Nat Moore

Nathaniel Moore (born September 19, 1951) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons during the 1970s and 1980s. Moore played college football for the Florida Gators, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Miami Dolphins of the NFL. He is best known as a favorite passing target of Dolphins quarterbacks Bob Griese and Dan Marino. Nat Moore is also credited as football consultant in the 1977 movie Black Sunday.

Early life

Moore was born in Tallahassee, Florida in 1951. He grew up in Miami, Florida and attended Miami Edison Senior High School and Miami-Dade Community College.

College career

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. 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. 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.

Professional career

Moore was chosen by the Miami Dolphins in the third round (78th overall) of the 1974 NFL draft, and he played for the Dolphins for 13 seasons from to . 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).

Life after football

Moore is also known for his humanitarian work and philanthropy. In , 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.

On December 5, 1999, he was added to the Miami Dolphins Honor Roll.

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.