The Middle Tennessee athletic family lost a hall of famer Wednesday with the passing of former football great Michael "Mike" Moore.
The 59-year old Moore is a native of Chattanooga and played for the Blue Raiders from 1974-1977.
He attended and graduated from Brainerd High School, where he was also an outstanding football player. He played on the Brainerd teams in 1971 through 1973, graduating from Brainerd in 1974. He was a school leader and a great teammate.
Moore ranks as one of the finest running backs in Blue Raider football history, rushing for over 1,000 yards in three of his four seasons. His career total of 3,678 yards is currently the second-best in Middle Tennessee history and he owns two of the top six single-season rushing totals all-time at MT. His 1,247 yards in 1975 ranks No. 4 on the all-time list and his 1,188 yards in 1976 is No. 6.
He was an All-American in 1976 and the OVC's Offensive Player of the Year in 1975. He was a first-team All-OVC selection for each of his final three seasons of play. Moore rushed for more than 200 yards in a single game twice and for more than 100 yards 13 times.
Moore was drafted in the 12th round of the 1978 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. He played in pre-season NFL football games with the Houston Oilers alongside of Earl Campbell who was also drafted in the 1978 draft. Moore is enshrined in the Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame.
Moore was inducted in the MTSU Blue Raider Hall of Fame Class of 2007 and was a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.
Visitation will be on Sunday from 2-4 p.m. at the Terrell Broady Funeral Home, 3855 Clarksville Pike, Nashville. The funeral will be at noon on Monday at the Schrader Lane Church of Christ, 1234 Schrader Lane, Nashville, with a visitation from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. preceding the funeral.