Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 10, 1993 TAG: 9309100037
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ANDREA KUHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LEXINGTON LENGTH: Medium
He doesn't stress out about what classes to take or which friends to hang out with anymore.
Moore has even taken a lighter view of the sport he loves to play - and play hard.
A captain on the Washington and Lee University football team, Moore arrived in August for preseason practice excited and optimistic about his upcoming senior year. But that excitement was cut short with a phone call the night he arrived on campus.
Moore received word from his hometown of Tuscaloosa, Ala., that his best friend had been killed in an auto accident.
Suddenly, deciding whether to take a class in business or basket weaving didn't seem so significant.
"We had already made plans about what we were going to do over Thanksgiving break," Moore said. "It's hard to think that he's not going to be there when I come home for Thanksgiving or any other time.
"It's really made me see things in a different view. I realize that there are more important things than a win-loss record or grades or classes. It makes those things seem so unimportant."
A dark cloud seems to be hanging over the entire W & L team, which opens its season Saturday at Emory & Henry. A number of key losses from a team that went 5-4 last year have cast some doubt on the Generals' chances for another winning season.
Some players transferred, others decided to concentrate on another sport or grades. Some simply decided they didn't want to play football anymore.
"I think it was just based on person to person," Moore said. "Most of them just decided that they weren't willing to further their obligation to their teammates and to the school. Basically, they just lost interest.
"I feel like I have an obligation to my team. Those are my friends out there. If I left, I'd feel like I was deserting them."
Despite the losses, Moore said the outlook of the team had improved.
"The attitude could have been, `The season's shot,' but actually it has been better this year. Playing has been more fun. The younger guys get to step up and they're excited about that."
Moore, 6 feet 3 and 220 pounds, started as a tight end and moved to fullback the second week of last season. He was the Generals' third-leading rusher, finishing with 355 yards and one touchdown on 84 carries. He caught nine passes, three for touchdowns.
Fellow captain Tom Mason, W & L's leading rusher last year, has a broken hand and will see limited action Saturday. Moore likely will carry much of the rushing load for the Generals, but he doesn't mind.
Moore explained that he hoped his performance on the field inspired the younger players on the team to play up to their potential.
"I don't really consider myself much of a motivator," he said. "I just try and do the best I can on and off the field."
Coach Gary Fallon said he would "take a bunch of Wilsons" because of his subtle leadership abilities.
"He's not a hoot-and-holler-type guy," Fallon said. "His look and his actions tell it like it is. He gets it done right in the weight room, the classroom and on the field."
"He has a tough attitude and that rubs off on people. That's exactly what we want."
Tough is what the Generals will have to be Saturday when they meet Emory & Henry, ranked No. 11 in Football Gazette's preseason NCAA Division III poll.
The Wasps defeated Cumberland (Ky.) 15-8 in their opener Saturday and Moore said the one-game head start was a definite advantage.
"They have been able to work out those first-game kinks," he said. "But then again, there's no pressure on us. Nobody expects us to win. And we're excited because they're the only ranked team on our schedule."
The Generals will have two freshmen and 14 sophomores as starters, barring any more injuries or defections. But Moore said he wouldn't be surprised if that hovering cloud dumped on the team again sometime.
"But nothing else can happen that would be much of a shock," he said.
by CNB