Robert F. Mosby was born in Versailles, Kentucky, in 1923. He was a graduate of Simmons High School in Kentucky and earned an undergraduate degree from Tennessee State University. He would later receive a Masters degree from Columbia University. After graduation he began a 43-year career in education and athletics. During the 1949 and 1950 football seasons, Mosby served as an assistant coach at Escambia County Training School in Atmore. From 1951 through 1954, he was head football coach at Escambia County Training where his teams were 23-12-1 for the four-year period, including a 9-0-1 finish in 1954. Coach Mosby became head football coach at Cobb Avenue High in Anniston in 1955, he remained there for a total of 18 seasons. His teams tied for the Alabama Interscholastic Athletic Association Class 3A State Championship in 1965 and 1967, going 7-3-1 in 1965 and 9-0-1 in 1967. Mosbys first Cobb Avenue team was AIAA Northeast District Champion, the first such title for Cobb Avenue in school history. In addition to the 1955 team, Mosbys 1959, 1960 and 1961 teams were also district champions. In the final game of the 1969 season, the Anniston Quarterback Clubs Crippled Childrens Charity Bowl, Cobb Avenue defeated Anniston 31-21 for Mosbys 100th career win at Cobb Avenue. In 1970, Cobb Avenue was 10-0-0 in regular season play. The Panthers were ranked No. 7 among Class 4A schools in the AHSAA points system and one of eight teams to make the playoffs before losing to No. 2 Minor in the opening round. At Cobb Avenue, Mosbys football record was 121-50-10. His overall football record was 144-62-11 in 22 seasons. Seven times he was named coach of the year. Following the 1972-73 school year Cobb Avenue became a junior high school and Mosby remained at Cobb Avenue as the assistant principal. He was later an administrator at Anniston Middle School until he retired in 1992. He served as assistant principal at Cobb Avenue Junior High and Anniston Middle School for 17 years. Prior to his retirement Mosby was named Anniston teacher of the year and district teacher of the year. He was inducted into the Alabama High School Athletic Associations Hall of Fame in 1995. He passed away on October 11, 2004. |