COVER STORY
A SELF-MADE
RAM
By Atif Lodhi and Louis DiGiorno ’ 88
If there was ever any doubt about the elasticity and value of a strong work ethic and a Fordham Prep education , Joe Moglia has put it to rest . It is possible that Moglia is the first person to have written books on both investing and football , but it is near certain that he is the only author to have simultaneously held the positions of head coach of an NCAA football team and chairman of the board of a major investment services firm . Between the afternoons he spent helping at the family fruit market on West 181st Street in Washington Heights and the lessons he learned on and off the field during his Rose Hill years , the former CEO and chairman of the board of TD Ameritrade & head coach of the Division I Coastal Carolina University Chanticleers received the solidest of foundations on which has built not one , but two remarkable careers .
Joseph H . Moglia was born in 1949 to John Moglia , who had come to America in 1927 , and Frances McLarnon Moglia , whom John had met while stationed in Northern Ireland during World War II and courted by mail for four years before she joined him in the States in December of 1947 . Joe was the oldest of their five children , in whom they instilled , by word and example , the virtue of hard work , the importance of faith , the value of education , and in particular , the love of family .
Growing up in the Dyckman section of Manhattan , Joe first came to Hughes Hall in 1963 . Straightaway , the broad-shouldered freshman in Mr . Lennox ’ s homeroom made his mark in Prep athletics , playing all four years for the baseball and football squads , eventually captaining both teams . But he also participated in the spiritual and charitable life of the school by devoting time to the sodalities and volunteering with the Christian Action Group – after all , as his father and mother had always told him : love is “ putting others ’ needs before your own .”
While Moglia is remembered by classmates as a standout athlete under the coaching of fellow Hall of Honor member Joe “ Sammy ” Ososki , it is his depth of character that truly stands out in the hearts and minds of those who know him . In the words of Joe ’ s classmate and long-time friend John O ’ Leary : “ Joe has always led the humble life of a true man for others . He has generously shared his success with his family and friends , his alma mater , his colleagues , and dozens of worthy institutions across America .”
Joe graduated from the Prep in 1967 and from the University in 1971 . During his college years at Fordham University , while starting and supporting a family and pursuing his undergraduate degree in economics , Moglia coached Prep football
“ A real man , a real woman , a real leader stands on their own two feet , takes responsibility for their actions , treat others with dignity and respect , and realize that they will have to live with the consequences of their actions .”
A REFLECTION BY …
This ( first ) item may sound fabricated , but it is not . My initial contact with Joe was through email . He was in his first year as head football coach at Coastal Carolina University . Two facts : ( 1 ) I was seeking support for the John Vrionis ’ 64 Scholarship and ( 2 ) Joe didn ’ t know me from a hole in the wall . I used that very phrase in my email request to him .
As soon as I ’ d sent my message , I emailed my friend and classmate , Andy Paterno , saying that if Joe helped in any way , we should travel to meet and thank him in person . While I was emailing Andy , my computer “ pinged ,” signalling the arrival of a new email . I quickly opened the email that had “ pinged .” It was Joe , informing me of a very generous donation . I phoned Andy to alert him that we had a road trip to make .
Fast forward seven years . Joe ’ s Chanticleers were scheduled to play Georgia State in Atlanta . Andy and I escorted John Vrionis , then wheelchair-dependent , to Turner Field . Joe gave us sideline and locker room access . John , a Holy Cross Hall of Famer ( football and lacrosse ), had a wonderful afternoon . “ I loved smelling the grass on that field ,” he remarked . It was his last major outing before he passed away .
There is no finer graduate of the Prep than Joe Moglia . Over the past ten years , I ’ ve come to know him as a friend . Postscript : Unasked , he has contributed to the Vrionis Scholarship every year since that initial contact .
Bill Perry ’ 64
SPRING 2021 11