Throwback Thursday 4.4.13 Jim Moore (Football) 1993-97

April 4, 2013

Jim Moore grew up in Wyoming and moved to Garden City, Kan., where he played high school football. Coming out of high school, Moore received offers to play for highly-rated football programs like Notre Dame, University of Southern California and Ohio State. However, there was something special that Moore was drawn to when he visited Lawrence and the University of Kansas. In all, Moore spent five seasons in the Crimson and Blue. He redshirted his freshman year then went on to play four seasons at tight end for the Jayhawks. In his junior year, KU won the Aloha Bowl in Hawaii against the University of California Los Angeles, 51 to 30. In the bowl game, Moore scored the first touchdown.

Upon graduating in 1997 with degrees in exercise science and sports management, Moore received several opportunities to play in the National Football League. He trained with the Tennessee Oilers before breaking his hand and then joined the Kansas City Chiefs in 1998 where his workout partner was now Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez. Moore is now a financial advisor for Wells Fargo in Lawrence. A KU football season ticket holder, Moore brings his family to every game. With his wife, Allison, Jim has three boys: Alex, Parker and Finn, who love to attend the Jayhawk football games and even wear their dad’s old jerseys to school.

Why did you decide to come to KU?
“That’s a great question because I actually had a chance to go to Notre Dame, USC and Ohio State. When I came up on my visit, there was something about Lawrence that just draws you in. I really loved the people I met, I loved the downtown area, and it was also close to home, so my parents had a chance to come watch me play. I also met a bunch of guys that were being recruited by KU from Kansas, and we all got talking as a group about putting KU football on the map. That was as big of a reason as any to go to KU.”

What was your favorite part about being an athlete at KU?
“Just the interaction with other athletes; I got to be good friends with people from basketball, baseball, tennis, soccer and all the other sports offered at KU. A lot of those people I actually interact with and keep up with today. Also, of course, the level of competition is a great reason, and being able to play on some of the biggest stages in college sports. It’s just a great opportunity to be able to compete.”

Do you have a stand-out memory playing football for KU?
“I would say my favorite memory playing football at KU would have to be the 1995 Aloha Bowl where we beat UCLA. I actually caught the first touchdown of the game and we beat the team that everybody predicted to beat us, even though we were ranked higher. We came together as a team and won. It was a blast. Also, playing in Hawaii didn’t hurt either.”

What was the experience like being on a big stage like the Aloha Bowl?
“It was such a great opportunity. We weren’t playing for the national championship; however, Hawaii was a great place to play. All the activities around the bowl game were phenomenal. All the media around it, and the build-up to the game was a blast. That year we finished ninth in the country, so it was a lot for us to play for.”

There are a lot of great on-the-field memories, but what is your favorite off-the-field memory?
“Does going to a KU basketball game count? Being around a KU basketball game is just a phenomenal time for KU Athletics. The experience of being in Allen Fieldhouse was really just being a normal student. You’re in there with 16,300 people yelling and screaming. Seeing the guys play in the Fieldhouse was a pretty awesome experience. My freshman year we went to a bowl game, the men’s basketball team went to the Final Four, the women’s basketball team went to the Elite Eight and the baseball team went to the College World Series, so it was a pretty awesome year at KU.”

What about the student aspect of college life, what was your favorite part?
“It’s one of the best universities in the country with a beautiful campus, fantastic facilities and fantastic professors. Getting a chance to be walking around on The Hill is a great experience. It wasn’t just about being an athlete, it was about interacting with 28,000 people and the experience.”

What was the hardest part about being a student athlete?
“Time commitment. I think people look at athletes and think they are given a lot of things. What they don’t get a chance to see is all the time you give to the sport. It’s not just practice, the off-season and during season is a lot of time given. Athletes still have to go to class like everyone else. Time management is hard. Being a student-athlete was at least a 40-hour-a-week job. I was putting in at least a 40 hour week, or even 60 to 80 hours with all the traveling.”

What did you do after you graduated in 1997?
“I had a couple of chances in the NFL. I signed with the Tennessee Oilers out of college. I broke my hand in training camp, and came back as a graduate assistant for the KU football team. Then I signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in ’98. I was only there during the off-season because I re-broke my hand and basically retired. My workout partner was Tony Gonzalez, and it was a pretty great time in Chiefs’ history during that year with all the players.”

How did you get into your current field of work?
“I started in the banking industry here in Lawrence and then moved to insurance. It was a great industry to get into with the connections that I developed at KU. A lot of the clients that I have in insurance and the financial advising stage in my life are the people that I have met through my jobs in Lawrence. One of my favorite things about my job is that I get to live in Lawrence. My boys get to experience all the things about Lawrence and KU by going to football, basketball and baseball games. They get to be around what I got to be around.”

Do you have any advice for future and current student-athletes?
“Take advantage of being in Lawrence, Kansas. It’s an amazing community, and they really reach out to support the athletes. Get out into the community and don’t just stay on The Hill. Go and be active in the community and learn about Lawrence and all the things that are here. I think that if the athletes are involved with the community, after college there are opportunities to stay close to the University and stay close to athletics.”