida, Georgia, Mid-Atlantic, Tri-State, San Francisco, etc.) before joining the WWF in the early 1980s.
In the WWF, Mosca became one of the company’s top heels, challenging WWF Champion Bob Backlund and feuding with Pat Patterson. Mosca spent a few years working as a color commentator for the WWF before he retired in 1986. After a few unsuccessful marriages, Mosca married his wife, Helen, in 1997 and finally found the happy family life he had always lacked.
Tell Me To My Face is somewhat of a dry read, but Angelo Mosca’s openness and honesty was refreshing. Whereas many shy away from discussing the more unpleasant aspects of their lives in their books, Mosca told his story, warts and all. As a bonus for wrestling fans, in the appendix of the book there is a listing of the “Wrestling Career of Angelo ‘King Kong’ Mosca”, which highlights his achievements and presents a record of his matches from 1969 to 1987.
Tell Me To My Face was published in 2011. In 2015, Angelo Mosca was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. It was Alzheimer’s disease that claimed the life of the Mosca this past Saturday November 6th. He was 84 years old. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer remembered Angelo Mosca as a “Canadian sports icon”. Looking back at Mosca’s achievements in both football and wrestling, one would have to agree with that assessment.
Rest In Peace Angelo “King Kong” Mosca
3 Stars out of 5
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