2009 USTFCCCA Hall of Fame Inductees
GLASSBORO, NJ – Former track and field coach Oscar Moore has been selected to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will be held on Wednesday, December 16 at the USTFCCCA annual convention in Orlando, FL.
The 2009 Hall of Fame inductees also include Arthur Gulden (Bucknell University), Franklin Pitcher “Pitch” Johnson (Drake University/Stanford University), Charles (Chuck) Rohe (Furman University/University of Tennessee), Duane Vandenbusche (Western State College of Colorado) and Gary Winckler (Florida State University/University of Illinois).
In 1971, Moore started the men’s track and field program at Glassboro State College, now Rowan University. The Profs competed at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships for 20 straight years under Moore and they captured five straight national titles from 1980-84. The men’s team also took second place in 1978 and 1979. The 1982 NCAA championship team still holds the record for most points (119) scored at the NCAA Championship. The five national outdoor crowns is the third most in Division III.
His teams won the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championship 19 straight years. Moore produced over 130 All-Americans and 24 NCAA individual champions. In addition, he had one NCAA Division I champion in the javelin and a total of five athletes that qualified for the NCAA Division I Championships. He was named the NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year five times (1980-84).
Moore was also head coach of the women’s track and field team for seven years. The women won their first NJAC title in 1992. He took over the women’s program in the summer of 1986. With his guidance, several women competed at the NCAA Division III Championships, 17 earned All-America and four received All-East honors. Moore also served as the assistant coach for the men’s and women’s cross country teams from 1971-92. In 1983, Moore was a coach for the U.S. vs. England team.
His coaching career at the University spanned 23 years. Moore was an assistant professor in the health and exercise department for 33 years and retired in 2003.
He was a track competitor since his senior year in high school. Moore competed for the New York Pioneers Club from 1961-63. He ran for the U.S. in the 5,000 meters at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. Moore also competed for the U.S. vs. Russia (1963) and vs. British Commonwealth Games (1963). He ran at the 1964 National AAU Championships and finished third in the 10,000 meters and sixth in the 5,000 meters.
Moore earned his bachelor’s degree (1968) in recreation and his master’s (1970) at Southern Illinois University. He went to SIU after four years in the Marines (1956-60). He still holds the school record in the indoor 3,000 meters (7:59.98) and 5,000 meters (13:51.20) and the outdoor 5,000 meters (13:51.20). He is fifth all-time in the 10,000 meters (29:27.77). During his career, he set new Drake, Kansas, Texas and Florida Relay marks and earned All-America honors six times. He ran the two, three and six mile events, in addition to the 5,000 meters. He won NCAA titles in 1967 and ran the third fastest three mile ever indoors, an astonishing feat considering SIU’s lack of an indoor training facility. Moore was captain of the SIU track team for three years. He lettered three times in track and twice in cross country. Moore was the assistant director of the Student Center (1969-71).
Moore is a member of the Southern Illinois University, Gloucester County and Rowan-Glassboro State Sports Hall of Fames. In addition, he was inducted into the NCAA Division III Track and Field Hall of Fame. His awards have included Runners World, 1984 and 1985 College All-Star Team; Sports Illustrated, 1984 Faces in the Crowd; Philadelphia Sportswriters, 1984 Coaches Award; and New Jersey Sports Writers, 1984 Coaches Award. He was listed in the 1985 Who’s Who in Black America.
For additional information about the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame Class of 2009 go to http://www.ustfccca.org.
