It only takes a few minutes of conversation with long-time Newnan resident Kenneth Moore to quickly realize where his college football loyalty lies.
The energetic 85-year-old is Clemson through and through.
There’s good reason for his love for the Tigers.
Moore was a standout athlete at Calhoun High School in north Georgia from 1945-1949 before earning a scholarship to Clemson, where he played for legendary college football coach Frank Howard.
Howard coached Clemson from 1940-69 and compiled a 165-118-12 record. He also served as the school’s athletic director until 1971.
Next month, Moore will be honored by his boyhood home when he’s inducted into the Calhoun-Gordon County Sports Hall of Fame.
His parents, Grace and Luther, raised Moore and his older brother Jack in a churchgoing home.
“God blessed me when he gave me Christian parents and a wonderful life in Calhoun,” he wrote in a biography he submitted to the Hall of Fame in his hometown.
His faith has followed him through his prosperous athletic and business career, as well as his 60-plus-year marriage to wife Marcia.
Together they raised three children, who are all successful in their own right.
Moore was a four-sport letter winner at Calhoun, leaving behind a long trail of accolades before graduating and heading to Clemson.
The Calhoun High graduate still holds the Georgia High School Association record for scoring 10 touchdowns in an 89-0 decision over Acworth.
He was the Class C AllState Offensive Player of the Year, and led the region with 118 points in 1947.
In addition to excelling on the football field, Moore lettered in basketball, baseball and track.
“It was kind of different back then,” he said. “You played all sports, especially if it was a small school.”
His high school track accomplishments included setting a state record in the 200-yard low hurdles, an event that has since been discontinued.
After all these years, he still has fond memories of his days playing sports at Calhoun High School.
“We never won a football championship while I was in high school, but I had a group of champions around me,” Moore said.
Moore learned a little bit about team adversity while playing for E.H. Ramsey, who coached all the sports at Calhoun.
In 1949, the school board replaced Ramsey, a not-sopopular decision by some of Moore’s football teammates.
“Some of the team members were upset with the decision and quit the team. This action probably prevented us from winning the district and and having a shot at the state title, but I was trying to be loyal to my school,” he said.
When it came time to head to college, Moore had his choice of several schools, but in the end, it came down between Georgia Tech, which back then was in the SEC, or Clemson.
Calhoun residents Jimmy Calhoun and Henry Malone were big Clemson supporters, and helped lead Moore to the ACC school, but it was a face-to-face meeting between Moore’s Dad and Howard that sealed the deal.
“I wasn’t leaning toward Clemson because they were a single-wing team, and I wasn’t a single-wing back. Daddy went up there with me and met Coach Howard. Both were country gentleman. Daddy chewed tobacco, coach offered him some and they became big buddies. Clemson gave me a full scholarship.”
The former Clemson football player’s college career was interrupted briefly when he served in the Marines at the start of the Korean War, but he was still able to play football for Camp LeJune, where his squad won the Military Electronics Bowl. He also played briefly for the Navy Academy Prep School, and was on the squad that beat Army.
“Back then, service football was just as competitive as college football because you had so many All-Americans doing their service time by playing ball for the different bases,” he said.
Once he was discharged from the Marines, Moore was again able to concentrate on his football career at Clemson, and like in high school, he put up some impressive numbers.
At one time, he held the Atlantic Coast Conference record for most punt return yards in a game.
In his final contest with the Tigers, Moore ran for 153 yards and averaged 30.4 yards per carry. He also had a 78yard punt return for a touchdown.
He stayed in shape by competing on the Clemson track and field team, where he participated in the broad jump and low hurdles.
After graduating from Clemson, Moore married Marcia Poole, the daughter of Clemson University President Dr. Robert Poole, who served from 1940-1958.
The two met at a YMCA dance and married when when Moore graduated in 1955.
“My work made it necessary for me to travel a good bit, so the responsibility for raising the children was mostly hers, and she did a great job,” he said.
Moore majored in Dairy Sciences at Clemson and went on to serve as an executive with several companies in that industry.
His career took him around the country, including stops in Louisville and Columbus, before settling in the Atlanta area.
His career resume is as impressive as his athletic accomplishments.
While working for Searcy Ice Cream Company, he came up with the formula for the first fat-free, sugar-free ice cream.
He worked for the W.I.C. program where he helped the government develop nutritious products for the elderly.
During his career, he developed the formula for Freshens Yogurt and Smoothies.
He stayed active in the business before retiring about 11 years ago.
Their first daughter, Margie, was born in 1958 and is also a Clemson graduate. Her husband, Steve, is a Captain with American Airlines, and their daughters are also in the airline industry. Sara is a first officer with Go Jet and Kristi is a flight attendant with American Airlines.
The Moore’s other daughter Marcia was born in 1959 and is a Columbus State graduate. She works for a dentist in Mount Pleasant, S.C. Marcia’s son Hugh works for his father’s business, and her daughter Marci is training to be a flight attendant.
The Moore’s son, Kenny, was born in 1966 and is also a Tiger, but an Auburn Tiger. Kenny, who met his wife Chris at Auburn, works in his father-in-law’s business. Their daughter, Rachel, is a student at Georgia Southern.
Through the years, he has been involved in the Kiwanis Club, Junior Achievement and Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Moore stays active by playing rounds of golf at the Newnan Country Club as much as possible.
Moore still keeps up with Clemson football and tries to get back to campus as much as possible.
“It’s a beautiful campus, and a place I am proud of.”
He was excited to follow the Tigers’ success last season when they went 14-1, losing to the University of Alabama, 4540, in the national championship game.
Clemson was ranked second in the final Associated Press college football poll last season, and is expected to be in the hunt for a national title again this year.
He is well aware his alma mater signed fellow Newnan resident and former Northgate standout linebacker James Skalski to a scholarship in February.
Skalski helped lead Northgate to the Class AAAAA Final Four last season.
Moore is impressed with current Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney.
“Dabo is doing a really great job,” he said. “He is keeping the former players involved in the program and that is nice to see.”
Moore has closely followed the evolution of the college game and the many changes.
“It’s a year-round deal now,” he said. “When I was playing, after the season was over, you had several weeks you could do different things.”