Pioneer, patriot, ground-breaker, legend -- All words which describe Colorado State great Lt. Col. John Mosley. Now his number and legacy will forever be remembered at CSU as his No. 14 will be retired across the whole department, Director of Athletics John Weber announced Thursday.

Lt. Col. Mosley’s number will go up in Canvas Stadium on September 7. Any current CSU student-athlete donning the No. 14 can do so until their eligibility is exhausted.

“Lt. Col. John Mosley’s legacy represents everything that it means to be a Colorado State Ram,” Weber said. “He broke barriers at the university, served his country and gave back to many. Retiring Lt. Col. Mosley’s number not just in football, but across the whole department is imperative to honor the great man he was. It allows us to celebrate, honor and educate everyone on his legacy.”

Lt. Col. Mosley came to Colorado State as a National Merit Scholar from Denver’s Manual High School in the fall of 1939. He tried out and made the football team as a freshman, becoming the first African American football player at Colorado State since 1906. Lt. Col. Mosley also decided to wrestle for coach Hans Wagner, becoming the second African American wrestler in school and state history. Lt. Col. Mosley earned all-conference honors in wrestling. He was a three-year letterman in football, becoming the first African American letterwinner in CSU football history.

Following graduation, Lt. Col. Mosley set his sights on flying and trained to be a pilot so he could fly for the Army Air Corps. He enrolled in the Tuskegee Flight training center and became one of the first African American bomber pilots in US history. Lt. Col. Mosley served in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, retiring as a Lt. Col. in the United States Air Force. Post-retirement, he became a spokesperson for black athletes and the Tuskegee Airmen, the first few African American pilots during WWII.

In 2004 Lt. Col. Mosley and his wife Edna Mosley received Doctorate of Humane Letters Honorary Degrees from Colorado State.

CSU developed the Lt. Col. John Mosley Mentoring Program as a resource for Black Student-Athletes and to serve and welcome all student-athletes in 2011. Lt. Col. Mosley died at the age of 93 on May 22, 2015.

He is a member of the Colorado State Athletics Hall of Fame (1998) and Colorado Sports Hall of Fame (2009).

The official retirement of Mosley’s number will take place during the football’s Ag Day, September 7 when the Rams host Northern Colorado at 5:00 p.m. All season Colorado State’s athletic programs will wear special patches and shirts honoring Mosley along with a flag hanging from Canvas Stadium.

Csurams.com

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