Alabama athletic director Mal Moore speaks during a news conference in Tuscaloosa, Ala., in this 2006 file photo.TUSCALOOSA, Ala.- Athletes, coaches and fans gathered Thursday to remember the late University of Alabama athletics director Mal Moore as a Southern gentleman who was passionate about poetry, music, his family and the Crimson Tide.
“Coach gave the Crimson Tide a soul. He was our heartbeat,” said golf coach Jay Seawell.
About 550 football players, gymnasts, basketball players and other athletes filled the floor of Coleman Coliseum for a ceremony to celebrate the life of Moore. Hundreds more university officials and others sat in the stands.
Hired away from the Miami Dolphins in 2007 by Moore, football coach Nick Saban called his former boss a “genuine person” who he came to value as a friend, particularly after his NFL stint.
Saban, who has won three national titles at Alabama, said Moore used to read poetry to his wife, Terry Saban, on the team bus and always made a point to visit the football film room on Sunday after a Crimson Tide loss to show his support.