IRVING, Texas (Nov. 15, 2023) – Virginia Tech and The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today that they will jointly honor 2023 College Football Hall of Fame electee
Corey Moore with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments®. The Salute will take place this Saturday, Nov. 18, during the Hokies' home football game against North Carolina State, which will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on ACC Network.
"
Corey Moore brought an extreme intensity and physicality to every single play, relentlessly disrupting opposing offenses en route to becoming the most decorated defensive player to ever wear a Hokie uniform," said NFF President & CEO
Steve Hatchell. "We are thrilled to honor him at Lane Stadium as a member of the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class."
The NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute program, which began with the inaugural College Football Hall of Fame Class in 1951, has become a hallowed tradition, and to this day the singular events remain the first of numerous activities in the Hall of Fame experience.
During the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, each electee returns to his respective school to accept a Hall of Fame plaque that will stay on permanent display at the institution. The events take place on the field during a home game, and many Hall of Famers cite the experience as the ultimate capstone to their careers, providing them one more chance to take the field and be recognized in front of their home crowd.
A two-time First Team All-American, and just the second Hokie ever to earn unanimous honors (1999), Moore became the first player in history to claim both Lombardi Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy in the same season. As the leader of Virginia Tech's famed "Lunch Pail Defense," Moore anchored the effort, which saw the Hokies led the nation in rushing defense (85.0 ypg) and first downs allowed (352) during the 1998 and 1999 seasons and the nation in scoring defense (10.5 ppg) in 1999. The Football News named him the Defensive Player of the Year in 1999.
The team went 27-9 during his three seasons in Blacksburg, including three bowl berths. The team posted a 7-5 record in 1997, appearing in the 1998 Gator Bowl. The following year, the Hokies improved to 9-3 on the season, defeating Alabama, 38-7, in the Music City Bowl with Moore claiming game MVP honors. In 1999, the Hokies and Hall of Fame coach
Frank Beamer crafted the best performance in school history, finishing 11-1 and ranking No. 2 in the final AP Poll after playing in the BCS National Championship Game against Florida State in the 2000 Sugar Bowl, the school's first ever appearance in a national title game.
The two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year, Moore helped the Hokies claim the 1999 Big East title, and he twice led the conference in sacks, posting 17.5 in 1999 and 13.5 in 1998. He was named the recipient of the Dudley Award by the Richmond Times Dispatch as the top player in the State of Virginia in 1999.
He finished his career with 166 tackles, 58 tackles for loss, 35 sacks, four pass breakups, three fumble recoveries (including one returned for a touchdown), six forced fumbles and three blocked kicks. Moore is the only player in Virginia Tech history who longtime defensive coordinator
Bud Foster has bestowed lifetime possession of "The Pail," the iconic object among Hokie defensive players, signifying blue-collar hard work. The Hokies retired Moore's jersey in 2010.
Drafted in the third round of the 2000 NFL by Buffalo, he played for the Bills for a single season then later signed a two-year contract with Miami. Moore currently works in real estate development. He earned a master's degree in student affairs from Michigan State, and he is working towards a doctorate in higher education administration. He previously worked as an academic advisor and recruiter of minority and first-generation college students at Michigan State.
The Brownsville, Tennessee, native now becomes only the fifth Virginia Tech player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame, joining:
Hunter Carpenter (1900-05),
Carroll Dale (1956-59),
Frank Loria (1965-67) and
Bruce Smith (1981-84). Hall of Fame coaches who headed the Virginia Tech program include
Frank Beamer,
Jerry Claiborne and
Andy Gustafson.
The 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class includes
Eric Berry (Tennessee),
Michael Bishop (Kansas State),
Reggie Bush (Southern California),
Dwight Freeney (Syracuse),
Robert Gallery (Iowa),
LaMichael James (Oregon),
Derrick Johnson (Texas),
Bill Kollar (Montana State),
Luke Kuechly (Boston College),
Jeremy Maclin (Missouri),
Terance Mathis (New Mexico),
Bryant McKinnie (Miami [FL]),
Corey Moore (Virginia Tech),
Michael Stonebreaker (Notre Dame),
Tim Tebow (Florida),
Troy Vincent (Wisconsin),
Brian Westbrook (Villanova),
DeAngelo Williams (Memphis), and coaches
Monte Cater (Lakeland [WI], Shepherd [WV]),
Paul Johnson (Georgia Southern, Navy, Georgia Tech),
Roy Kramer (Central Michigan) and
Mark Richt (Georgia, Miami [FL]).
The 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 65th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 5 at the ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
Click here for more information on the Awards Dinner, including options to purchase tickets online, special travel rates to the event from Delta Air Lines and hotel rates at the ARIA.
The accomplishments of the 2023 Class will be forever immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, and each inductee will receive a custom ring created by Jostens, the official and exclusive supplier of NFF rings.
Including the 2023 Hall of Fame Class, only 1,074 players and 230 coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame from the nearly 5.7 million who have played or coached the game during the past 154 years. In other words, less than two one-hundredths of a percent (.02%) of the individuals who have played the game have earned this distinction.
Fidelity Investments has served as the national presenting sponsor of the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes since 2010. The salutes are one component of a multi-year initiative between the two organizations to celebrate the scholar-athlete ideal and a joint commitment to higher education. Fidelity is also the presenting sponsor of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards, and it helped launch the NFF Faculty Salutes in 2011, which recognize the contributions of the faculty athletics representatives around the country.
ABOUT FIDELITY INVESTMENTS
Fidelity's mission is to inspire better futures and deliver better outcomes for the customers and businesses we serve. With assets under administration of $10.3 trillion, including discretionary assets of $3.8 trillion as of August 31, 2023, we focus on meeting the unique needs of a diverse set of customers. Privately held for over 75 years, Fidelity employs more than 60,000 associates who are focused on the long-term success of our customers. For more information about Fidelity Investments, visit https://www.fidelity.com/about-fidelity/our-company.
ABOUT The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters in 47 states, NFF programs include the selection and induction of members of the College Football Hall of Fame; the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta; Future For Football; The William V. Campbell Trophy®; the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments; the NFF National High School Academic Excellence Award; and a series of initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future. NFF corporate partners include Catapult, Delta Air Lines, Fidelity Investments, Jostens, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the New York Athletic Club, the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation and the Sports Business Journal. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork and learn more at footballfoundation.org.
