Wilford H. Moore is a former American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 coach. He is the highest winning coach in McMurry Indians football history and has the McMurry football stadium named in his honor.

A native of Littlefield, Texas

Littlefield, Texas

Littlefield is a city in and the county seat of Lamb County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,507 at the 2000 census. It is located in a significant cotton growing region, northwest of Lubbock on the Llano Estacado just south of the beginning of the Texas Panhandle...

, Moore earned his physical education

Physical education

Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....

 degree from Hardin–Simmons University in 1941. He was an assistant coach at Abilene High in the fall of 1941, but joined the United States Army Air Corps

United States Army Air Corps

The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...

 on December 9 following the attack on Pearl Harbor

Attack on Pearl Harbor

The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...

.

After returning from World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, he served as an assistant in 1946 at McMurry and then became the head coach the next year, coaching at McMurry from 1947 to 1955. Moore coached the Indians to a 45–28–5 record and led them to the Oleander Bowl in 1949.

Moore later coached at Lubbock High School

Lubbock High School

Lubbock High School is a 5A high school serving grades nine to twelve in Lubbock, Texas . Part of the Lubbock Independent School District, the school is known for its academic program and for the fact that it has produced a number of talented musicians, vocalists, businessmen, and scientists over...

, Port Neches-Groves High School

Port Neches-Groves High School

Port Neches-Groves High School is located in Port Neches, Texas. The high school is the only high school in the Port Neches-Groves Independent School District and serves portions of Port Neches, Groves, and Port Arthur...

 and Cleburne High School before returning to Abilene, Texas

Abilene, Texas

Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...

 in 1972 where he has lived ever since.

At Hardin–Simmons, he played alongside Bulldog Turner

Bulldog Turner

Clyde Douglas Turner was a professional football player for the Chicago Bears.-NFL playing career:...

, who later starred for the Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

 in the NFL

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...

. At McMurry he coached players like Les Cowan, Brad Rowland

Brad Rowland

Andrew Bradford "Brad" Rowland is a former football player. He was twice an All-American at McMurry University. Rowland played one season with the Chicago Bears. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008....

 and Grant Teaff

Grant Teaff

Grant Garland Teaff is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at McMurry University , Angelo State University , and Baylor University , compiling a career college football record of 170–151–8...

.

Moore is 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.