CHARLESTON, S.C. – This summer The Citadel Athletic Department is highlighting a number of our coaches in a series titled Coach's Corner. The videos will post each Wednesday morning throughout the summer and are intended to help Bulldog fans and supporters get to know our coaches away from competition. Each Coach's Corner episode features the coach reflecting on his or her background, goals and experiences, in addition to their attraction to The Citadel and coaching our cadet-athletes. Links to previous Coach's Corner posts can be found at the bottom of this article. This week we feature Craig Mosqueda.
 
Rapid Fire
Last movie you saw in a theater: Star Wars
Favorite professional team: Kansas City Chiefs
Last book you read: Lead for God's Sake
Favorite meal: Spaghetti
Favorite musician: Blake Shelton
 

 
1. Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Topeka, Kansas.
 
2. What sports did you play growing up?
I played basketball, played football for about two weeks and then I liked racecars so that was my other sport/hobby.
 
3. Who was your favorite athlete as a kid?
My favorite athlete as a kid was Michael Jordan.
 
4. How did you first get interested in your sport, was there a certain person who influenced you?
From about age 12, we just always went to the lake and played volleyball and sand volleyball and it was just a bunch of us that always did. My friend Dan Fran who is the head coach at Lewis University is probably one of the guys that I followed a lot.
 
5. What was your first car?
My first car was a 1980-something Dotson B210.
 
6. What is your favorite movie?
My favorite movie is Grease. It's just a great movie, I love the songs because I like to sing.
 
7. What's the best sporting event you've ever attended?
My best sporting event would have to be the volleyball national championships. I love going to those and seeing the energy, especially when you go to Nebraska, the energy level is incredible.
 
8. What is something on your bucket list you haven't been able to check off yet?
One of the things on my bucket list I want to do is get in a car or a van or a big suburban or something and travel across country with my kids and my wife and just see all different types of sites across the country. The Rockies, the Grand Canyon, etc.
 
9. What is your favorite place in Charleston?
My favorite place in Charleston is downtown. We love walking around downtown and looking at the old buildings. I love the quiet streets where there's no one at and I just like to walk around.
 
10. How did you get into coaching?
I got into coaching because I had a girlfriend in college who wanted me to coach a club team with her, so I went with her to tryouts and instead of helping her they gave me my own team.
 
11. Was coaching always something you wanted to do?
Coaching was not always something I wanted to do. I was in college and I was taking electronics, then I went to business and then I went accounting and then one day I just really realized how much I liked watching my sister play soccer. So then I went into physical education thinking well maybe I will go into coaching so that's the direction I went.
 
12. What attracted you to The Citadel?
I was attracted to The Citadel for several reasons. The academic piece is huge. The last two schools I was at were exceptional, were always ranked high in the South region and I knew the next school I wanted to be at had to be similar or better. The piece for me that was cool was that I was in the army, I got out and I didn't want to get out but I did for selfish reasons, and this kind of helps me fulfill the fact that I got out and have always longed to get back in. So I love The Citadel just for the military piece and for the girls and who they are at the end of the process, it is pretty phenomenal.
 
13. What do you enjoy most about the culture at The Citadel?
I really enjoy the professionalism on campus, I love the comradery. I've really made a lot of good friends in the Marine Corps and ROTC group, they play basketball with us and I play underwater rugby with them. I guess I just like the "closeknitness" even though it is somewhat of a bigger campus than I've been at, 2,500 students, there still is a nice closeness to it.
 
14. What has been your favorite part about working at The Citadel?
My favorite part about working at The Citadel is bringing girls on campus and seeing the light come on about what we can do for them for their future and while they are here. I think it is really special what we offer and what they can do while they are here and what they will accomplish once they leave here.
 
15. What's the best part about coaching?
The best part about coaching are the relationships that you build with the girls. I know with all my teams that I've had just the marriage notes that you get or "Hey I just had my first child", just seeing the highs they go through or even when they reach out to you and say "Hey I'm really struggling with this and I know you've dealt with this, what have you done about it?". So just the communication and the relationships that you build is special.
 
Coach's Corner Schedule
May 31 - Jody Huddleston
June 7 - Sandra Worman
June 14 - Chuck Kriese
June 21- Jack Marchant
June 28 - Lori Bonacci
July 5 - William Smith 
July 12 - Craig Mosqueda 
July 19 - Erin Leonard 
July 26 - Rob Hjerling 
Aug. 2 - Kris Kut 
Aug. 9 - Ciaran Traquair 
Aug. 16 - Stevi Robinson 
 
For more information on The Citadel volleyball, follow @CitadelVB or visit CitadelSports.com.