Richard Clifton "Rich" Moore (born April 26, 1947) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

defensive tackle in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) who played 20 games for the Green Bay Packers. In 1969, the Green Bay Packers used the 12th pick in the 1st round of the

1969 NFL Draft The 1969 National Football League draft was part of the common draft, the third and final year in which the NFL and American Football League (AFL) held a joint draft of college players. The draft took place January 28–29, 1969. The draft be ...

to sign Moore out of

Villanova University Villanova University is a private Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Augustinians in 1842 and named after Saint Thomas of Villanova. The university is the oldest Catholic university in Penns ...

. He had previously been named as a first-team tackle on the East Coast Athletic Conference all-conference team in 1968, his senior season at Villanova. Moore went on to play for two seasons with the Packers. He tore an Achilles tendon in a win over the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

in the 1970 season, and had surgery shortly thereafter, putting him out for the season. After trying him on offense during training camp in 1971, the Packers traded him to the New England Patriots for linebacker John Bramlett in late July 1971. However, Moore was unable to play for the Patriots in 1971 due to injury. He was then released by the Patriots in June 1972. Moore's only known statistic is a single fumble recovery in the 1969 season. His son, Brandon Moore, later played offensive tackle for the New England Patriots from 1993 through 1995.

The 1969 Packers draft

Moore's selection is still remembered by Packers fans and observers as one of the most ill-fated in team history. Multiple writers have listed his selection as one of the most disappointing Packers draft picks of all time (though most do not make note of his career-ending injury). Packers' head coach

Phil Bengtson John Phillip Bengtson (July 17, 1913 – December 18, 1994) was an American football player and coach. He was a longtime assistant coach in college football and the National Football League (NFL), chiefly remembered as the successor to Vince Lo ...

overruled personnel director Pat Peppler, who had rated other players higher and who thought Moore would be available later in the draft.

Vince Lombardi Vincent Thomas Lombardi (June 11, 1913 – September 3, 1970) was an American football coach and executive in the National Football League (NFL). Lombardi is considered by many to be the greatest coach in football history, and he is recognized a ...

was still the Packers' general manager during the draft, but he was in negotiations to become head coach and general manager of the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

, a deal which was finalized the next week. Peppler later said, "Rich Moore was a disaster. Phil Bengtson fell in love with his size." Three players available when the Packers took Moore went on the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Roger Wehrli,

Ted Hendricks Theodore Paul Hendricks (born November 1, 1947), nicknamed "the Mad Stork", is a former professional football player who played as an outside linebacker for 15 seasons with the Baltimore Colts, Green Bay Packers, and the Oakland/Los Angeles R ...

and Charlie Joiner, and they also passed up other players who starred in the NFL for many years, such as

Fred Dryer John Frederick Dryer (born July 6, 1946) is an American actor, radio host, screenwriter and former professional football player. He was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 years, participating in 176 games starting in ...

Calvin Hill Calvin G. Hill (born January 2, 1947) is a retired American football player. He played running back in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons. Hill played for the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, and Cleveland Browns. He also p ...

and Ed White. Other Packers selections in the 1969 draft were also weak. The Packers' next pick, second round choice Dave Bradley, played in only 16 games in a career that ended in 1972, and by 1974 not one 1969 Packers pick remained on the team. Only 9th round choice Dave Hampton was in the NFL at all by 1975, finishing his NFL career with the Falcons and Eagles in 1976.Pro-Football-Reference.com, ibid.

References

Packers.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Rich 1947 births Living people American football defensive tackles Villanova Wildcats football players Green Bay Packers players Players of American football from Cleveland