Thanks Coach: Messages of Appreciation to Coach Moore
From the Archives: Summer 2013
In this particular blog post , we are completing our tribute to Jerry and Margaret Moore, that we have reshared over the past few weeks.
I first met Coach Jerry Moore in 1996. He invited me to a Wednesday night Bible study that met at his house. Coach Moore has always been a mentor and an inspiration to me, and the one thing I can say about him is that he always has a positive attitude. With Jerry, as a football player, you learn a lot about playing football, but you learn more about life. You know, behind every good man is a great woman - and that is his wife, Margaret. My daughter, Nicole, went to Blowing Rock Elementary, where Margaret was a teacher, so I felt like I never had to worry about anything there. Margaret was always there to look after her.
Buzz Peterson
UNC Wilmington Head Basketball Coach
Former Appalachian State Head Basketball Coach
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We are writing this message with great love and compassion for Coach and Mrs. Margaret. In my 34 years of coaching and teaching, I have not found a coach and wife team with as much tenderness and concern for players and their families.
Coach has his heart in the right place, with Jesus. Coach, may God continue blessing the next phase of His will for your life. Mrs. Margaret has been a great magnet for the Holy Spirit, representing the Lord and holding up the banner for the Moore legacy. Truly it will live on through the lives and hearts that have been touched by this power couple. They are our role models. We love you, Coach and Mrs. Margaret. May God bless and keep you. In His Grip,
RV and Frances Brown
Spiritual Leader
Phil. 4:6-7
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Jerry and Margaret,
What wonderful years you have brought to us. You have been more than just a coach, you have been an inspiration for living. You are always welcome on our sideline of life.
Dr. Dick and Mrs. Harriet Furman
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Behind every great man is a great woman. Not only is Jerry Moore one of the great college football coaches of our generation, but behind him is a great wife, Margaret. Their Christian marriage and testimony have been a witness to our entire community, and we are grateful for their leadership these many years.
Franklin and Jane Graham
Samaritan’s Purse & Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
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For Coach Moore, coaching football was more than simply the game, it was about ministering to his players and their families. Coach and Margaret have shown love and care for countless numbers of young men over the past 24 years. We want to thank them for the selfless service they have given to this community in so many ways. We are thankful and blessed to call them our friends!
Winston and Karen Petrey
Local Business Owner
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Coach Moore is the second most influential man in my life, next to my Dad. He taught me how to be a bold witness for Christ in a profession that is not always known for Christian values. The world of college football has often become a win at all costs profession. Coach Moore kept his deep belief that football was a way to develop men who would become good football players first, but more importantly, would become great husbands, fathers, and men who make a difference in other people’s lives. That will be his ultimate claim to fame of a legendary career. I am thankful to the Lord for putting Jerry and Margaret Moore in my family’s life. I was blessed to have the best mentor and friend that a young man could ever have. I wish them all the best in the next phase of their life. He Always Did More Than Was Expected!
Mark Speir
WCU Head Football Coach
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Our family has been blessed and enriched by witnessing the impact Jerry and Margaret have on the lives of so many; extending well beyond their App State teams and community. Thank you, Coach and Margaret, for your unwavering commitment to Christ and His principles in every circumstance! Natalie, Elliott, Kelsey, Casey, and I thank you for touching deeply our lives with your love, care, and your valued friendship. You have impacted our lives and made them increasingly rich!
Bryan & Natalie Willis
Director Of Events, Samaritan’s Purse
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Thanks Coach and Margaret for the many ways you have impacted lives throughout your years in the High Country. Most everyone knows about the accomplishments you have achieved on the ball field but only the LORD can rightly record all that you have each done to help shape, direct, encourage, love, teach, motivate and inspire so many. Thanks for standing for Christ in places and in times when it wasn’t appreciated and valued. My family loves you, and we stand among many others in our Mount Vernon Church family who will always give thanks to the LORD in every remembrance of you.
Friends in Christ, Bud Russell
Minister of Education & Administration - Mount Vernon Baptist Church
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Coach Moore has always demonstrated what a real head coach should be. From the moment we met, he always treated me with fairness and honesty. He is, and always will be, a walking giant among men, in his character, and also in his faith. There are not many head coaches of major universities who can act upon integrity, humility, and respectfulness of the young men around them. To most head coaches, the world revolves around them, and their success on the field. Coach Moore always made it about us, and our success.
In the end of your experience being coached by Jerry Moore, you evidently came away with how to win on the field, but most importantly, how to win in life when you walk out of the locker room doors for that last time. Every facet of his diamond shined with winning and success on and off of the gridiron. From the 10 Southern Conference championships, to the three-peat national championships, and the jaw-dropping day in Ann Arbor that truly put Appalachian State on the map, to the time he spent making sure walk-ons got to class on time, he has embodied true success in every way. It has saddened me, along with many others, that his 24 year coaching experience has been terminated during the most successful times in University history. I am embarrassed to see a giant be told to walk.
Corey Lynch
Former Appalachian State Football Player
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We cannot even begin to express the enormous impact that Coach and Margaret have had on our lives. They have mentored us and have been a rock solid influence by consistently demonstrating the value of staying grounded in a profession that is an endless roller coaster. Coach and Margaret’s legacy will extend far beyond wins and losses. It will even reach beyond the countless number of lives they have directly impacted and forever changed. We are honored to be a part of that legacy and we are proud of the impression they have left on our lives!!
Scott and Beth Satterfield
ASU Head Football Coach
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Coach Moore was so much more than a coach to me. He was a friend but most of all a mentor. He was a model example to me in so many areas: work ethic, authenticity, integrity, and faith. Coach and Mrs. Moore were always compassionate, caring, and committed. It meant the world to me when they both showed up at my wedding. Thanks for everything that you have done for me and my family.
Love, The Chasteens (Jon, Leigh, Ava, Emet, and Owen)
Jon Chasteen - Pastor of Missions and Dscipleship
Redemption Hill Church
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Win a national championship on a Saturday night…beat Michigan on a Saturday afternoon – Margaret and Jerry Moore are in church and Bible study just hours later on Sunday morning – sometimes coming directly to church from the bus. Margaret has hosted a ladies’ Bible study in her home for years. Jerry often shares insights into scripture during our Bible study time, or points out a passage after class.
Demonstrating character, integrity, caring, and the list goes on - Jerry and Margaret have had incredible influence on hundreds of the ASU family and leave an example for all who know them. And in a very special way – daily Christian living! They have invested their lives enabling others to make Christ evident in their attitudes and actions. I’ve told them that some day in heaven there will be a big black helmet with hundreds of players, coaches, fans, and friends who will run onto the streets of gold and say “Thank you for giving to the Lord, I am life that’s been changed” by Jesus Christ!
Dan Meyer
Mt. Vernon Baptist Church - Berean Bible Study Class
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When Coach Moore came to Boone in 1989, I was 15 years old. I asked him in church one day what it took to play at ASU. He gave me a card the next Sunday that said “The willingness to win is not as important as the willingness to prepare to win.” From that point on, I knew it would take a lot of work, but I was up for the challenge. When I graduated Watauga High School in 1992, he said “Come walk on, and I will give you a chance.” That was all I needed. I put the work in and gained 50 pounds, and became faster. After 4 years of ups and downs, a lot of bruises and some success, it all came to a point when he approached me in August of my senior year at ASU. Coach said, “Today you are the starting DE, getting a full ride, and your teammates just voted you Captain of the team.” That day, Coach lived up to his end, and God showed me blessing beyond what I could have ever imagined. What a blessing my relationship has continued to be with Coach and Margaret for 25 years. They have been there through my marriage to the love of my life, Emily, and four kids, as well as supporting me in all aspects of my life to be the man God desires for me to be. Thank you, Coach and Margaret, and I love you.
PS - Currently I am living in Boone, and serving as a deacon in Coach’s home church. I am blessed with a beatiful, Godly wife, four beautiful kids, and great friends. I work in the family business of making sure the USA has enough cabbage to eat. We still enjoy going with my family to every ASU game, like I have done for 39 years. God has blessed me through my relationship with Coach, and I will always be grateful.
Jeff Greene
Hollar & Greene Produce Co.
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To Coach: I’m grateful that I had the privilege to play for and learn life from a man like you. I’d still line up beside you and with you in any endeavor. Thanks for making a difference. I will always remember you as a man who gave all that he had. I love you.
To Mrs. Margaret: What a light you are. Your smile and presence bring great joy to a room. It was easy to see that you were just as committed to the team as Coach was. The way you stand by Coach is refreshing. Thank you for your support and love. I love you.
Blake Elder
Former Appalachian State Football Player
