Manfred Moore (December 22, 1950 – January 11, 2020) was an American

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who work (human activity), works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the partic ...

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

and, briefly,

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

player who played in the 1970s.

Early years

Moore was born in Martinez, California. He graduated from San Fernando High School in San Fernando, California. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

Professional career

NFL career

Moore was a 9th round selection (216th overall) in the 1974 NFL draft by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

. He played for the 49ers in 1974 and 1975, being named their special teams player of the year in both seasons. He then spent the 1976 NFL season with the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

, after being selected by them in the

1976 NFL expansion draft The 1976 National Football League (NFL) expansion draft was held March 30–31, 1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime ...

. Near the end of the 1976 season he was cut by the winless Buccaneers (0–13 at that point) and signed by the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

to replace their injured kick returner Rick Jennings.

Switch to rugby league

Following his Super Bowl appearance, Moore was recruited by Australian New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership team the Newtown Jets for the 1977 NSWRFL season, with the move being financed by John Singleton. He made his first grade debut just 98 days after the Super Bowl, playing on the wing against the

Western Suburbs Magpies The Western Suburbs Magpies (legal name: Western Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club Ltd) is an Australian rugby league football club based in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 1908, Wests, as the club is commonly ...

before 5,743 spectators at Henson Park. He impressed on debut, scoring the club's first try of the season. This made him the first, and to date only, person to score a first grade rugby league try in Australia and an NFL touchdown in the US. Moore lasted only four games in the NSWRFL; he was relegated to reserve grade and played in the second row before receiving a head injury in a match against Penrith which prompted him to return to the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

prematurely.

Return to the NFL

Moore returned to the

with the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

, playing twelve games in the 1977 NFL season.

Personal life

Moore's brother Malcolm, played in 3 games for the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

during the

1987 NFL season The 1987 NFL season was the 68th regular season of the National Football League (NFL). This season included games predominantly played by replacement players, as the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) players were National ...

. His nephew, Solomon Byrd, currently plays in the NFL for the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Manfred 1950 births 2020 deaths American expatriate rugby league players American football running backs American rugby league players Footballers who switched code Minnesota Vikings players Newtown Jets players Oakland Raiders players Players of American football from Contra Costa County, California Rugby league players from California Rugby league wingers San Francisco 49ers players Sportspeople from Martinez, California Tampa Bay Buccaneers players