Merv Mosely (born October 31, 1966) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who played four seasons in the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 Arena Football League season, 1987 season, making it the third longest-runnin ...

(AFL) with the

Albany Firebirds The Indiana Firebirds were a team in the Arena Football League. The team was based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Home games were played at the Conseco Fieldhouse, also the home of the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association and Indiana ...

and

Connecticut Coyotes The Connecticut Coyotes were an arena football franchise based in Hartford, Connecticut. The Coyotes played in the Eastern Division of the National Conference in the Arena Football League. History On June 22, 1994, the Arena Football League a ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Western Connecticut State University Western Connecticut State University (WCSU and WestConn) is a public university in Danbury, Connecticut. It was founded in 1903 as a teacher's college and is part of the Connecticut State University System. WCSU consists of four schools: the A ...

Early life and college

Merv Mosely was born on October 31, 1966. He attended Waterford High School in

Waterford, Connecticut Waterford is a town in New London County, Connecticut, New London County, Connecticut, United States. It is named after Waterford, Ireland. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Southeastern Connecticut ...

. Mosely played

for the Western Connecticut State Colonials of

. He helped Western Connecticut State advance to the 1985 NCAA Division III playoffs. He garnered preseason

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

recognition in 1987. Mosely had a school-record three interceptions in a game against the Trenton State Lions in 1988. He graduated in 1988. He was inducted into the school's athletics hall of fame in 2024.

Professional career

Mosely played in all eight games for the

of the

(AFL) in 1990, recording 25 receptions for 289 yards and five touchdowns, 28 solo tackles, 11 assisted tackles, six interceptions, and five pass breakups. The Firebirds finished the season with a 3–5 record. Mosely was a

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

during his time in the AFL as the league played under

ironman rules The one-platoon system, also known as "iron man football", is a platoon system, rule-driven substitution pattern in American football whereby the same players were expected to stay on the field for the entire game, playing both offense and defense ...

. He appeared in all ten games during the 1991 season, totaling 26 catches for 386 yards and six touchdowns, 50 solo tackles, five assisted tackles, one forced fumble, eight pass breakups, five interceptions, and ten kick returns for 137 yards. He was named second-team

All-Arena An All-Arena Team, an all-star team consisting of the best players of their position was selected every season in the Arena Football League (AFL). Teams * 1987 All-Arena Team, 1987 * 1988 All-Arena Team, 1988 * 1989 All-Arena Team, 1989 * 1990 Al ...

for his performance during the 1991 season. Albany finished the year with a 6–4 record, and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the

Detroit Drive The Massachusetts Marauders were a professional arena football team that was based in Worcester, Massachusetts. They were a member of the Arena Football League (AFL) from 1988 to 1994. The team was established in Detroit in 1988, as the Detroit ...

by a score of 37–35. Mosely played in all ten games for the second consecutive season in 1992, accumulating 62 solo tackles, 14 assisted tackles, one fumble recovery, eight pass breakups, and nine interceptions. He earned first-team All-Arena honors for the 1992 season as the Firebirds went 5–5 and lost to the

Dallas Texans Dallas Texans may refer to: American football *Dallas Texans (NFL), 1952 team in the National Football League *Dallas Texans (AFL), 1960–1962 team that is now the Kansas City Chiefs *Dallas Texans (arena football) The Dallas Texans were an ...

in the first round of the playoffs. On December 13, 1994, Mosely was selected by his home-state

with the first overall pick in the 1994 AFL expansion draft. Prior to being drafted, he was studying for his master's degree in social work and urban studies at

Southern Connecticut State University Southern Connecticut State University (Southern Connecticut, Southern Connecticut State, SCSU, or simply "Southern") is a public research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Part of the Connecticut State University System, it ...

, and also working as a clinician with Dixwell/Newhallville Mental Health in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

. He appeared in all 12 games for the Coyotes in 1995, recording 55 solo tackles, eight assisted tackles, one fumble recovery, nine pass breakups, and eight interceptions. The Coyotes finished with a 1–11 record. Despite only playing four seasons in the AFL, his 28 career interceptions were the second most in league history at the time.

References

External links

Stats Crew profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mosely, Merv Living people 1966 births Players of American football from New London County, Connecticut American football wide receivers American football defensive backs Western Connecticut Wolves football players Albany Firebirds players Connecticut Coyotes players People from Groton, Connecticut 20th-century American sportsmen Southern Connecticut State University alumni