Published: October 29, 2009 11:08 pm      

Celebrating a Champion: On the front line

Corsicana’s Keith Moore was a difference-maker for ‘89 champs

Keith Moore is undeniably a smart man.

He has a doctorate from the University of Arkansas, he has served as principal at Kerens and Corsicana High Schools, he’s been a director of technology and coordinated advanced academics. And he currently serves as Executive Director of Special Programs for Corsicana ISD.

But perhaps Moore’s smartest move since he graduated from CHS in 1988 was whom he regularly invited to Sunday dinner in the fall of 1989.

As an undersized 6-4, 240-pound guard, Moore started on the offensive line of the Navarro College 1989 national championship team. His greatest foes that season were not whom he met across the line of scrimmage on Saturday, but the fellows he practiced against during the week.

“I was one of the local boys,” Moore recalled. “I would make sure that when the cafeteria was closed on Sunday evenings, I would invite the defensive line to come to my parents’ house for dinner. Keeping them happy ensured that they didn’t completely devastate me in practice the following week.”

Told you he was a smart guy.

All five members of Navarro’s defensive front played Division I football after Navarro and three later played in the National Football League.

“I always felt like after blocking them all week in practice, Saturday versus our opponents was a piece of cake,” Moore said.

That’s undoubtedly how the entire team felt that magical season when Navarro finished 10-0 after clocking Ellsworth, Iowa 41-17 in the national championship game played in conjunction with the Mid-American Bowl in Tulsa, Okla.

Practices were brutal because competition was so high among a group of players with an equally-high skills set. Moore says “of the 22 offensive and defensive starters I have no doubt that I was the 22nd most talented starter, but to have started and contributed to the 1989 National Championship is one of the accomplishments of which I am most proud.”

Moore started his collegiate career at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. in July of 1988. By December of that year, he realized he wanted a more traditional college experience and enrolled at Navarro and joined the football program.

But he had some mistaken beliefs about his new team and teammates. He thought he would just make a call to Coach Bob McElroy, who would be so excited to “have someone as ‘talented’ as me want to play for him, that he would immediately send a scholarship my way.”

Instead, McElroy told him he would be glad to let him come out in the spring and try out for the football team.

A tryout? No way, Coach Mac. Moore was a stud tight end for Corsicana who had converted from quarterback during his three years on the varsity. This trying out business must have been a bit of a joke. Perhaps it was cooked up between McElroy and CHS coach Don Denbow.

It wasn’t.

“I had the misconception that playing for a junior college, meant that you were a less than talented football player,” Moore said. “I was gravely mistaken. When I went out for the first day of spring practice I realized that my preconceptions about junior college football were way off base. This team clearly had some of the most talented 18- to 20-year old football players anywhere.

“I remember scratching my head when I figured out that several guys on the team already had Orange Bowl rings. I was by far not the most physically gifted player on that team, but I had been coached well at Corsicana High School to be aggressive and play with proper technique. I made the team that spring, received a scholarship and was slotted at that time as a second team offensive lineman. That was an adjustment for me as well as I was 6-4 and weighed 235 pounds and had played quarterback and tight end during my CHS career. The rest of the line averaged 300 lbs.

“I began three-a-days that summer as a back up offensive lineman. By the second week of three-a-days I was moved into the starting left guard position and started at that position for the next two years.”

One of his offensive line compadres and roommate was New Jersey native Bill Hurst, a massive 6-7, 310-pound tackle who originally played at Clemson. McElroy called Moore during the summer of 1989 and asked him to live with Hurst.

“I said, ‘OK, but why are you telling me this?’ Coach Mac told me that Bill had gotten himself into some trouble at Clemson and was coming to Navarro to get things back on the right track. He thought that having Bill room with me would help that process. When I asked why he had to leave Clemson, I was told it was for throwing his roommate out of the window.”

Moore was up front with Hurst, who would become an All-American and later star at Pittsburgh. OK, so why did your roomie go flying out the window? And should I be a little scared?

“I asked Bill why he threw his roommate out of the dorm window and he matter-of-factly answered, ‘Because I came home and he was going through my wallet.’ I said, ‘Ok, lets be sure to keep your stuff on your side of the room and my stuff will stay on this side.’ He laughed and we became great friends.”

That’s just how that team seemed to be around each other. Past was past and everyone was focused on winning. They clubbed every team in the Texas Junior College Football Conference and then manhandled Ellsworth in the second half en route to a decisive victory.

“We were a solid team all the way around,” Moore said. “We never even trailed in a game the entire year. I believe we had the third-ranked offense in the nation, but the defense was the cornerstone. They were easily the No. 1 defense in the nation. The statistic that sticks in my mind from that year is that even in the late ‘80s when most people still primarily ran the football, that defense averaged about 26 rushing yards allowed per game. You can do a lot of things offensively when you are confident that your defense is going to give you the ball back in three plays.

“That season was just special. It is almost hard to describe. It was not a struggle in any way. That team bonded quickly, like a band of brothers. We genuinely cared about each other and took care of each other. I don't remember having a bad practice or a bad game. We quickly realized that we were much better than our opponents. We were not cocky, but we genuinely felt that if we did what we were supposed to do that nobody could compete with us. There were no overly arrogant, selfish individuals on that team. I don't remember anyone being upset for not getting the ball enough, or not playing enough . . . we just wanted to win.”

There are many lasting memories of that championship game in Tulsa, Okla. It was played on a clear, windy day with temperatures hovering around 40. Ironically, battling the cold was not an issue. Getting good traction on a substandard playing surface was the biggest problem.

“(Hurst) is often remembered for the shoes he played in at the national championship game,” Moore said. “We played on turf in Tulsa and were told that we could wear shoes with small cleats. We all struggled with our footing in the first half as this was old-school turf that was very close like playing on concrete. We all decided to just put our tennis shoes on that we had worn on the trip up. The sneakers provided much better traction in the second half. The problem was that Bill wore flip-flops on the trip and had no sneakers. We tried to find a teammate to borrow a pair from but Bill wore a size 17 shoe. There was only one other person on the team that met the criteria.

“He was a 6-foot-8 defensive end who also played a little basketball. He had a pair of baby blue high top basketball shoes. Style was secondary to function, so Bill donned the baby blue high top basketball shoes that clashed in a bad way with our red uniforms. But 30 minutes later we were national champions.”

Moore also had his own personal battle going on during that game. He was facing All-American Lance Keller, a 6-1, 290-pound defensive tackle nicknamed Bull, the cornerstone of Ellsworth’s defense. His teammates continually reassured him the week prior to the national tilt, saying things like “You, got him Keith. You can do it.” Hmm, Moore thought to himself. Just how good is this guy?

And then came the banquet the night before the game, the entire Ellsworth audience stood when Keller was introduced and began to chant, “Bull, Bull, Bull.”

What happened the next day is a credit to what he learned in Denbow’s football program at CHS. Moore was not going to out-muscle the much larger Keller. But he could get to him with technique, which had been drilled into him in countless practice sessions at CHS and Navarro.

“The morning of the game I tried to put those fears aside and began putting my ‘game face’ on,” Moore said. “I spent the hours leading up to the game convincing myself that I was going to dominate (Keller). By the time the game started I was wound as tight as I had ever been for a game.

“I knew that if I allowed this guy to destroy me, our offense would suffer. The first play of the game I was called to block him base up, one-on-one. This was the moment of truth. I fired out and hit him with everything I had, shoulder-to-shoulder, man-to-man. This beast of a man proceeded to grab my shoulder pads and toss me to the ground like a rag doll.

“So much for Plan A. Two plays later a play was called that sent the fullback right at me. Again I had to deal with this monster one-on-one. Knowing that I couldn't match his strength I had to play smart. Plan B was to hit him about mid-thigh and to let his own weight take him to the ground. I was quicker than he was, so I was able to get under him. As planned, the shot to his thigh took him to the ground. The giant sequoia of a man went down and by the time he got up the fullback was through the whole for a 12-yard gain.

“I nearly got kicked out of the game as all of the pent up anxiety that was in me flooded out and I stood over this giant yelling and screaming that he had met his match and that he had a long day ahead of him. The official looked at me and asked me if I would like to finish the game. I took the not so subtle hint and returned to the huddle, but from that point on he was mine. I don't remember him making a play that day.”

Moore learned a lesson that day. It was OK to experience fear. It becomes a problem when we allow that fear to keep us from accepting a challenge.

“No matter how insurmountable a challenge appears to be, we should attack the challenge with passion,” he said. “Sometimes our fears will be realized and we will fail, but more often than we think, our fear far surpasses reality and the decision to face our fears is the most difficult part in overcoming them.”