Virginia Moessmang
Born in Newark, Ohio, July 23, 1917, Virginia Moessmang graduated from Boston University's Sargent College of Allied Health Professions. She taught physical education in Ohio and New Jersey before coming to Connecticut, where in 1943 she was hired to teach science and physical education in the Branford School System. She first taught at the Eades Street School, which then housed grades 7 through 12, before moving to the new Branford High School on East Main Street. There she began a coaching career that would last thirty-three years and make her a leg end in her own time.
While gymnastics remained a staple of the curriculum in 1944 "Mossy," as she was affectionately known by all, began expanding athletic opportunities for girls by establishing a basketball team. Two years later girls' field hockey and volleyball were instituted as club programs under her direction. As early as 1945, long before the existence of sports leagues for women, the Branford High School teams were energetically and enthusiastically involved in intramurals. In 1958, she started interscholastic volleyball and track programs at Branford High School and also initiated cheerleading clinics in conjunction with Southern Connecticut State University.
Mossy was a dominant force in establishing girls' sports in Connecticut and throughout her career worked with the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference and the Division for Girls' and Women's Sports group in promoting women's. Besides pioneering Girls' Varsity Basketball in Connecticut, Moessmang also served for three years as a member of the CIAC Tournament Committee of the Connecticut State Athletic Conference.
Two years after her retirement from the Branford School System in 1977, Virginia Moessmang earned the distinction of being the first woman to be inducted into the Connecticut Coaches Hall of Fame. In 1986 the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Class L Most Valuable Player Award was named in her honor; she was inducted into the Connecticut Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Branford Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. She was further honored the following year by her alma mater when she was the recipient of the coveted Twinnes Award, presented to Sargent alumni who exemplify ideals of service, loyalty, and outstanding professional work.
Despite her many contributions to athletics throughout the state and her well-deserved celebrity as a coach, Mossy was first and foremost a teacher: a teacher not only of academic and athletic skills but also of character. She was truly a teacher of the whole child. Observing students during their leisure, informal moments-at recess, on the playground- she was always taking note of their actions and interactions and gaining insight into their personalities. She truly knew her students as individuals. Whether on the court, on the playing field, or in the classroom, she always seized any opportunity that came along as a "teachable moment"-and long before that term became fashionable. In addition to demanding fair play in every setting, she demanded that her students respect and encourage one another. An incorrect answer in the classroom or a missed play on the field could never be an occasion for reproach or derision. Rather it became a moment for support, encouragement, and another try at it. Furthermore, she was able to see into her students' lives outside the classroom and to be a source of support and inspiration for them, especially when they were undergoing difficult times.
Her former students speak of her with the whole-hearted warmth and affection that reveals the depth of her lasting impact on their lives. Former Education Hall of Fame inductee JoAnn Donadio (1998) credits Mossy with having inspired her to choose physical education as one of her majors and fondly recalls the thrill and wonderful learning experiences that ensued when she was assigned Mossy as her master teacher. And a master she was indeed!
While gymnastics remained a staple of the curriculum in 1944 "Mossy," as she was affectionately known by all, began expanding athletic opportunities for girls by establishing a basketball team. Two years later girls' field hockey and volleyball were instituted as club programs under her direction. As early as 1945, long before the existence of sports leagues for women, the Branford High School teams were energetically and enthusiastically involved in intramurals. In 1958, she started interscholastic volleyball and track programs at Branford High School and also initiated cheerleading clinics in conjunction with Southern Connecticut State University.
Mossy was a dominant force in establishing girls' sports in Connecticut and throughout her career worked with the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference and the Division for Girls' and Women's Sports group in promoting women's. Besides pioneering Girls' Varsity Basketball in Connecticut, Moessmang also served for three years as a member of the CIAC Tournament Committee of the Connecticut State Athletic Conference.
Two years after her retirement from the Branford School System in 1977, Virginia Moessmang earned the distinction of being the first woman to be inducted into the Connecticut Coaches Hall of Fame. In 1986 the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Class L Most Valuable Player Award was named in her honor; she was inducted into the Connecticut Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Branford Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. She was further honored the following year by her alma mater when she was the recipient of the coveted Twinnes Award, presented to Sargent alumni who exemplify ideals of service, loyalty, and outstanding professional work.
Despite her many contributions to athletics throughout the state and her well-deserved celebrity as a coach, Mossy was first and foremost a teacher: a teacher not only of academic and athletic skills but also of character. She was truly a teacher of the whole child. Observing students during their leisure, informal moments-at recess, on the playground- she was always taking note of their actions and interactions and gaining insight into their personalities. She truly knew her students as individuals. Whether on the court, on the playing field, or in the classroom, she always seized any opportunity that came along as a "teachable moment"-and long before that term became fashionable. In addition to demanding fair play in every setting, she demanded that her students respect and encourage one another. An incorrect answer in the classroom or a missed play on the field could never be an occasion for reproach or derision. Rather it became a moment for support, encouragement, and another try at it. Furthermore, she was able to see into her students' lives outside the classroom and to be a source of support and inspiration for them, especially when they were undergoing difficult times.
Her former students speak of her with the whole-hearted warmth and affection that reveals the depth of her lasting impact on their lives. Former Education Hall of Fame inductee JoAnn Donadio (1998) credits Mossy with having inspired her to choose physical education as one of her majors and fondly recalls the thrill and wonderful learning experiences that ensued when she was assigned Mossy as her master teacher. And a master she was indeed!