Former LU Football player recovers game film thought to have been lost in Treasure Island flood

Former Flames Football player Greg Mosely (’81) is proud to be a piece of Liberty University’s football foundation, and thanks to his discovery of a misplaced game film from its first Division I win, he has helped to keep the team’s history alive for his peers and Flames fans.

Mosely was a starting running back for the Flames from 1978-81, with his name still listed on some of Liberty’s record lists, including for his 300 rushing yards against Evangel University in his final game as a Flame in 1981.

When Mosely arrived at Liberty, the football program was only 5 years old. During his four seasons, the team competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) but would often schedule teams in the higher levels of NCAA to help grow the program.

“My four years was a transitional time where we went from NAIA to NCAA Division II, and by my senior year, even though we took the lumps for it, we were playing Division I-AA (now FCS, or the Football Championship Subdivision) teams,” he said. “It was a necessary part of building the program. I’m very proud to have been a part of Liberty Football, of Liberty University, in those transitional growth days.”

One of his most memorable games was a 23-20 Homecoming victory over against Morehead State in 1980, Liberty’s first win against a Division 1-AA opponent. After sitting out with an injury in the first half, Mosely scored twice in the second half, including a 65-yard rush for the go-ahead touchdown. After his senior season, he asked the team’s equipment manager for the 16mm films of that game, his 300-yard game, and one other game to make duplicates for his personal collection.

The reels went into a box and were forgotten about in his closet, Mosely admitted, and after graduating with his degree in ministry, he hung up his cleats and picked up a clipboard to begin a career in coaching. Mosely is currently in his 15th season as the head coach of women’s volleyball at North Greenville University in Tigerville, S.C.

But that box in the back of his closet would unexpectedly became the sole archive of those games and, in the grander scheme, a part of Liberty’s football roots.

In 1985, a sweeping flood destroyed virtually all of Liberty’s resources on Treasure Island — a property in the James River that held dormitories, a summer youth camp, and the football team’s practice field and equipment building. The films in Mosley’s possession and potentially other reels from the program’s infancy were presumed lost.

Mosely assumed the school had duplicates. It wasn’t until 2022, when he was having lunch with a former teammate who worked at Liberty, that he realized how much the tapes were missed and valued for the program.

“We were talking about all sorts of things; the Morehead State game came up in the conversation, and I said, ‘You know, I have that game tape,’” Mosely said. “(My former teammate) couldn’t believe it. Not long after, I came up to campus and they digitized that tape and the others. I’m very happy and blessed that it’s been able to be preserved and that people have a strong interest in it.”

The visuals and audio of these recovered tapes were used in the celebration of Flames Football’s 50th anniversary in 2023.

[Watch clips from the Morehead State game below.]

Like many other players of that time, Mosely has enjoyed looking back at the early years of Flames Football, the foundational years of three-a-day practices among the bugs and humidity on Treasure Island. Even though they were studying and playing in these humble conditions during the school’s first decade, Mosely said he and his teammates created strong bonds that continue to this day.

“Those things are what made the memories that I shared with those guys,” he said. “There are so many other memories and so many experiences that those of us of that time shared; there could be volumes of books written about it. The thing today that means the most to me is being able to reunite with (my teammates) through social media and just being able to keep up with what’s happening in their lives today.”

Mosely reflected on the rise of Flames Football to a winning FBS program today, noting its present success under Head Coach Jamey Chadwell, whom he knows personally from when Chadwell coached at North Greenville (2009-11). He cited the oft quoted ambition of Liberty’s founder, Dr. Jerry Falwell, that the Flames would play prestigious programs like Notre Dame and Brigham Young University.

“Every successful program has to have a firm foundation, and that’s what those years were,” he said. “Back when I was at Liberty, I heard that we wanted a football team that could play Notre Dame. A lot of people rolled their eyes at the time, but today that is a realistic possibility. It’s just amazing how the vision of a man who had such a strong prayer life could continue to be carried on to bring about the reality now, 50 plus years later.”

He elaborated on the importance of remembering one’s history in times of success, like Liberty is now experiencing. From the beginning, Flames Football has been driven by a desire to honor God on and off the field and, win or lose, be Champions for Christ.

“I’m a big believer in the idea that you have to remember where you came from, and if you don’t, you’re going to lose your way,” he said. “Preserving and honoring those who have come before, in any situation or program or field, is so important. You have to remember the core values and the culture that got you to where you are.”

Mosely was interviewed earlier this year on Flames Central, Liberty University’s sports television show dedicated to providing in-depth coverage of student-athletes and teams.