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Name: Lenny MooreTeam: Baltimore Colts
Position: Running Back
Years Played in Baltimore: 1956 – 1967
Accomplishments: Hall of Fame Class of 1975, 7 – Time Pro Bowler, 5 – Time First Team All – Pro
Name: Lenny Moore Baltimore Colts Running Back 1956 – 1967 Hall of Fame Class of 1975, 7 – Time Pro Bowler, 5 – Time First Team All – Pro
After your playing career in Baltimore was complete, what did you do?
I did one year with CBS [as a football analyst], and that ended after one year. I thought when I started with CBS that I was turning the corner, but nothing ever happened after that. I loved doing the broadcasting work though, and I was really getting it together.
After CBS, I went to work for the Army. They were headquartered in Philadelphia, and I ended up having Baltimore, Washington, and Delaware [as my territories]. Our job, basically, was to move guys up that were "Spec Fives and Sevens " in the Army [Army classifications] and get them from behind the desks and out into the community – get them into schools, get them into areas where young recruits are – so I did that from 1970 - '74.
Then, I got a call from the Colts in '75 to do community relations, so we got that together – and that was good. I was with them up until the time they left [for Indianapolis in 1983], and never heard a thing [about them leaving Baltimore].
I ended up working for the state of Maryland up until the present where I'm still doing the same thing [working with youth in Maryland].
Did you ever look into coaching football after your playing career was over?
Those doors were closed, pretty tight. I wasn't going to waste my time. Then, you had to go through a lot of changes because of racial situations then – hotels and all that stuff.
How many players were on your Baltimore Colts teams?
Thirty three, and we had five coaches. It was something else man!
Are you still involved with any charities in the Baltimore area?
Well, I have my own foundation for my son [The Leslie Moore Scholarship Foundation]. I'm still a part of the Ed Block foundation and all the other ones are heart, lungs, and prostate cancer.
What is your fondest memory of your football career in Baltimore?
Winning the championships, back-to-back in '58 and '59. I never really thought about it – it was a job, you know. Once that was over, that was over, so it wasn't anything we loomed on - just moved on to the next part of my life.
Who was the best player you played with while in Baltimore?
We had so many, so many. [Johnny] Unitas [Baltimore Colts Quarterback: 1956 – 1972] quite naturally, [Art] Donovan [Baltimore Colts Defensive Tackle: 1950, 1953 – 1961], Raymond Berry [Baltimore Colts Wide Receiver: 1955 – 1967], Jim Parker [Baltimore Colts Offensive Tackle: 1957 – 1967]. We had so many guys! "Big Daddy" Lipscomb [Baltimore Colts Defensive Tackle: 1956 – 1960], Johnny Sample [Baltimore Colts Defensive Back: 1958 – 1960], John Mackey [Baltimore Colts Tight End: 1963 – 1971], wow – pitiful what he's going through. [John Mackey is currently battling dementia.]
What teammate were you closest with during your playing days in Baltimore?
"Big Daddy" Lipscomb, Sherman Plunkett [Baltimore Colts Offensive Tackle: 1958 – 1960], Jim Parker – everyone of them are gone.
What did you enjoy more, running for a touchdown or catching a pass for a touchdown?
Didn't matter – as long as we won. It was never anything individually because there was nothing I could do individually.
What are your feelings on the touchdown celebrations some players perform today after scoring touchdowns?
Just like anything else man, things have changed all the way down through. You could stop that stuff right from the beginning, but they just kind of left that alone. The way societal norms are this is what happens – so okay.
When you watch the Ravens and other National Football League teams play, is there something you like more about today's football game than the game it was when you played?
I just enjoy it because of the nature of what it's all about. It's still the same to a degree with other modifications that they added in, different techniques, different calls, and how they monitor the game is a lot different. A lot guys wouldn't have been able to play during our day that are playing today, with the things they do.
There was no whistle - you'd just be blasting people man, just be beating on people. Jumping, knocking them down. It wasn't until you were just about dead man that the whistle blew, but that's the way it was – punching, elbowing, slapping.
