Ancient assistant coach Tom Moore is ready as ever for another season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and it’s time this legend got some more recognition.
The NFL has been around for over 100 years now and it feels like Moore has been around for at least 94 of them. All kidding aside, Moore is about as legendary an assistant coach as they come, and his longevity is unparalleled. Not just in football, but in a career in general.
82 years old. 41 seasons in the league.
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) June 3, 2021
Respect to a legend 💯 pic.twitter.com/4Sbmr6ZNqQ
For anyone to still be working full-time at age 82 sounds crazy, and for Moore to be doing so in a profession like the NFL is nothing short of astounding. Moore began his coaching career as a graduate assistant with the University of Iowa back in 1961 and has climbed up the ranks since then.
His first foray in professional football was as an offensive coordinator of the New York Stars for the short-lived WFL (World Football League) in 1974. Since joining the NFL in 1977 as a receivers coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Moore has obtained four Super Bowl rings. His first two came in 1978 and 1979 with the Steelers, with his third coming during his most famous stint as Peyton Manning’s offensive coordinator during the 2006 season with the Indianapolis Colts.
As for his fourth? That came in 2020.
Moore joined the Buccaneers as an offensive consultant in 2019 to work under Bruce Arians, the same role he had with Arians with the Arizona Cardinals from 2013 to 2017. In the 2020 season, working with another legendary quarterback in Tom Brady, Moore got his fourth ring.
Now, Moore is back, along with the rest of the Buccaneers’ starters and coaching staff from the 2020 season, to fulfill the quest of going for two. It’s pretty amazing that in 41 years Moore has never served as a head coach, but he’s never really had much desire to. He loves what he does and is great at what he does, and his return is no doubt a huge deal for the Buccaneers going forward.