Hall of Famer Mozes Excited to be back in Morgantown Saturday
September 14, 2017 06:57 PM | Football
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - By nature, Dan Mozes is not really an emotional guy. But even he admits he will probably have to wipe his eyes a few times when he hits Interstate 79 and crosses the Pennsylvania state line into West Virginia.
Mozes is making the long drive from Plymouth, Michigan, down to Morgantown with his wife and 15-month-old daughter this weekend to take part in West Virginia University's 27th annual hall of fame ceremony at the Caperton Indoor Practice Facility on Saturday morning prior to the Mountaineers' football game against Delaware State at noon.
Mozes is one of eight former West Virginia University greats being inducted this year, bringing the total number of enshrinees to 177.
Mozes is easily one of the most decorated offensive linemen in school history, achieving Consensus All-America status in 2006 blocking for two of the most explosive offensive players in school history - quarterback Pat White and tailback Steve Slaton.
"Easy," is how Mozes describes blocking for those two. "They made you right."
Mozes came to West Virginia from nearby Washington High in Washington, Pennsylvania, and began his career as an offensive guard. However, necessity forced veteran offensive line coach Rick Trickett to switch him to center early in his junior season in 2005 during a game at rival Maryland.
The experiment almost backfired when Mozes' first snap near the Mountaineer goal line sailed high, nearly above the quarterback's head and through the back of the end zone, but he settled down and played a great game.
That was the moment an All-American center was born.
Then, the great games continued for Mozes against Rutgers, Louisville, Connecticut, Cincinnati, Pitt and South Florida as West Virginia swept the Big East with a 7-0 record and faced Georgia in the 2006 Nokia Sugar Bowl.
The Mountaineers were prohibitive underdogs against a Bulldog team that had routed LSU in the SEC championship game, and it became clear to the WVU players just how good Georgia was after they watched LSU pound Miami in the Peach Bowl game a couple of days before the Sugar Bowl.
West Virginia was also in Atlanta that year to play the Sugar Bowl in the Georgia Dome because of damage the New Orleans Superdome sustained during Hurricane Katrina that summer.
"Rick Trickett did not let you forget that team was more athletic and bigger than us, more highly recruited, and he kept chirping that in our ears with his Marine mentality," Mozes recalled. "He did it over and over and over and by game day we were ready. We were ready to fight those dogs and prove Coach Trickett wrong."
The Mountaineers, led by Mozes up front, played a terrific game against the Bulldogs and held on for an unforgettable 38-35 victory.
It was the first major bowl win in school history and it was a triumph that really put Mountaineer football on the map.
And the victory couldn't have come at a better time for the psyche of a state coping with the Sago mining disaster that claimed the lives of 12 Upshur County coal miners.
"The Sugar Bowl, doing something like that when you can represent the state of West Virginia, particularly at the time with the mining disaster going on, and us being able to do something that everyone could be happy about is something we took a lot of pride in," Mozes said.
His senior year in 2006 saw West Virginia miss out on another Big East title when the Mountaineers dropped close games to Louisville and USF, but WVU ended the season on a high note with a thrilling, come-from-behind victory over Georgia Tech in the Gator Bowl to cap a second straight 11-win season and top-10 finish.
That season, Mozes became the first player in program history to win a major national award when he captured the Rimington Trophy. It's an accomplishment he admits carries great meaning to him.
"It's funny, when the NFL situation was going down, getting dropped and picked up by other teams, your car became your home," he said. "Me living out of my Chevy Tahoe packed to the roof with all my stuff, guess who was always sitting next to me on the passenger side?
"Mr. Dave Rimington, my trophy. He was always sitting there being my road dog. He was always with me during those times."
Mr. Rimington and Mr. Mozes have now settled down in Plymouth, where he works as a personal trainer for Barwis Methods as the company's vice president and national training director.
The Rimington Trophy may be collecting a little bit of dust in his daughter's room these days, but it also serves as a constant reminder of the many great things he accomplished while at West Virginia University.
Listen to Dan on the Mountaineer Insider Podcast, presented by Touchdown Home Pros
"I had a conversation with my wife the other day with all of the sad hurricane stuff going on and she asked me, 'If you could only pick three material things to take with you what would you take?' You know the first thing I said, 'Me and Dave, we're getting in that car and driving.' It's something that may be sitting on the shelf in the baby's room, but at the same time it's something that's very dear to me and I take great pride in it because that trophy is also sitting inside (Milan Puskar Stadium) and that's something that's me. It's awesome."
It is awesome.
It's also awesome the love Mozes continues to have for West Virginia University and his adopted state. He grew up in Pitt-Penn State country, but chose to chart a different path partly because those schools overlooked him.
But Pitt got to know Mozes well, particularly during his junior and senior seasons in 2005 and 2006 when the Mountaineers routed the Panthers, much to the chagrin of those living in his neighborhood.
"Even if they didn't root for West Virginia, they rooted for Dan Mozes and they wanted to see me succeed," he said. "That's one good thing about living in a blue-collar town like Washington. If they can put their Pitt and Penn State flags down for four quarters and root for a West Virginia boy, they sure as hell would do that."
Make no mistake, Mozes was born and raised in Washington, Pennsylvania, but the five years he spent in West Virginia are a very big part of who he is today.
Mozes said he makes it a point to tell everyone he's from Washington, Pennsylvania, just a 40-minute drive from Morgantown, West Virginia - not a 30-minute drive from Pittsburgh!
"I've lived in Michigan for six years now. I have a business here but home is where the heart is and my heart will always be in that state and always in that area, for sure," he admitted.
And once Mozes returns to Milan Puskar Stadium this Saturday, you can bet his heart will be beating strongly, pumping that Gold and Blue blood through his veins.
"I'm looking forward to it," Mozes said. "It's going to be a great day. I have a lot of immediate family coming down, my teammates coming from Indiana, North Carolina and the D.C. area to support me.
"When we get announced after the first quarter in front of those fans - the people who make up this state and this football program - that's going to be a blessing. It's going to be awesome beyond any words to describe," he concluded.
Mozes is making the long drive from Plymouth, Michigan, down to Morgantown with his wife and 15-month-old daughter this weekend to take part in West Virginia University's 27th annual hall of fame ceremony at the Caperton Indoor Practice Facility on Saturday morning prior to the Mountaineers' football game against Delaware State at noon.
Mozes is one of eight former West Virginia University greats being inducted this year, bringing the total number of enshrinees to 177.
Mozes is easily one of the most decorated offensive linemen in school history, achieving Consensus All-America status in 2006 blocking for two of the most explosive offensive players in school history - quarterback Pat White and tailback Steve Slaton.
"Easy," is how Mozes describes blocking for those two. "They made you right."
Mozes came to West Virginia from nearby Washington High in Washington, Pennsylvania, and began his career as an offensive guard. However, necessity forced veteran offensive line coach Rick Trickett to switch him to center early in his junior season in 2005 during a game at rival Maryland.
The experiment almost backfired when Mozes' first snap near the Mountaineer goal line sailed high, nearly above the quarterback's head and through the back of the end zone, but he settled down and played a great game.
That was the moment an All-American center was born.
Then, the great games continued for Mozes against Rutgers, Louisville, Connecticut, Cincinnati, Pitt and South Florida as West Virginia swept the Big East with a 7-0 record and faced Georgia in the 2006 Nokia Sugar Bowl.
The Mountaineers were prohibitive underdogs against a Bulldog team that had routed LSU in the SEC championship game, and it became clear to the WVU players just how good Georgia was after they watched LSU pound Miami in the Peach Bowl game a couple of days before the Sugar Bowl.
West Virginia was also in Atlanta that year to play the Sugar Bowl in the Georgia Dome because of damage the New Orleans Superdome sustained during Hurricane Katrina that summer.
"Rick Trickett did not let you forget that team was more athletic and bigger than us, more highly recruited, and he kept chirping that in our ears with his Marine mentality," Mozes recalled. "He did it over and over and over and by game day we were ready. We were ready to fight those dogs and prove Coach Trickett wrong."
The Mountaineers, led by Mozes up front, played a terrific game against the Bulldogs and held on for an unforgettable 38-35 victory.
It was the first major bowl win in school history and it was a triumph that really put Mountaineer football on the map.
And the victory couldn't have come at a better time for the psyche of a state coping with the Sago mining disaster that claimed the lives of 12 Upshur County coal miners.
"The Sugar Bowl, doing something like that when you can represent the state of West Virginia, particularly at the time with the mining disaster going on, and us being able to do something that everyone could be happy about is something we took a lot of pride in," Mozes said.
His senior year in 2006 saw West Virginia miss out on another Big East title when the Mountaineers dropped close games to Louisville and USF, but WVU ended the season on a high note with a thrilling, come-from-behind victory over Georgia Tech in the Gator Bowl to cap a second straight 11-win season and top-10 finish.
That season, Mozes became the first player in program history to win a major national award when he captured the Rimington Trophy. It's an accomplishment he admits carries great meaning to him.
"It's funny, when the NFL situation was going down, getting dropped and picked up by other teams, your car became your home," he said. "Me living out of my Chevy Tahoe packed to the roof with all my stuff, guess who was always sitting next to me on the passenger side?
"Mr. Dave Rimington, my trophy. He was always sitting there being my road dog. He was always with me during those times."
Mr. Rimington and Mr. Mozes have now settled down in Plymouth, where he works as a personal trainer for Barwis Methods as the company's vice president and national training director.
The Rimington Trophy may be collecting a little bit of dust in his daughter's room these days, but it also serves as a constant reminder of the many great things he accomplished while at West Virginia University.
Listen to Dan on the Mountaineer Insider Podcast, presented by Touchdown Home Pros
"I had a conversation with my wife the other day with all of the sad hurricane stuff going on and she asked me, 'If you could only pick three material things to take with you what would you take?' You know the first thing I said, 'Me and Dave, we're getting in that car and driving.' It's something that may be sitting on the shelf in the baby's room, but at the same time it's something that's very dear to me and I take great pride in it because that trophy is also sitting inside (Milan Puskar Stadium) and that's something that's me. It's awesome."
It is awesome.
It's also awesome the love Mozes continues to have for West Virginia University and his adopted state. He grew up in Pitt-Penn State country, but chose to chart a different path partly because those schools overlooked him.
But Pitt got to know Mozes well, particularly during his junior and senior seasons in 2005 and 2006 when the Mountaineers routed the Panthers, much to the chagrin of those living in his neighborhood.
"Even if they didn't root for West Virginia, they rooted for Dan Mozes and they wanted to see me succeed," he said. "That's one good thing about living in a blue-collar town like Washington. If they can put their Pitt and Penn State flags down for four quarters and root for a West Virginia boy, they sure as hell would do that."
Make no mistake, Mozes was born and raised in Washington, Pennsylvania, but the five years he spent in West Virginia are a very big part of who he is today.
Mozes said he makes it a point to tell everyone he's from Washington, Pennsylvania, just a 40-minute drive from Morgantown, West Virginia - not a 30-minute drive from Pittsburgh!
"I've lived in Michigan for six years now. I have a business here but home is where the heart is and my heart will always be in that state and always in that area, for sure," he admitted.
And once Mozes returns to Milan Puskar Stadium this Saturday, you can bet his heart will be beating strongly, pumping that Gold and Blue blood through his veins.
"I'm looking forward to it," Mozes said. "It's going to be a great day. I have a lot of immediate family coming down, my teammates coming from Indiana, North Carolina and the D.C. area to support me.
"When we get announced after the first quarter in front of those fans - the people who make up this state and this football program - that's going to be a blessing. It's going to be awesome beyond any words to describe," he concluded.
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