Angelo Mosca gives emotional speech as Tiger-Cats retire his jersey

Angelo Mosca had plenty of memorable moments for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats during his playing career and in his decades-plus involvement with the team afterwards, and the ceremony to retire his #68 jersey at halftime of Thursday night's game against Montreal was another indelible one. On "Angelo Mosca Night," the Ticats made him just the second player ever to have a jersey retired by the franchise, following only quarterback Bernie Faloney. Mosca was his usual personable self in the stands before halftime, talking with and taking photos with fans, and the actual ceremony saw him driven around the stadium in a golf cart with family, waving to a roaring crowd. Hamilton Spectator columnist (and co-author of Mosca's book) Steve Milton introduced Mosca and talked about his importance to the city, and Mosca himself then gave an emotional speech, thanking the fans and talking about what the city meant to him.

"I was here for 17 years, it was just a lot of fun," he said. "I used to go downtown every Friday night."

Mosca had high praise for the various famed coaches he played under.

"Jake Gaudaur, Ralph Sazio, Jim Trimble, they made me," he said.

He also said his teammates, who helped him win four Grey Cups during his stints with Hamilton (from 1958-59 and 1963-72) , were a crucial part of his success. Many of them were present Thursday, and Mosca had great things to say about them.

"I love the hell out of these guys," he said. "They made it fun. I'll never forget it when [famed quarterback, defensive back and punter] Joe Zuger came here and I said 'Who the hell are you?'"

Mosca had high praise for the Ticats' owner/caretaker Bob Young, too.

"I'm sure I want to be here because of the greatest owner they have now, Bob Young," Mosca said.

He wrapped up his speech by again talking about how proud he is of Hamilton.

"This has been a great city for me and the place I want to be."

TSN's Matt Dunigan had some insightful analysis after Mosca's speech, too, talking about how Mosca (like Dunigan) is an American who's firmly committed to Canada and the CFL.

"He's been embraced and embraced this country so much for 50-plus years," Dunigan said.

That's certainly true. Mosca may have been born in Waltham, Massachusetts, but he's thoroughly associated with Hamilton. He's been one of the biggest faces of the Ticats over the years, both during and after his playing career. It's truly fitting for the team to honour him this way, and they did a great job of that Thursday. Here's a short video TSN's Matthew Scianitti took of the banner-raising: