Mossy Cade facts for kids

Tommories "Mossy" S. Cade (born December 26, 1961) is a former American football player. He played as a safety. Mossy Cade played for the Memphis Showboats in the United States Football League (USFL) in 1985. He then joined the Green Bay Packers in the National Football League (NFL) for two seasons.

Before playing professionally, he was an All-American player for the Texas Longhorns. The San Diego Chargers chose him in the first round of the 1984 NFL draft. He was the sixth player picked overall.

Mossy Cade grew up in Eloy, Arizona. He helped his high school team, Eloy Santa Cruz, win the 1979 State Championship in football. He scored both touchdowns for his team in that game. He was an all-state running back and also played safety. Mossy Cade also set a national high school record in the 110 high hurdles. This record was 13.69 seconds and stood as an Arizona state record until 2013.

College Football Days

Mossy Cade played college football for four years. He was named an All-American in his final year. He played in every game during his four years. He made 11 interceptions, which was a great achievement.

In 1980, he helped his team play in the 1980 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl. They lost that game to North Carolina. In 1981, his team had a great season, going 10-1-1. They even reached the #1 ranking. They also beat Alabama in the 1982 Cotton Bowl Classic, finishing the season ranked #2.

In 1982, he was chosen for the 2nd Team All-Southwest Conference. His team lost the 1982 Sun Bowl to North Carolina again. In his senior year, he was a first-team All-American and first-team All-SWC safety. His team won the Southwest Conference Championship. They were ranked #2 for most of the season. However, they missed out on the National Championship after a close 1-point loss to Georgia. The 1983 defense, which also included All-American Jerry Gray, is known as one of the best in Texas history.

He also played in the 35th annual Senior Bowl. While at Texas, he ran track during his freshman and senior years. He set a school record for the 55-meter/60-yard hurdles in 1981. He also finished 5th in the 110-hurdles at the same event.

Playing in the Pros

The San Diego Chargers picked Mossy Cade as the #6 overall player in the draft. However, he was not happy with the contract they offered. Because of this, he did not play for them that season. In February 1985, he signed with the Memphis Showboats of the USFL. He played one season there before the league stopped operating. He played in 15 games that year and made 2 interceptions.

In the summer of 1985, Cade and the Chargers tried to agree on a contract again. They still could not reach a deal. The Chargers then traded Cade to the Green Bay Packers. In return, the Chargers received two draft picks. One of these was a first-round pick in 1986. The Chargers later traded this pick to the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings used it to select Gerald Robinson.

Mossy Cade continued to play for the Packers. His professional football career ended due to legal issues. He was released by the Packers. He then signed with the Minnesota Vikings. However, the Vikings released him after only three days. This was due to public concern about his signing. The NFL stated that he would not be allowed to play in 1988 or 1989. It was also suggested he might not play again as long as Pete Rozelle was commissioner. Even when Paul Tagliabue became commissioner, Cade was not allowed to play. His attempts to return to football were not successful. He also could not get a work visa to play in other leagues like the CFL or WLAF.

He finished his career having played in 30 games. He started 19 of those games. He had 1 fumble recovery and 5 interceptions for 26 yards.

Life After Football

Mossy Cade's brother, Mike, also played on the 1979 state championship team. Mike later became a star player at Arizona State. Mossy's cousin, Eddie Cade, played one season with the New England Patriots.

After his football career, Mossy Cade married Kim Wright. They had a son together. He worked several jobs and took computer classes at night.

See Also

• List of Texas Longhorns football All-Americans
• List of Los Angeles Chargers first-round draft picks