Joseph Charles Moss (April 19, 1930 – January 31, 2023) was an American

gridiron football Gridiron football ( ),"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica'' ...

player and coach. 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 ...

at the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

and professional football in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) with the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

. Moss served as head coach for the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

and

Ottawa Rough Riders The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded on September 19, 1876. Formerly one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup cham ...

in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL).

Biography

A native of

Elkins, West Virginia Elkins is a city in Randolph County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 6,950 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It lies along the Tygart Valley River and was incorporated in 1890, taking its name fr ...

, Moss played

at the

and was drafted in the fourteenth round of the

1952 NFL draft The 1952 NFL draft was held on January 17, 1952, at Hotel Statler in New York. Selections made by New York Yanks were assigned to the new Dallas Texans. This was the sixth year that the first overall pick was a bonus pick determined by lottery ...

by the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

. He was traded to the

on July 11, 1952, for Nick Bolkovac and a sixth-round draft pick. After playing one season in the

with the

, Moss joined the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

and was stationed at

Bolling Air Force Base Bolling Air Force Base or Bolling AFB was a United States Air Force installation located in Washington, D.C. In 2010, it merged with Naval Support Facility Anacostia to form Joint Base Anacostia–Bolling. From its establishment, the base has s ...

in Washington, D.C., where he played for the base football team. After graduating from University of Maryland as a

cadet A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime ...

in the Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the

United States Air Force Reserves The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commis ...

on February 1, 1953. In 1956, Moss became an assistant coach at his alma mater, Maryland. From 1961 to 1968, Moss was Ben Martin's chief assistant at the

United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academies, United States service academy in Air Force Academy, Colorado, Air Force Academy Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Colorado Springs. I ...

.Coach Moss Aids Toronto
Our Sports Central, April 25, 2001. From 1969 to 1972 he was the defensive line coach for the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

. In 1973, Moss became the defensive coordinator for the

of the

. Moss was promoted to head coach during the 1974 season after the Argos got off to a 3–4 start. Toronto would go 3–5–1 under Moss and he was replaced as head coach by

Russ Jackson Russell Stanley Jackson (born July 28, 1936) is a former professional Canadian football player. Jackson spent his entire 12-year professional football career with the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is a member of t ...

, but remained as defensive coordinator. After one season as the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 19 ...

defensive backs coach, Moss became head coach of the

Ottawa Gee-Gees The Ottawa Gee-Gees () are the athletic teams that represent the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, Ontario. The Gee-Gees won the national football championship, the Vanier Cup, in 1975 and 2000, while also appearing in the game in the 1970, 1980 ...

football team for one year, 1982. Moss won the Ontario-Quebec University Football League coach of the year award in 1982. Moss returned to the Argonauts as defensive coordinator in 1983 and helped coach the team to victory in the 71st Grey Cup. On December 18, 1984, Moss was named head coach of the

. Moss coached the Riders to a 7–9 record and a playoff berth in his first season as head coach. He was fired during his second season after losing ten of eleven games. He recorded a 10–19 mark during his tenure at the helm of the Rough Riders. After his firing, Moss served as an assistant with the Toronto Argonauts,

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home game ...

, and Ottawa Rough Riders in the CFL, and the

New Jersey Red Dogs The Cleveland Gladiators were an arena football team based in Cleveland, Ohio, and members of the Arena Football League (AFL). The Gladiators played their home games at Quicken Loans Arena, which they shared with the Cleveland Cavaliers of the N ...

and

Toronto Phantoms The Toronto Phantoms were a professional arena football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The team was a member of the Eastern Division of the National Conference of the Arena Football League (AFL). The team also previously operated in New York Ci ...

of 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 ...

. He has also scouted for the Tiger-Cats. Moss retired from the air force reserves as a lieutenant colonel. He died on January 31, 2023, at the age of 92.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moss, Joe 1930 births 2023 deaths Air Force Falcons football coaches American football offensive tackles American military sports players Military personnel from West Virginia Cleveland Gladiators coaches Hamilton Tiger-Cats coaches Maryland Terrapins football coaches Maryland Terrapins football players Ottawa Gee-Gees football coaches Ottawa Rough Riders coaches Sportspeople from Elkins, West Virginia Philadelphia Eagles coaches Players of American football from West Virginia Saskatchewan Roughriders coaches Toronto Argonauts coaches Toronto Phantoms coaches United States Air Force officers Washington Redskins players