Sport: Football
Born: November 11, 1969
Town: Roxbury, New Jersey
David Edward Moore was born November 11, 1969 in Morristown and grew up in Roxbury, NJ about 15 miles away. A superb all-around athlete, Dave excelled in baseball, basketball, football and track. He earned letters in all four at Roxbury High, leading the Gaels to the state football finals as a junior receiver in 1986 and again as a senior in 1987. Roxbury was defeated both times by Union High School, which captured the Group IV state title in each of Dave’s four varsity seasons.
Dave accepted a scholarship from the University Pittsburgh and made the varsity as a freshman in 1988. He did more blocking for Pitt than he had in high school, but proved extremely reliable whether he needed to stop a defensive end, linebacker or safety. His quickness, intelligence and soft hands also made him one of the team’s most valuable play-makers, despite being undersized at 6’2” for a tight end.
In 1990, Paul Hackett came in as coach and moved Dave into the starting lineup. He caught 32 passes and scored 3 touchdowns. As a senior in 1991, Dave was quarterback Alex Van Pelt’s favorite receiver. He and fellow tight end Eric Seaman were among the few bright spots in a sluggish Panther offense. Dave led the team with 51 catches.
The Miami Dolphins selected Dave in the 7th round of the 1992 NFL Draft. He appeared in one game for the Dolphins and was waived. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked him up and he played on special teams as a long-snapper for several seasons before earning starts as a tight end in the mid-1990s. Beginning in 1996, Dave had 20 or more catches five times in six seasons. He was the only NFL tight end with at least 3 TD catches in each of those years.
In 2002, the Bucs released Dave in a salary cap move but hoped to re-sign him. Instead, Dave signed with the Buffalo Bills. He played two seasons in Buffalo before returning to Tampa Bay for three years. After the 2006 season, he made the Pro Bowl as a long-snapper. His final game as an NFL player was the 2007 Pro Bowl. In a career that stretched across 15 seasons, he had only 3 fumbles in 220 games.
The following fall, Dave moved into the Bucs’ radio booth beside Dave Deckerhoff. He and his wife, Annmarie, hosted a cable fishing show called One Moore Catch and he co-owned a restaurant in Clearwater with Mike Alstott. Dave also coached football at Shorecrest, a prestigious prep school in the Tampa Bay area. His son, Jake, became a top prep player, specializing in—of course—long snapping.