Tom Mosier

The best way to know Tom Mosier is to read about him in words written by the members of the North Carolina soccer family that know him well, such as the staff members of the North Carolina state soccer office with whom he worked closely for twenty-five years of service …Tom was always patient and helpful no matter how big or small the problem was and it was always fixed …Tom was repeatedly willing to try anything that would help us accomplish our many duties … He has the patience of Job!!! There was never a problem that he could not fix!! He is a kind and gracious man and when it came to FoxPro, he was a genius … Never the “out-front” volunteer he made his MANY contributions quietly and selflessly, asking for nothing in return.

Tom Mosier is one of those people about whom most of the members of an organization, particularly a large one, never hear but without whose involvement the organization would suffer. He served both the North Carolina Youth Soccer Association and the North Carolina Adult Soccer Association, but started first with NCYSA. In 1987, Tom wrote a software program for the NCYSA registration system and database that would serve the organization for over two decades. It was his devotion to continuously monitoring and improving the program, however, that led to his enduring impact. He contributed thousands of hours helping the registration process work for both the state association and for its member organizations, often driving from his home in Raleigh to the State Soccer Office in Greensboro on his day off to work with the NCYSA staff. Tom’s program was replaced in 2009 with an on-line registration system but he continues, even today, to develop databases for NCYSA so that past data can be archived and retrieved as needed. He also produced the first “Soccer News” for NCYSA in 1986, a report to which all classic teams looked forward to receiving because it included scores, statistics and standings of the teams. In the mid-1990’s Tom adapted the software program to allow its use with the NCASA registration process and became the organization’s State Registrar, serving as a member of the NCASA Executive Committee.

Kathy Robinson, North Carolina Soccer’s Executive Director for 16 years, described the scope of Tom’s contributions as “25+ years serving soccer in North Carolina … touching teams, local associations and state organizations.” Judy Ennis, a 7-year member of the NCYSA staff, said about Tom, “His dry humor always helped me get through the most frustrating times when something was not going well or not working right. I will never forget his constant remark – ‘Those of you in registration are so creative!’ – meaning someone was always coming up with something new or a way to get around the system.”

Darius Ejlali, immediate past president of NCASA, wrote, “When I met Tom, I never could have anticipated the wealth I would receive. An amazing and organized state registrar, a sharp soccer mind that has a pure outlook on the game in North Carolina, a master gardener that opened my eyes to the natural beauty around us, a sharp photographer that dazzled with simplicity and a person I can easily call a friend. He helped me to understand the registration process and function but I also received an incredible education on soccer in North Carolina and insight to league management. I was amazed that all of this was coming from a gardener in his basement.”

Bob Kepner, who served as president of NCYSA and NCASA for many of the years of Tom’s service, expressed a similar sentiment, “Tom’s contribution to North Carolina soccer was among the catalysts that made it possible for NCYSA and NCASA to be counted among the most admired state soccer associations in the country. Tom was at the heart of making it possible for both organizations and their members to communicate effectively with each other, to be able to responsibly manage their growth in numbers and level of activity and to plan effectively. It is only when you know yourself well that you can grow positively. Tom Mosier provided the foundation for that self-awareness.”

It is impossible to think of Tom without also thinking of his wife, Linda. Many years ago the NCYSA Executive Board established an award for service to youth soccer in North Carolina and named the award in honor of the two of them. First presented in 1988, NCYSA now regards the Tom and Linda Mosier Award as its most prestigious recognition of service to the game in North Carolina.

Tom grew up on his family’s farm in southern Iowa and attended a one-room country school from kindergarten through eighth grade. He graduated from the University of Iowa in 1964 with a degree in journalism and, as he fondly remembers, married his lovely wife, Linda, on the same day. A 30-year employee as a graphics artist of Raleigh’s The News and Observer, Tom retired in 2009. Tom and Linda have one child, son C. J., whose play with the 1972 Raleigh Raiders launched their long-term involvement with soccer. In retirement, Tom undertakes “civil engineering projects” in his back yard. He explains that Linda is the gardener and he is the earth mover. Tom has published two books and eleven calendars (the latter, as he puts it, to a limited audience).