Like a lot of young men in Mississippi, some of Walker Mosby’s fondest childhood memories are of learning football from his father. The lessons he most took to heart, though, went well beyond throwing the ball around the yard.

His father, John Douglass, has 17 years of high school head coaching experience in Mississippi under his belt and is currently the head coach at Northeast Lauderdale. Mosby eagerly soaked up the nuances of not only the game, but how to teach it, like a thirsty sponge.

“The knowledge I have, the love I have for the game, it comes from my dad. That’s the truth. He has taught me so much. I wouldn’t be where I’m at today without him,” Mosby said. “Just growing up and watching him break down film on Saturday mornings; going to trade film; talking football, learning what power and counter are at a young age. The intensity of the game that he brought sparked my interest.”

Mosby has followed in his father’s footsteps. The 29-year-old already has spent nearly a decade as a junior college assistant and now is ready to take on his first head coaching job by leading St. Aloysius’ football program.

Mosby was hired earlier this week and introduced to St. Al’s students and faculty on Wednesday.

“The second I met (St. Al principal Dawn) Meeks and walked into the school I was in love with it. This seems like a fantastic place. I’m just ready to get to work,” Mosby said.

Mosby’s coaching career began with stints as a student assistant at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and Mississippi State from 2013-17. One-year runs coaching the defensive backs at Gulf Coast and North Carolina’s Louisburg College followed, and then he moved on to Pearl River Community College in 2019.

Mosby has been at Pearl River since, working in several different assistant positions.
Although he was seemingly on a career track to coach at the college level, Mosby said it’s high school football that has always appealed to him more.

“I would go recruit high school games and be like, ‘I want to be coaching right now.’ That’s what I want to do,” Mosby said. “That played a factor into it, too. High school is my passion. This is what I want to be, this is what I want to do.”

Mosby and his girlfriend Keylie recently gave birth to a young son, as well, which also played into his decision.

“I want to spend more time with my family. That’s what I want to do. I want to be there to watch my son grow up. Go home and watch him play on the ground. I want to have my family and be there for them,” he said.

Mosby will officially begin his duties at St. Al on Feb. 5. He’ll teach biology and history in addition to coaching football, and he’s eager to get started.

He said his motto for the Flashes will be DTA — discipline, toughness and attitude.

“There’s nobody on or off the field that will have more discipline than us. Nobody on or off the field will have more toughness. Nobody on or off the field will have better attitude than us. That’s what we’re going to live by,” Mosby said. “The wins will come. The scheme will be implemented. But those three things right there are going to play a huge factor in wins and losses in the future and watching these young men be successful in life on and off the field.”

Mosby’s biggest challenge will be turning around a proud program that has slumped in recent years. St. Al is coming off its first winless season in 110 years, and will enter the 2024 season riding a 19-game losing streak. It has not finished with a winning record since 2018.

Mosby said he was not intimidated by the rebuilding job that lays ahead.

“Any head coaching job is going to have its ups and downs and it’s going to be tough. I’m up for any challenge that is thrown at me,” Mosby said. “It doesn’t matter if they went 0-10 last year or not. I’m not worried about that. I’m worried about the guys that I have right now and we’re going to get the job done. That’s what I’m focused on right now.”

While trying to turn the Flashes back into winners on the field, Mosby added that he didn’t want his players to lose sight of how enjoyable high school football can — and should — be.

“We get to play a game. I get to coach a game. We’re going to make it fun. We’re going to have fun. We’re going to have discipline, toughness and attitude as well, but we are going to have fun with this,”Mosby said. “This is a football game. We’re going to make sure that we have fun and these young men have fun while they’re playing this football game because it ends for all of us eventually.”