Lenny Moore
| Lenny Moore | |
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Positions: Halfback , Wide Receiver |
Jersey number (s): 24 |
| born November 25, 1933 in Reading , Pennsylvania | |
| Career information | |
| Active : 1956 - 1967 | |
| NFL Draft : 1956 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9 | |
| College : Pennsylvania State University | |
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| Career statistics | |
| Games | 143 |
| Gaining space through running play | 5,174 yards |
| Touchdowns | 113 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
Leonard Edward "Lenny" Moore (* 25. November 1933 in Reading , Pennsylvania ) Nickname : "Spats" is a former American American football poker players. He played as a halfback and wide receiver for the Baltimore Colts in the National Football League (NFL).
origin
Lenny Moore was born the son of a steel worker during the Great Depression . His mother Virginia worked as a servant . In order to support the family, his father George was forced to take on sideline jobs. Lenny had ten siblings in total, and he was the only child in the family who had ever managed to go to college . Moore attended high school in his hometown . He played American football at school and was voted All American for his athletic achievements . After graduating from high school, Moore was admitted to Pennsylvania State University .
Player career
College career
Leonard Moore studied at Pennsylvania State University and played there from 1953 to 1955 for the "Nittany Lions" college football . The outermost movable Moore was used as a halfback in the offense , but also played in the defense of his team. His playful skills earned him the nicknames "Reading Rocket" and "Reading Rambler" in college. Several times during his college career he met Jim Brown , who played at Syracuse University . Both players neutralized each other again and again on the field. In 1954 Moore managed to gain 1082 yards of space as a running back , and in 1955 he added 697 yards. With 2,380 yards total mileage during a college career, Moore still ranks eighth on his college's all-time best list. In total, he caught ten interceptions as a defender , six of them in his senior year. Also as a college player, Moore was voted All American due to his athletic skills and played in the East-West Shrine Game in 1955 - a selection player of the best college football players.
Professional career
In 1956, Lenny Moore was selected ninth in the NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts in the first round . Head coach of the team was Weeb Ewbank , who was able to form a top team out of the Colts by signing young, success-hungry players such as offensive line player Jim Parker .
In the same year as Moore, the team from Baltimore signed Johnny Unitas , who would henceforth lead the fortunes of the offense as quarterback and who should succeed again and again in the next few years in making Lenny Moore decisive in the game. Other experienced top players such as Gino Marchetti or Art Donovan were already under contract with the Colts and in 1958 the team was able to move into the NFL championship game . The Colts competed in this game against the New York Giants . Moore caught passes in this game for 101 yards of space and was able to achieve 23 yards through running play. The game between the two teams was even for a long time. Only a few seconds before the end of the game did the Maryland team equalize. Alan Ameche scored the decisive touchdown in overtime and the Colts won 23:17. The game is still considered by many football fans to be the best football game of all time.
A year later, Moore won his second NFL title. Again the Giants were the opponents in the NFL final. This time they had to admit defeat with 31:16. In this game, too, Unitas was able to put his teammates in the limelight. Moore scored the first touchdown of the game on a pass from Unitas. In total, he gained 126 yards with three balls caught.
In 1963, Don Shula took over as coach with the Colts. He led the team into the third NFL final in team history the following year. This time, however, the Cleveland Browns proved to be superior and won 27-0. Also in 1965 the Colts could not win the final and lost against the Green Bay Packers trained by Vince Lombardi with 13:10. In both games Lenny Moore could not intervene decisively in the game.
Leonard Moore ended his playing career after the 1967 season. Moore set several NFL annual bests during his career. In 1964 he carried the ball 16 times for a touchdown in the opposing end zone . In 1956, his rookie year , he had a running average of 7.5 yards. Starting in the 1963 season and ending in the 1965 season, he was able to achieve a touchdown in 18 consecutive games. That record was only broken in 2005 by LaDainian Tomlinson .
Moore suffered throughout his career as a dark-skinned player from the racism prevailing in the USA , which did not stop at his team. In an interview he stated that although he was a star, he was also a " nigger ". His teammates couldn't have dealt with that. They were caught between hatred because of the color of his skin and the need to use him to satisfy their own egos. It wasn't until many years later that former teammates like Alan Ameche apologized to Moore for the racism that existed within the team.
According to the NFL
Immediately after the end of his career, Moore worked as a radio and sports presenter. He was the first black sports presenter on CBS . He was also a representative of a beer brewery . In 1975 he returned to the Colts and served on the executive board. He has worked in the Maryland public sector since 1984, working on drug prevention in children and adolescents. Moore is married for the third time. His first wife died in 2001 immediately after the death of their son. His second wife also died. He lives with his third wife and in memory of his late son Leslie founded the Leslie Moore Scholarship Foundation, which awards college scholarships to students in need in and around Baltimore.
Honors
Lenny Moore played seven times in the Pro Bowl , the final game of the best players of the season. He was voted All-Pro seven times . The Baltimore Ravens , a club he never played for, revere him on the Ring of Honor . In 1956, he was NFL Rookie of the Year . His shirt number is no longer used by the Colts. He is a member of the NFL 1950s All-Decade Team , the East-West Shrine Game Hall of Fame, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame . The Sporting News magazine named him one of the Top 100 Football Players of All Time.
Web links
- Short biography
- CV (PDF; 47 kB)
- Lenny Moore's experience of racism
- Lenny Moore Foundation ( Memento from December 6, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
- Lenny Moore at college
- Lenny Moore's college career
Individual evidence
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Colts 1958
- ↑ NFL final 1958 statistics
- ↑ History of the Game in the Chicago Tribune
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Colts 1959
- ↑ NFL final 1959 statistics
- ^ Annual statistics of the Colts 1964
- ↑ 1964 NFL Final Statistics
- ^ Annual statistics of the Colts 1965
- ^ NFL final 1965 statistics
- ↑ Lenny Moore at number 71 on the list of the 100 best football players of all time ( Memento from September 12, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
| personal data | |
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| SURNAME | Moore, Lenny |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Moore, Leonard Edward; Spats (nickname) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American football player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 25, 1933 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Reading , Pennsylvania |