MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama football coach Joey Jones has announced that the No. 5 jersey worn by the late Anthony Mostella will not be retired or put on display, but instead will be awarded each year to a senior who earns the honor of wearing it.
Mostella, who played on South Alabama’s first football team in 2009, was killed in a motorcycle accident.
A Player Who Followed His Coach
Mostella played for Jones at Birmingham-Southern College before Jones became the founding head coach at South Alabama. According to a story by Tommy Hicks in the Mobile Press-Register, Mostella contacted Jones and persuaded him to accept him as a transfer, and he went on to play for the Jaguars in the program’s inaugural season.
Jones Speaks at Funeral
Jones, an experienced public speaker, spoke at Mostella’s funeral. The Press-Register story described the eulogy as far more difficult for Jones than his many other speaking appearances.
A Lasting Tribute
Rather than taking Mostella’s number out of circulation, Jones chose to keep the No. 5 in use as an annual honor. Each season, a South Alabama senior who earns the distinction will wear the jersey, keeping Mostella’s role in the program’s first season in front of future Jaguar teams.
South Alabama began playing football in 2009 under Jones and plays its home games at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile.
