January 12, 2013 11:15 pm • By BILL SPELTZ of the Missoulian(1) Comments
Some guys refuse to answer the door when misfortune comes calling.
It’s a form of perseverance Dan Moore uses to sustain his dream.
The injury bug bit Moore time and time again as a member of the Montana football team. As a junior he was sidelined by knee trouble and in 2012 he spent half of his senior season on the shelf with a high ankle sprain. A caged rhino as it were, wishing so badly he could play he made concessions – ala Robert Griffin III – just to get on the field for Griz-Cat in November.
Today Moore is feeling stronger than ever. A 237-pound tank hankering to show off his talents for professional scouts. He’s talked to just about every NFL team and some draft experts count him among the top 10 fullbacks coming out of college.
He’ll be in someone’s camp whether he’s drafted or not. And he’s quick to credit Griz football for putting him in position to reach his ultimate goal.
“Everyone kind of looks out for one another and it’s a great atmosphere in Missoula,” he said from his new digs at the Olympic Training Center in San Diego. “Being there helped keep me going through five years and the injuries. A feeling of not wanting to let that town down.”
Dan still remembers the summer he arrived in Zootown. He remembers being floored by the effort then-teammate Colt Anderson put into his workouts.
“The guy would work out until the sun went down,” Moore marveled, “and I thought, geez, this is how they do it up here, huh? You think you work hard until you come to Montana.”
You might say Moore picked up where Anderson left off with his rare work ethic. Even in torturous times this past season, the five weeks when he was sidelined, you could find Dan working out all by himself on a Saturday night while his team was on the road.
He’ll sew up his sociology degree in February and the sky will be the limit for this goal-driven college grad. But there’s only one place he expects to be in August. It’s a destination he’s been eyeing since third grade. A dream that compels him to lift multiple times a day, practice yoga and work with a speed coach and sports psychologist in preparation for NFL tryout opportunities in February and March in Tucson, Ariz., Los Angeles and Missoula.
“If I can go and run in the 4.5s or I’m close to 35 or 40 reps (at 225 pounds) on the bench, I could jump a lot,” he said. “I may not get a lot of the accolades but my dream was never to be big and famous. My dream was to play in the NFL.
“Whether it be on special teams or playing blocking back, that’s good for me. I would just love to put on a helmet for a team and say that I played.”
Moore has a lot of friends. His best friend might just be the weightroom.
There’s an old country song that preaches for every win something is lost. More than once Dan Moore has missed out on good times with his pals, all in the name of his goal. His is a sacrifice few are willing to make at the carefree age of 23.
Ask him why he spends a crazy amount of time lifting weights and Moore answers with candor.
“Honestly I don’t know – I just want to be different,” he said. “Everybody strives to be different in this world.
“While other people may have had three or four goals in their life, I stuck to just one – playing in The League. And working out is a stress reliever for me. It’s where I go to let off steam.”
Dan talks with agents three or four times a day, all with an interest in representing him. They constantly remind him he’s got a good shot at the pros. Moore has no idea where it goes from here, but he is sure of one thing and wants it known:
“Be sure to tell everyone up there that I’ll always be a Grizzly.”
No problem, Dan. And you be sure to remember you’ll never be forgotten.
Bill Speltz can be reached at 523-5255 or [email protected].
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