High School Sports Feature: Moore resigns after 23 years as Prosser football coach

Everyday Just South of North highlights a different high school from the state of Washington.

I came across this article in the Tacoma News Tribune and knew I had to share it. While I was growing up, Prosser High School was known for football.

This article was written by Scott Spruill of the Yakima Republic-Herald on March 27, 2009. Just South of North takes no credit for this work. It was simply a great story and needed to be shared.

PROSSER – Tom Moore has found a way to blend the two things he covets most — family and football. But to do so means Prosser must find a new head football coach for the first time in 23 years.

In a move to spend more time watching his sons play at Boise State University, Moore, one of the most successful coaches in state history, resigned from the Mustangs’ head job on Thursday.

"I love coaching here and I don’t want to retire, but I’m a dad before I’m a coach," Moore said Thursday afternoon. "I still want to coach — I’m addicted to it. But the right thing for me to do now is step down as head coach."

Moore, who will continue teaching physical education at Prosser High School, is still very much committed to the program he built into a state power and he wants to remain on the staff. He plans to apply for the program’s freshman coaching position.

So here’s how that resume will read:

In 23 seasons, Moore produced an astounding .860 winning percentage with a 234-38 record. Four state championships, four runner-up trophies and 21 league titles.

Under Moore, Prosser’s program became known for its prolific offense with state and national records to its credit, including those set by his sons, Kellen and Kirby. They will now both be a four-hour-plus drive away with home games on Saturday and some weekdays.

After a redshirt season at BSU, Kellen Moore won the starting quarterback job last fall and guided the Broncos to a 12-1 season. He completed 69.4 percent of his passes for 3,486 yards and 25 touchdowns.

And now Kirby Moore, a wide receiver, will join his brother after setting national records for touchdowns in a season and career.

"Last season was pretty stressful trying to do everything," Tom Moore said. "I missed three (BSU) games, and on this end I missed some film sessions and cut short some things. It’s wrong for the head coach to miss anything. It’s not fair to the players."

Prosser athletic director and vice principal Casey Gant said the district will open the position next week with May 1 as the target date for having a new head coach in place.

Moore had a staff filled with former players who came through his program, and defensive coordinator Doug Fassler is a longtime assistant. What Moore is hoping for is simply a juggling of job titles.

"It’s like we told the players today, this program has always been about we and us," he said. "Hopefully what happens is we reorganize a little and keep it going."

Can a coach of such prominence handle a secondary role in the same program? And would he create an uncomfortable situation for the new head coach, who has the final say in who the freshman coach will be? Gant isn’t worried about that.

"It would be difficult, like raising a child and then watching somebody else take over," he said. "But Tom has never been a me-me guy. He would take a lower position because he has a passion for the game and cares very much for the kids and the program."

Moore’s resignation follows the same move by his best friend Craig Beverlin, who stepped down at Kamiakin earlier this year after 25 seasons. Both are originally from the Midwest, and it was Beverlin who alerted Moore to the Prosser job in 1986.

But while Beverlin is clearly intent on retiring, Moore sees many years ahead even if not as a head coach. "I’m not leaving and I’m not retiring," he said. "Football is a year-round thing and I still enjoy that. The fun part are the kids and the practices we have. I enjoy all of that, and I still want to contribute here."