Shawn Moore
Encyclopedia
Shawn Levique Moore is a former National Football League
and Canadian Football League
quarterback
and coach
. He attended college at the University of Virginia
and has returned to Virginia as an assistant coach under Mike London
.
at quarterback for the Virginia Cavaliers
in 1988, as a redshirt
sophomore; his college jersey number was "12." Moore led the 1988 team to a 7-4 win-loss record. In 1989, he and the Cavaliers went 10-2 for the regular season, winning a share of the ACC
championship. Moore demonstrated the ability not only to throw accurately on both the long and short pass, he had the ability to run the ball effectively. The Cavaliers only losses of the 1989 regular season were to the previous season's NCAA champion, Notre Dame
, in the Kickoff Classic
, and to Clemson
in a game where Moore was injured and never played a down. The Cavaliers shared the ACC title with Duke
, despite beating the Blue Devils 49-28, because the ACC had no tie-breaking system at the time. The Citrus Bowl
, traditional host of the ACC champion, selected Virginia anyway, pitting the Cavaliers against the University of Illinois
and future NFL quarterback Jeff George
. The Cavaliers lost 31-21, but Moore was later quoted as saying "I think we knew (we had something special) my junior year, that 1989 season, after we won our first ACC championship. It was a team of veteran players. My class was about 23 strong. Everyone played as a redshirt freshman. We had a lot of playing experience. By the time we were fourth-year juniors, we had a lot of games under our belt. We knew going into that fifth year that we could probably be special." Moore finished the 1989 season ranked fourth in the NCAA in passing efficiency.
, Moore and the Cavaliers started off with seven straight wins, including a groundbreaking 20-7 win over the Clemson Tigers
, a team that Virginia had not beaten in its previous twenty-nine matches. The offense was prolific, scoring a combined 337 points in its first seven wins , and Moore had a direct hand in scoring more than 50% of the team's touchdowns. For the last three weeks of the seven game streak, the Virginia Cavaliers were ranked #1 in both major polls.
Moore relied on two main targets for his passing game: wide receiver
Herman Moore
, no relation to Shawn, and tight end
Bruce McGonnigal
. Despite Herman Moore's reputation as the most dangerous receiver on the field, McGonnigal was known for making clutch catches for first downs. However, in the week before the Georgia Tech game, McGonnigal ruptured his spleen, and a vital part of the passing game was suddenly missing. Georgia Tech prevailed 41-38, despite prolific passing numbers from Moore, including a 63-yard touchdown pass to Herman Moore. Stealing the Cavaliers' momentum, Georgia Tech went on to an undefeated season, a Citrus Bowl
win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers
, and a share of the national championship with the Colorado Buffaloes
.
Already invited to the Sugar Bowl
, the Cavaliers attempted to make the best of the season, and managed a 24-10 win over the North Carolina Tar Heels
, but against the Maryland
, the Cavaliers found themselves in another struggle, with both teams alternating the lead. Late in the game, Moore ran the ball and was tackled short of the Maryland goal line. In the resulting turmoil, a Maryland defender stepped upon the thumb of Moore's throwing hand, forcing it backwards, and dislocating (referred to as a "bad flipper") it for the rest of the season. Without Shawn Moore, the Virginia offense sputtered immediately, and Maryland took the win. The following week, Virginia Tech
picked apart Virginia's inexperienced back-up quarterback, Matt Blundin
, and the Cavaliers 7-0 start ended in an 8-3 showing.
Moore was brought back for the Sugar Bowl game against the #10 Tennessee Volunteers
, and at first his presence kept Tennessee wary and prevented them from stacking the line. Virginia running back
s Terry Kirby
and Nikki Fisher ran for over 100 yards and Virginia led 16-0 at halftime. But with a few errant long passes in the first half revealing that Moore was not the threat he had been most of the season, Tennessee tightened its defense in the second half, and battled back to win 23-22.
In that 1990 season, Shawn Moore passed for 2262 yards and 21 touchdowns, and rushed for 306 yards and 8 touchdowns. Despite missing the last game of the regular season, Moore still led the NCAA in passing efficiency, even over eventual Heisman Trophy
winner, Ty Detmer
. He had broken nearly every major record for a quarterback at Virginia. Moore was voted fourth in Heisman balloting, at the time receiving more Heisman votes than any other ACC candidate had previously. His favorite receiver, Herman Moore
, placed sixth in the balloting.
by the Denver Broncos
. Moore managed to share time at the starting position with Tommy Maddox
when John Elway
was out for the last six games of the 1992 season. After serving as an NFL back-up from 1991–1994, Moore played for a number of CFL teams, including the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
, and the Calgary Stampeders
.
scout
. Most recently, he has worked for the NFL to promote youth football. He resides in Northern Virginia and coaches high school football at St. Albans School
in Washington, D.C.
On January 8, 2010, it was announced that Moore will return to Virginia as an assistant coach for the Virginia Cavaliers football team.
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
and Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
and coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
. He attended college at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
and has returned to Virginia as an assistant coach under Mike London
Mike London
Mike London is the head coach of the Virginia Cavaliers football program of the University of Virginia. A native of the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, London played college and pro football as a defensive back for the Richmond Spiders and Dallas Cowboys...
.
College career
Moore startedStarting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
at quarterback for the Virginia Cavaliers
Virginia Cavaliers football
Virginia Cavaliers football is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I-FBS and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
in 1988, as a redshirt
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
sophomore; his college jersey number was "12." Moore led the 1988 team to a 7-4 win-loss record. In 1989, he and the Cavaliers went 10-2 for the regular season, winning a share of the ACC
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
championship. Moore demonstrated the ability not only to throw accurately on both the long and short pass, he had the ability to run the ball effectively. The Cavaliers only losses of the 1989 regular season were to the previous season's NCAA champion, Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
, in the Kickoff Classic
Kickoff Classic
The Kickoff Classic was a season-opening college football game played at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey from 1983 to 2002.-History:...
, and to Clemson
Clemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
in a game where Moore was injured and never played a down. The Cavaliers shared the ACC title with Duke
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, despite beating the Blue Devils 49-28, because the ACC had no tie-breaking system at the time. The Citrus Bowl
Citrus Bowl
The Florida Citrus Bowl is a stadium in Orlando, Florida, USA, built for football, which currently seats around 70,000 people....
, traditional host of the ACC champion, selected Virginia anyway, pitting the Cavaliers against the University of Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
and future NFL quarterback Jeff George
Jeff George
Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" George is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts with the first overall pick of the 1990 NFL Draft...
. The Cavaliers lost 31-21, but Moore was later quoted as saying "I think we knew (we had something special) my junior year, that 1989 season, after we won our first ACC championship. It was a team of veteran players. My class was about 23 strong. Everyone played as a redshirt freshman. We had a lot of playing experience. By the time we were fourth-year juniors, we had a lot of games under our belt. We knew going into that fifth year that we could probably be special." Moore finished the 1989 season ranked fourth in the NCAA in passing efficiency.
1990 season
In the 1990 season1990 Virginia Cavaliers football team
The 1990 Virginia Cavaliers football team represented the University of Virginia in the 1990 college football season. The Cavaliers offense scored 464 points while the defense allowed 227 points. Led by head coach George Welsh, the Cavaliers competed in the ....
, Moore and the Cavaliers started off with seven straight wins, including a groundbreaking 20-7 win over the Clemson Tigers
Clemson Tigers
The Clemson Tigers are any team that represents Clemson University as a member of the NCAA's Division I or in the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference....
, a team that Virginia had not beaten in its previous twenty-nine matches. The offense was prolific, scoring a combined 337 points in its first seven wins , and Moore had a direct hand in scoring more than 50% of the team's touchdowns. For the last three weeks of the seven game streak, the Virginia Cavaliers were ranked #1 in both major polls.
Moore relied on two main targets for his passing game: wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
Herman Moore
Herman Moore
Herman Joseph Moore is a former American National Football League wide receiver. At George Washington High School in Danville he played mostly as a kicker and also as a tight end. He went to the University of Virginia, where he was a 2-sport athlete...
, no relation to Shawn, and tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
Bruce McGonnigal
Bruce McGonnigal
Joseph Bruce McGonnigal is a former American football tight end on the University of Virginia football team, and was a starter at the position in 1989 and 1990...
. Despite Herman Moore's reputation as the most dangerous receiver on the field, McGonnigal was known for making clutch catches for first downs. However, in the week before the Georgia Tech game, McGonnigal ruptured his spleen, and a vital part of the passing game was suddenly missing. Georgia Tech prevailed 41-38, despite prolific passing numbers from Moore, including a 63-yard touchdown pass to Herman Moore. Stealing the Cavaliers' momentum, Georgia Tech went on to an undefeated season, a Citrus Bowl
Citrus Bowl
The Florida Citrus Bowl is a stadium in Orlando, Florida, USA, built for football, which currently seats around 70,000 people....
win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers
1990 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The 1990 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Tom Osborne and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.-Schedule:...
, and a share of the national championship with the Colorado Buffaloes
1990 Colorado Buffaloes football team
The 1990 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder in the 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Buffaloes offense scored 338 points while the defense allowed 160 points. Led by head coach Bill McCartney, Colorado competed against Notre Dame in the...
.
Already invited to the Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
, the Cavaliers attempted to make the best of the season, and managed a 24-10 win over the North Carolina Tar Heels
North Carolina Tar Heels football
The North Carolina Tar Heels football team represents the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in collegiate level football. In Carolina’s first 121 seasons of football competition, the Tar Heels have compiled a record of 646–488–54, a winning percentage of .566...
, but against the Maryland
1990 Maryland Terrapins football team
The 1990 Maryland Terrapins football team represented University of Maryland in the 1990 NCAA Division I-A college football season. The Terrapins offense scored 237 points while the defense allowed 284 points...
, the Cavaliers found themselves in another struggle, with both teams alternating the lead. Late in the game, Moore ran the ball and was tackled short of the Maryland goal line. In the resulting turmoil, a Maryland defender stepped upon the thumb of Moore's throwing hand, forcing it backwards, and dislocating (referred to as a "bad flipper") it for the rest of the season. Without Shawn Moore, the Virginia offense sputtered immediately, and Maryland took the win. The following week, Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech Hokies football
The Virginia Tech Hokies football team is a college football program that competes in NCAA Division I-FBS, in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They have more wins in team history than any other program in the ACC. Their home games are played at Lane Stadium which seats over...
picked apart Virginia's inexperienced back-up quarterback, Matt Blundin
Matt Blundin
Matthew Brent Blundin is a former professional American football quarterback in the National Football League. He was a back-up quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions during the 1990s.-College career:...
, and the Cavaliers 7-0 start ended in an 8-3 showing.
Moore was brought back for the Sugar Bowl game against the #10 Tennessee Volunteers
1990 Tennessee Volunteers football team
The 1990 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Volunteers offense scored 465 points while the defense allowed 220 points...
, and at first his presence kept Tennessee wary and prevented them from stacking the line. Virginia running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
s Terry Kirby
Terry Kirby
Terry Gayle Kirby , is a former professional American football player who played ten seasons in the NFL from 1993 to 2002. A 6'1" running back from the University of Virginia...
and Nikki Fisher ran for over 100 yards and Virginia led 16-0 at halftime. But with a few errant long passes in the first half revealing that Moore was not the threat he had been most of the season, Tennessee tightened its defense in the second half, and battled back to win 23-22.
In that 1990 season, Shawn Moore passed for 2262 yards and 21 touchdowns, and rushed for 306 yards and 8 touchdowns. Despite missing the last game of the regular season, Moore still led the NCAA in passing efficiency, even over eventual Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner, Ty Detmer
Ty Detmer
Ty Hubert Detmer is a former National Football League and NCAA quarterback. He starred at Brigham Young University, where he set many records and won the Heisman Trophy in 1990...
. He had broken nearly every major record for a quarterback at Virginia. Moore was voted fourth in Heisman balloting, at the time receiving more Heisman votes than any other ACC candidate had previously. His favorite receiver, Herman Moore
Herman Moore
Herman Joseph Moore is a former American National Football League wide receiver. At George Washington High School in Danville he played mostly as a kicker and also as a tight end. He went to the University of Virginia, where he was a 2-sport athlete...
, placed sixth in the balloting.
Professional career
Moore was drafted in the eleventh round of the 1991 NFL Draft1991 NFL Draft
The 1991 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 21–22, 1991 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Manhattan, New York...
by the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Moore managed to share time at the starting position with Tommy Maddox
Tommy Maddox
Thomas "Tommy" Alfred Maddox is a former football quarterback in the National Football League, the XFL and the Arena Football League. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the first round of the 1992 NFL Draft. He played college football at UCLA.-Early years:At L. D...
when John Elway
John Elway
John Albert Elway, Jr. is a former American football quarterback and currently is the executive vice president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He played college football at Stanford and his entire professional career with the Denver Broncos...
was out for the last six games of the 1992 season. After serving as an NFL back-up from 1991–1994, Moore played for a number of CFL teams, including the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...
, and the Calgary Stampeders
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
.
Post-playing career
After his career in pro football, Moore pursued administrative jobs with the NCAA, and a brief stint as an XFLXFL
The XFL was a professional American football league that played for one season in 2001. The league was founded by Vince McMahon, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of WWE...
scout
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
. Most recently, he has worked for the NFL to promote youth football. He resides in Northern Virginia and coaches high school football at St. Albans School
St. Albans School (Washington, D.C.)
St. Albans School is an independent college preparatory school for boys in grades 4–12, located in Washington, D.C. The school is named after Saint Alban, traditionally regarded as the first British martyr. Within the St...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
On January 8, 2010, it was announced that Moore will return to Virginia as an assistant coach for the Virginia Cavaliers football team.