How Roderick Moore Jr.’s HBCU experience prepared him to coach in the NFL

Moore was ultimately redshirted, but that fueled him even more. The Nashville native took that approach and would eventually become a team captain just two years later.

Joe McNeil, one of Moore’s former teammates at Morehouse, played alongside him on the offensive line. More than two decades after sharing the field together at BT Harvey Stadium, McNiel credited Moore’s leadership and character.

“He was the best,” McNeil said. “Till this day, we remain best friends. I don’t think you can find a better person walking.”

In addition, Moore was a two-year varsity letterman in track and field and a scholar. Some of his academic accolades included being on the SIAC all-academic team, an Arthur Ashe Jr. Scholar, and a Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Scholar.

Moore was adamant about excelling in the classroom. He believed that academics would prepare him for a career after football.

Following his graduation from Morehouse, Moore moved to Knoxville to pursue his master’s degree in Human Performance and Sport Studies at the University of Tennessee. He nearly maintained a 4.0. He later received an opportunity to work in Tennessee’s athletic department as an assistant strength and conditioning coach, and the rest is history.

“I’m grateful for Morehouse [and] what it did for me,” Moore said. “You see the shirts. ‘Morehouse changed my life’ and I would say, yeah it did.”

The bonds he created, especially with his teammates, still remain strong to this day.

“Sports are a microcosm of society,” Moore said. “You’ll have to interact with people from various backgrounds, and you’ll have success and failure. Athletics gives you the opportunity to say, ‘Hey, I can do it’.”