Wilford Harve Moore (November 20, 1919 – January 21, 2014) was an

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 ...

coach. He was the highest winning coach in McMurry Indians football. The McMurry football stadium is named in his honor. A native of

Littlefield, Texas Littlefield is a city in and the county seat of Lamb County, Texas, United States. Its population was 5,943 at the 2020 census. It is located in a significant cotton-growing region, northwest of Lubbock on the Llano Estacado just south o ...

, Moore earned his

physical education Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...

degree from

Hardin–Simmons University Hardin–Simmons University (HSU) is a private Baptist university in Abilene, Texas, United States. It is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. History Hardin–Simmons University was founded as Abilene Baptist College in 189 ...

in 1941. He was an assistant coach at Abilene High in the fall of 1941, but joined the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

on December 9 following the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...

. After returning from

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he served as an assistant in 1946 at McMurry and then became the head coach the next year, coaching at McMurry from 1947 to 1954. Moore coached the Indians to a 49–29–5 record and led them to the Oleander Bowl in 1949. Moore later coached at

Lubbock High School Lubbock High School is a 5A high school serving grades nine to twelve in Lubbock, Texas, as part of the Lubbock Independent School District. The school was founded in 1891 as the first high school in Lubbock County. Lubbock High School predat ...

Port Neches-Groves High School A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manchest ...

and

Cleburne High School Cleburne High School is a public high school located in the city of Cleburne, Texas. The school is in the Cleburne Independent School District. History A high school was occupied in Cleburne in the 1910s, replacing an older schoolhouse. The ...

before returning to

Abilene, Texas Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor County, Texas, Taylor and Jones County, Texas, Jones counties, Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan ar ...

in 1972 where he lived for the rest of his life. At Hardin–Simmons, he played alongside

Bulldog Turner Clyde Douglas "Bulldog" Turner (March 10, 1919 – October 30, 1998) was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He was elected, as a player, to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1960 and the ...

, who later starred for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

in 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 ...

(NFL). At McMurry he coached players like Les Cowan, Brad Rowland and

Grant Teaff Grant Garland Teaff (; born November 12, 1933) is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at McMurry University (1960–1965), Angelo State University (1969–1971), and Baylor University (1972–1992), compilin ...

. Moore was the only person to be inducted into the athletic halls of fame at both Hardin–Simmons University and McMurry University. Since Moore played for Hardin-Simmons and coached at McMurry, both schools created a trophy named in his honor for the crosstown game.HSU and McMurry create Wilford Moore trophy for crosstown game
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Head coaching record

College

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Wilford 1919 births 2014 deaths American football guards American football linebackers Hardin–Simmons Cowboys football players McMurry War Hawks football coaches High school football coaches in Texas United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II People from Littlefield, Texas Players of American football from Texas