It’s a humbling experience to visit with a living legend. Inspired by his most recent recognition, the Tom Landry Award bestowed at the recent FCA banquet, I spent some time brushing up on Coach G.A. Moore’s exploits and accolades. Not only were his career accomplishments remarkable, his personal achievements as an athlete and pillar of the community are equally impressive.
First, it’s important to clarify what I mean by living legend. Anyone who has lived in Celina for very long is most likely familiar with Coach Moore’s extensive list of records. For those unaware, here is a brief inventory:
- Winningest coach in Texas High School football history until 2016 (431-97-9)
- 8 state football championships with 4 state championships in a row
- 57 wins in a row with 24 playoff wins in a row
It’s one thing to continue a winning tradition, it’s another to will it into existence against all odds. At his first coaching gig out of college in 1962, he took the Bryson High School team from losing 21 games in a row to a 5-5 season. The next year, he took over at his alma mater, Pilot Point High School, and produced a winning team from a program that had six losing seasons in a row. Moving on to Celina High School in 1972, he led the program to a 52-5-2 record with his first state championship in 1974. Returning to Pilot Point in 1977, he adopted a team that had suffered a 1-9 season the year before and inspired them to a 42-game winning streak including two state championships in 1980 and 1981. As if to prove a point, Coach Moore took over one of the largest school districts in the state in 1986, Sherman High School, and converted their 0-10 record the year before to a 6-4 record beating Gainesville 10-0 in the first game despite being a 40-point underdog!
What I just described would literally be a dream career for any other coach. Amazingly, that record doesn’t include Coach Moore’s 1988 return to Celina High School where he led the Bobcats to a 163-22 record, five more state championships, and the longest winning streak in state history. He returned once more to Pilot Point in 2002 to transform a team in trouble to one that made playoffs three years in a row and, before retiring in 2011, he fashioned the Aubrey Chaparrals into a winning program logging a school record of 11 wins during his first season.
Given this remarkable track record, one would expect to meet a man ten feet tall with a voice that would shatter concrete and a gaze that would melt steel. While Coach Moore certainly has a presence that dwarfs his physical frame, his demeanor is polite, warm, and quite charming. He and his wife exude an easy confidence and genteel manner about them that makes it impossible to feel uncomfortable in their presence. He’s a man of few words, consistently humble, and quick to share credit. On having won the Tom Landry award at the most recent FCA banquet, he remarked, “Tom Landry was a great man and a great role model.”
The first ingredient to success, according to Coach, was surrounding yourself with staff that are second to none. While he was certainly demanding and fiercely competitive, current Celina Athletic Director/Head Football Coach Bill Elliott said “he was always able to motivate everyone to go the extra mile, coaches and players alike, but still found a way to keep it fun. One time, after I’d got the better of him on something, he put icy hot in my shoes before practice. My feet were on fire but I had to finish with Coach laughing the whole time.” Coach Elliott continued, “he walked the walk. He was a great leader and a great Christian man. He never cussed at the kids. He showed respect to everyone. No matter who you were, you simply didn’t want to let the man down.”
The next ingredient was simply love for the kids. His wife, Lois Ann, told me she was recently cleaning out a closet and found a box with old letters from players. “The boys wrote to us to share the victories, ask for advice, and occasionally even forgiveness.” One letter she noted was from a boy who must have done something bad because he didn’t even mention what he’d done. He simply said, “I’m sorry I let you and the team down. I realize what I did wrong and hope you can forgive me.” Coach Moore made it clear that football was a privilege. It had to be earned and your effort and results were required to maintain that privilege. That said, he chose to approach coaching as “what can I do for you” rather than “what can you do for me.”
Current City Council Member Brandon Grumbles recalled, “Coach would sometimes end practice early on Wednesdays, pick up kids, and take them to church. He made sure they were fed. If they needed shoes, he made sure they had shoes. If they needed money, he had plenty of work on his ranch and he’d make sure you had money.” Everyone I spoke to had fond, and not so fond, memories of working on Coach Moore’s sprawling 200-acre family ranch in Mustang. From cutting trees and grass to the dreaded task of hay hauling – universally referred to as “awful” – the boys would also meet for dinner with coaches, watch movies at their homes, and even swim in their pools. Councilman Grumbles said, “Playing for Celina from 95-99, I’m not sure I ever ate Thanksgiving dinner at home. It was always with the coach and my team.” He could often be found at the middle school games, encouraging kids, mentoring coaches, and laughing with the parents.
That relationship with the parents was the key to winning the support of the community and the final ingredient in the formula. Coach Moore opined that there was no greater community involvement than in Celina. Former player and local businessman, Rex Glendenning of REX Real Estate, could not agree more. He said, “The community loved him and believed in him. He made this town a better place. He was a man of few words and didn’t talk a lot – he led by example.” While Celina has grown in recent years, it was not so long ago a small, agrarian town where many folks lacked the opportunities we now take for granted. Not everyone had a father figure, money to buy supper, or even a place to sleep sometimes. Rex continued, “Coach Moore always found a way to make sure that the community was cared for. The greatest compliment my father could give was ‘That is one fine man'. Coach Moore is one fine man.”
The themes through all these conversations are similar and resonate as loud as the cheers from the stands on a Friday night. Coach Moore is an inspirational figure in literally thousands of people’s lives. He instilled part of him into each person he encountered and made them better for it. While coaching football seemed a destiny, he always felt his calling was the seminary. Recently, he finally achieved that objective as well becoming the pastor at Mustang Baptist Church in Pilot Point where he continues to impact his community and the lives of people fortunate enough to cross his path.
Everyone I’ve spoken with has mentioned Coach Moore’s uncanny ability to instill an almost insatiable desire to make him proud of you. I personally felt this compulsion having only spent an hour visiting with him and his wife and feel it now writing this article. Capturing the essence of such a remarkable man with words is a daunting task. I hope I didn’t let you down, Coach.