He originally earned a scholarship to the Universifty of Tennessee-Martin. Unhappy at UTM, Moore returned to Miami and enrolled at Miami-Dade Community College before moving to the University of Florida to become a standout running back for coach Doug Dickey's Gators teams in 1972 and 1973.[3] As a junior in 1972, Moore led the Gators with 145 rushes for 845 yards and nine rushing touchdowns, 25 receptions for 351 receiving yards and four touchdown catches, and 230 return yards, while earning first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) and honorable mention All-American accolades.[3]
Moore graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree in exercise and sport science in 1975, and he was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1978.[4][5] In a 2006 article series published by The Gainesville Sun, the newspaper's sportswriters ranked him as No. 49 among the 100 all-time greatest Florida Gators of the team's first 100 seasons.[6]
Professional career
Moore was chosen by the Miami Dolphins in the third round (78th pick overall) of the 1974 NFL draft,[7] and he played for the Dolphins for 13 seasons from 1974 to 1986.[1] He was elected to the Pro Bowl in 1977,[8] after a season in which he made 52 receptions and led the league with 12 receiving touchdowns (he also had a rushing touchdown that year).[2] Moore is immortalized in the famous "Helicopter Catch" video clip—while making a reception against the New York Jets at Giants Stadium in 1984, he was hit simultaneously from opposite directions by two Jets tacklers sending his body spinning into the air. The catch was a crucial third-down conversion, leading to a score and a come-from-behind win in a closely contested divisional game.
By the time Moore retired at the end of 1986, his 13th season with the Dolphins, he had broken almost every receiving record of the Dolphins; his team records, however, were subsequently broken by teammates Mark Clayton and Mark Duper.
His final career receiving statistics were 510 catches for 7,547 yards and 74 touchdowns.[1] He also rushed for 249 yards and a touchdown, returned 27 punts for 297 yards, and gained 856 yards on 33 kickoff returns.[1]
Moore is also known for his humanitarian work and philanthropy. In 1984, the NFL voted Moore as "Man of the Year," an honor given to a player who gives outstanding service to his community. Moore also received the Byron White Humanitarian Award in 1986. He created The Nat Moore Foundation, an organization through which he continues to work with disadvantaged youths in the Miami-Dade County area, in 1998.
Moore was a football broadcaster for Florida Gators football games on Sun Sports until 2011. As an announcer, he was notorious for adding an "s" to the last names of various players (Chris Leak became "Chris Leaks," Percy Harvin became "Harvins," etc.) In addition, he teams with Bob Griese to provide television analysis of preseason Dolphins games. He also owns a sports promotions firm, Nat Moore & Associates, Inc. He is a vice president in the Miami Dolphins organization and oversees the Miami Dolphins Alumni Association, and also serves as the executive director of the NFL Super Bowl Football Clinic.
Previously named the Byron "Whizzer" White NFL Man of the Year Award, after Byron "Whizzer" White, the award was renamed in the fall of 2018 in honor of Alan Page.
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