Hall of Fame
One of many effective and unsung heroes from Cal U’s undefeated 1958 football team was Dr. Fleming Mosely III.
He was a four-year starting offensive lineman for the Vulcan from 1956 through 1959, who also played nose tackle as well for two years before platooning became part of the game.
Mosely earned All-State honors his junior season and Little All-American honors as a senior. Paving the way for star skilled offensive players and Hall of Fame inductees Phil Clifford (2000) and Carl Crawley (2001), Mosely helped the 1958 Vulcans achieve a perfect 8-0 overall record. One of just two undefeated football teams in school history, the 1958 Vulcans allowed only 31 points all season. That vaunted Vulcan team led the nation in rushing defense and was second nationally in total defense. Cal outscored its opposition that year by a 25.8 to 3.9 points per-game margin and Mosely’s blocking helped the offense score over 20 points five times and average 33 points per game over the season’s final five games. Cal’s closest wins that year were three victories by 13 points each.
“ I did not play much defense by then but we could stop anyone,” Mosely said. “Our running backs were very tough and Phil Clifford was a real horse as was John Foreman who never got much recognition but could play. We dominated teams and guys like Pete Petroff were very good.”
Cal compiled a 6-2 overall record during Mosely’s 1959 senior season and closed that year with four straight victories, including a 41-0 season finale win over Edinboro. Mosely’s collegiate football head coach was Cal Hall of Fame inductee Ted Nemeth (2004). Other Hall of Fame inductees that were teammates of Mosely besides Clifford and Crawley include Less Nagg (1996), Frank Bernadowski (1998), Dick Fields (1998), and Jack Scarvel (2002). Mosely was also a standout boxer who won several Pittsburgh Golden Gloves’ championships.
Nearly 50 years after his playing days, Mosely looks back fondly and is pleased to join some of his teammates as a Cal U Hall of Fame member.
“I felt that the guys I played with back then were great people and very important to me,” Mosely said. “Some of them have made the Hall of Fame and I am thrilled to join them in this great honor. I am proud to be part of that team and inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player on that team.”
Mosely also praised Nemeth, who coached the Vulcans from 1950 through 1961 and still owns the school record for career football coaching victories (55) and a .596 winning percentage.
“Ted was a true gentleman and he would compliment you,” said Mosely. “It was easy to play with him because you wanted to play for him.”
Originally from Monessen, PA, and a graduate of Monessen High School, Mosely excelled in football, boxing, and track and field. He helped the Monessen ninth grade team win the junior high WPIAL championship and the varsity team won two conference titles with Mosely. He also joined the Army Reserves while in high school.
After earning his bachelor’s degree in education from Cal U in 1960, Mosely served two years in the Army before accepting a teaching job at Hawthorne Elementary School. After teaching there for six years he became an assistant principal at Charleston Elementary School in Lorain, Ohio, and earned his master’s degree in counseling and his principal certification from Cal U in 1972. Mosely returned briefly to Hawthorne Elementary as an assistant principal before becoming the principal of Lorain’s Lincoln Elementary, a bilingual school. While there, Mosely attended the University of Akron on a part-time basis, and earned his doctorate of education in 1982. He retired in 1988 but his distinguished career in education continues as Lincoln still regularly calls on Mosely to either substitute teach or serve as an administrative consultant. Early on during his teaching career in Lorain, Mosely taught together with Bernadowski, his teammate and a longtime local educator.
“That was a lot of fun and I still keep in touch with several of my teammates, including Frank,” said Mosely, who came back to Cal U in 2002 when the school honored the 1948, 1958, and 1968 PSAC championship teams. “Your teammates are always your teammates.”
Though an exceptional athlete, Mosely was also a top-notch student who obviously made the most of his education as well as excelling on the football team. Two faculty members he credited almost five decades later for helping build his character and ultimately most successful career were English instructor Florence Kemper and Dr. George Roadman, who would become Cal U’s President in 1969.
“Mrs. Kemper replaced a guy that was not that good but she was just a wonderful person who made an impression on you which is obvious since I remember her all these years later,” Mosely said. “I really thought I received a good education that prepared me well. The people there were easy to like. One of those was Dr. Roadman; he was a sweetheart, my ace. He was a guy you could go to when you had a problem and talk too. I know he went on to become President but he was also a great as an instructor.”
Mosely resides in Lorain with his wife, Emily. The couple is the proud parents of three grown children—Christopher, Constance, and Fleming IV.
Despite returning to his collegiate alma mater several years ago, Mosely now journeys back to southwestern Pennsylvania to receive the university’s highest athletic honor. He is also well aware of Cal U’s many physical changes.
“It’s hard to get in and out of town now,” he said. “Once I’m in town I know where I am at but with the new highways and everything it is very different. I am looking forward to coming back and through guys like Frank (Bernadowski) I have heard about the many changes. My wife is also looking forward to this and we hope to have a lot of our family members attend.”
