Rex Mossop
Birth name | Rex Peers Mossop | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 18 February 1928 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Five Dock, New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date of death | 17 June 2011 | (aged 83)||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of death | St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spouse | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Children | 2 sons | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Occupation(s) | Television commentator | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby league career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rex Peers "Moose" Mossop (18 February 1928 – 17 June 2011) was an Australian rugby union and rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s – a dual-code international, and an Australian television personality from 1964 until 1991.[1]
Rugby union career
Mossop played rugby union for the
Rugby league career
Switching to rugby league in England in 1951, he played with
Ever an aggressive
Notwithstanding his uncompromising playing style, Mossop won a newspaper's "best and fairest" award for the 1958 season.
He first represented
In 1959 Mossop played in the
He played 136 games for Manly, retiring in 1963 at age 35.[3]
Rex Mossop is listed on the Australian Rugby League Players Register as Kangaroo No. 336.[4]
Commentator
As was normal for professional rugby league players of the time, Mossop had a full-time job: as a car salesman for one of Sydney's largest car dealers, Stacks Holden. In 1963 he heard that Channel 7 were advertising for a sports director. Despite not having any television or broadcasting experience, Mossop won the position over sixty applicants for the job, many of whom possessed better television credentials than he did.
Mossop first appeared on air in 1964 and called his first game in 1965, only four years after former player
- "if I keep getting Boyd and O'Grady mixed up, it's because they look alike, especially around the head"
- "tiny, diminutive, little Mark Shulman"
- "he seems to be favouring a groin injury at the top of his leg"[6]
- "now the referee's giving him a verbal tongue lashing"[5]
- "I don't think the male genitals or the female genitals should be rammed down people's throats … to use a colloquialism."[5]
- "He's made a great yardage of 25 metres."
- "There's too many backs in the three quarter line".
- "He's making good forward progress".
He also recorded such classics as:
- "Son of a very famous father"
- "A little bit marginal"
- "Very mobile running"
The perceived parochialism towards Manly - and a gruff style that bordered on arrogance - often alienated him with league supporters, so much so that he was once famously hit in the side of the head with a piece of fruit thrown at him while giving a live post-match summary.[citation needed] With his long association with Channel 7 many celebrities and media still refer to ATN Channel 7 as Channel REX.[citation needed]
As a commentator, Mossop also covered the
Through his work with Channel 7 during the 1960s, Mossop also became a commentator at the Sydney Showground Speedway during the summer months.[8] He would also commentate on other speedway events during his career including working with ATN's motorsports director and Liverpool City Raceway promoter Mike Raymond on televised events from Liverpool such as the 1982 Speedway World Pairs Championship Final.[9]
Other television work
From 1970 to 1971, Mossop was the "Beast" on the television talk show Beauty and the Beast.[10]
From 1991 to 1995, he was a regular panel member on
He made an appearance on Tonight Live with Steve Vizard in 1992 alongside openly gay comedian Julian Clary in which Mossop refused to shake Clary's hand and espoused homophobic opinions towards Clary.[13]
Honours
Mossop became a life member of the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) in 1999 in recognition of services to the game.
In 2006, Mossop was named in both the Manly Rugby League and Manly Rugby Union "best ever" sides, highlighting his enormous contribution to both codes.
Rex Mossop was awarded the Australian Sports Medal on 24 October 2000 for services to Rugby League.[14]
Personal
Mossop was the younger son of Norman Mossop, a
Mossop married Joan Mildred Bell on 26 October 1951 at St Matthew's Church, Manly.[15] The couple had two sons, Kirk (1952) and Gregory (1956).
In 1976, Mossop made a citizen's arrest of a nudist at Balgowlah Beach later stating "I don't need the male genitalia rammed down my throat".[16]
In his final years, Mossop suffered from Alzheimer's disease. He died aged 83 on 17 June 2011 at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney surrounded by family and friends.[17] His funeral was held on 24 June 2011 at St Matthews Church, Manly.
As a mark of respect for Mossop, the Manly Sea Eagles players wore black armbands for their Round 15 clash with traditional rivals Parramatta on 20 June 2011 at Manly's home ground, Brookvale Oval, and a minute's silence was observed before kick off.[18]
References
- ^ "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ Goodman, Tom (28 May 1959). "Queensland beats N.S.W. in league by 17-15". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
- ISBN 9781864033618.
- ^ ARL Annual report 2005, page 54
- ^ a b c "Daughter and Keeper of the Buzo Flame". The Sydney Morning Herald. 27 July 2007. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
Year after year Buzo, ...faithfully recorded the Mossopisms that tripped off the great caller's tongue,
- ^ ISBN 0-7334-1951-8. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
From 1977 to 1983 I ran a tautology tournament in the The National Times... Rex Mossop won every year, ...
- ^ A sad day for Rugby League - Rex Mossop passed away... Archived 3 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine, sportal.com.au, Tim Mander (7 April 2008), accessed 22 June 2011
- ^ Sydney Showground Speedway
- ^ 1982 Speedway World Pairs Final - Heat 1
- ^ "Beauty and the Beast (1970-1971)". IMDb. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
- ^ "Vale Rex Mossop – The Moose who roared". The Roar. 18 June 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
- ISBN 0-7334-1951-8. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
- ^ "Tonight Live with Steve Vizard". Seven Network (via YouTube). 29 October 1992. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ "It's An Honour, Australian Sports Medal - MOSSOP, Rex". itsanhonour.gov.au. 24 October 2000. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
- ^ NSW Registry Birth Death & Marriages ; Marriage Reference No. 24183/1951. District of Manly.
- ^ Rex Mossop: Rugby league player who became a-love-him-or-loathe-him commentator The Independent 16 July 2011
- ^ "Manly legend Rex Mossop dies aged 83". The Sydney Morning Herald. 18 June 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
- ^ "Vale Rex Mossop" Archived 6 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine
Further reading
- Rex Mossop & Larry Writer: The Moose That Roared. (Rex Mossop Biography). Published by Ironbark Press, Australia. 1991 (ISBN 1 875471 07 3).