Alumnus Nat Moore – May 4, 2020
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Monday, May 4, 2020
Former Dolphins WR and Senior Vice President of Special Projects, Alumni Relations and Advisor to the CEO Nat Moore
(Could you just talk about if you remember when you first met Coach Don Shula? What was it like? You were a rookie – obviously a little younger than he was at the time at his height as a coach. What was that like?) – “When I first met Coach Shula, it was right after the draft. Of course I got the phone call, but then I got the chance – I used an attorney rather than an agent. We actually went to Coach Shula’s house and we sat down and we started talking contract. He talked to me about the changes he wanted to make and what I did, because I had been a running back my entire life and how he felt that as a wide receiver, it would extend my career and I could be a tremendous threat because of my breakaway and scoring ability. And it was one of those things when you sat down and here’s this icon and his vision of what you can be, and he made me a promise. He promised me that if I gave it everything I had, he’d give me a year to learn how to be a wide receiver, and believe it or not, the strike happened that year and all of a sudden I got a chance to play a whole lot more during the preseason, and by the fifth game of the year, I ended up becoming a starter. The thing that I remember most about Coach Shula was that he had plans always of how he wanted to use you and how he could get the most out of you.”
(Do you have any favorite stories that really hammer home the kind of person, the kind of man that Coach Shula was? And also as a secondary thing I’d like to ask you, if you could put into words what Coach Shula meant not just to the Miami Dolphins but to South Florida?) – “I’ll give you an indication of Coach Shula and why I feel he always got the most out of his players. He was a guy that drove you, but wouldn’t allow you to quit on yourself. I remember one ball game alone where I was having some shoulder issues. I had a pinched nerve in my neck and pretty soon I ended up starting to wear a neck brace; but I remember a game where we had to have that victory and I land on my shoulder and I’m in such pain. I make the catch, I come off to the sideline and he looks at me like, ‘And where are you going?’ And I’m like, ‘I’m in so much pain.’ I can’t believe what he’s saying to me. I just got the first down. I got hit and my shoulder hurt, and the pain subsides. I go back in the ball game and once again we need a third down. I make the play and I come off and I am in so much pain, I don’t know what to do; and he is riding me. He is ripping me. Long story short, the game ends, we win. The first guy to come to my locker and pat me on the back and tell me what a great job I did and way to hang in there, he knew it was tough, he knew I could do it, was Don Shula. I always think about things like that where he didn’t allow players to quit on themselves or the team. He always found a way to motivate you to give a little bit more than you thought you had, to become a little bit better player than you thought you could be; and I think that was his key to success. He got the most out of all of his players, and guys that didn’t want to be a part of that and didn’t fit in, he didn’t have a problem with getting rid of them, and I think that’s why we were much better teams in the 70s and 80s and even 90s under his leadership. When I think about what Coach Shula meant to South Florida – and I’ve been telling this story all day – a lot of men come here to play for the Miami Dolphins. Under Coach Shula, most of them never left. Most of them eventually decided to stay here or reside here, build their homes and their second businesses here in South Florida, and it was because Coach Shula always had us out in the community and always had us being a part of South Florida. In the 70s and 80s, United Way used to come in and they had a great partnership with the NFL. They used to come in and pitch to donate to the different organizations that a lot of us came from – the Boys and Girls Club and all of the charities – and Coach Shula was always that guy that wrote the first check. He never asked you to do anything that he didn’t do himself. We ran those gassers and we all hated those dadgum gassers, but he ran them with us. He would run two out of three. When you think of Coach Shula and you think of how he drove us, but he also made sure we were an intricate part of the South Florida community’s fabric; and because of that, you see so many guys here today that are still here, that are still doing well, that are still thriving in business and being a part of the South Florida community to make it better and it’s all because of Don Shula.”
(I know as the alumni group you guys have had Zoom meetings. Have you had anything today or do you have anything imminent that you will talk with other players about Shula’s passing?) – “No, we have not been on Zoom today. I think because so many guys have our cell numbers and phone numbers, and there are a lot of TV stations and radio stations that are reaching out to us individually. We sent out an email and texts to all of the guys to let them know that Coach (Don Shula) had passed and as we get more information, they’ll get more information. (It is) a very sad day in Dolphins history (and) a very sad day in South Florida when you lose an icon like Don Shula.”
(This is a really hard thing to think about, but not only have we lost Don Shula, but it’s happening in the current climate that we’re all facing with this pandemic. At least one of the players that we talked to earlier today was lamenting about that and concerned about how are we going to be able to pay our respects, how are we going to be able to honor Don Shula? What can you say to the fans about their being able to say thank you to Don Shula at some point?) – “I think once we understand and have some idea of what the family wishes are, we will communicate not only to the fans, but using the media and et cetera about how we will celebrate his legacy. I know we will do something; we’re just not sure what. Remember, Coach Shula just passed this morning, and we live in a world where everybody wants everything right now; but I’m pretty sure at some point the family will get together. You’ve got (his son) David up in Dartmouth. I think (his son) Mike is in New York. Half the family is all over the country and you’ve got to give them a little time to grieve and then for them to come up with a plan of what they would like to see. I think in the end, it’s really about how we make the family feel good about the way we worship their loved one – their dad and their husband – versus us trying to just decide, ‘we’re going to do this, this and this.’ I think without a doubt, the legacy of Don Shula will last forever, and we – and when I say ‘we’ I’m speaking not only of the alumni but also the Miami Dolphins – will figure out the best way to honor him.”
