TCC Athletics: AD Chuck Moore enters second 12 months with excessive expectations – Tallahassee Democrat

It has been a 12 months since Tallahassee Community College Director of Athletics Chuck Moore arrived to place his stamp on the panorama of Eagle sports activities.

And his coronary heart hasn’t wavered since transferring away from his residence state of Virginia to finish his mission of enhancing and overseeing TCC’s athletics‘ eight sports activities groups (women and men) and roughly 100 student-athletes.

“God put me right here for a motive and I am blessed to be right here,” Moore mentioned. “It is like driving a fairly exhilarating curler coaster ― some actually excessive and low moments and quite a lot of educating moments.

“I am having fun with the way in which issues function down right here and (Tallahassee) has been so embracing of me and what I am attempting to do with TCC athletics. Hopefully, the imaginative and prescient, values, and tradition that I am attempting to develop right here will probably be one thing that is sustainable.”

Moore, 47, accepted the TCC job in December 2021, changing former AD Rob Chaney. Chaney left to develop into the Affiliate Director and Athletics Commissioner for the Florida School System Actions Affiliation.

Moore beforehand labored at Richard Bland School in Virginia because the director of athletics and head males’s basketball coach.

In actual fact, Moore led the revival of the college’s athletics program throughout his tenure and directed the basketball staff to a 122-38 file and its first-ever NJCAA title in 2015.

Changing into TCC’s director of athletics is his first non-coaching job of his profession.

“It is a large change, however it’s permitting me to instill the tradition and values and be the visionary for this division with extra of a clearer thoughts,” Moore mentioned. “It was very troublesome to flip the swap from to go from AD to basketball coach at Richard Bland.

“It taught me quite a lot of administration and creating expertise as a result of there was no athletics at Richard Bland. I discovered all of that in a program that I used to be capable of put my stamp on in each facet and I am carrying a few of these processes into TCC to maintain pushing us ahead.

“I nonetheless have the itch (to teach) on a regular basis, however now I’ve to seek out methods to assume like a coach, however lead as an athletic director. We have now an amazing teaching employees from prime to backside, so my job is simply to offer them instruments to draw the very best student-athletes and hopefully win video games.”

MORE SPORTS COVERAGE

RattlerNews:Who is SWAC? With Deion Sanders out, FAMU can overtake spotlight | G. Thomas

NoleSports:Florida State football: 3 things to know about Seminoles’ history with Oklahoma, Cheez-It Bowl

Huge Bend Preps:‘I miss that smile’: 5 years after his death, Cam Brown’s legacy beams brightly at Florida High

Nonetheless pretty new to Tallahassee, Moore needs to construct relationships with fellow AD’s on the town

Moore caught the tail finish of the Mike McLeod period ― former Eagles baseball coach who recorded over 1,000 wins throughout his profession.

McLeod additionally briefly served as the college’s director of athletics from 2001-2002. Moore credited McLeod for serving to him make the transition to TCC.

“He was essentially the most welcoming to me,” Moore mentioned. “Figuring out that he was on his manner out, he nonetheless embraced me and tried to assist me navigate on the town and on campus as a result of he is been right here.

“I am going to all the time be indebted to him for that and cherish these brief instances.”

Moore says Chaney has additionally been a giant assist as he adjusts to the world.

Now, Moore needs to strengthen the reference to native college athletic administrators ― Michael Alford of Florida State and Florida A&M interim director of athletics Michael Smith as Tiffani-Dawn Sykes begins the job in January.

“I’ve met Michael Smith and Michael Alford,” Moore mentioned.

“I undoubtedly wish to construct these relationships with each of them and their employees. I am all the time up for studying and attempt to see what they’re doing. Perhaps there is a manner that we are able to associate on sure stuff to simply assist all of our applications.”

Moore has solidified his employees and put tasks in movement

Final summer season, Moore was tasked with filling two head teaching positions inside Eagles athletics.

First, he hired Mercedes Corona to develop into the brand new girls’s basketball coach in June.

Then, Moore introduced on former FSU baseball All-American pitcher Bryan Henry to interchange the retired McLeod in early July.

He is additionally employed 9 full-time employees members throughout his tenure.

“All these searches had been very deliberate and I used to be very diligent in what I used to be on the lookout for as a result of I do know what we’d like as a school,” Moore mentioned. “I feel everyone that we have employed have been prime notch and are shopping for into the tradition and values that want right here to vary our scholar athlete’s lives.”

In January, TCC baseball’s Wayne and Betty Edwards Household Fieldhouse was upgraded with new lockers, carpet, and sofas for the gamers to lounge.

Now, Moore is main TCC athletics in a capital marketing campaign to renovate all the college’s athletic amenities.

“We’re attempting to essentially drum up that help to do the renovations and maintain these amenities,” Moore mentioned. “We would like to have the ability to appeal to the highest student-athletes the way in which the Panhandle Convention does.

“Hopefully, we are able to construct the native help between our area people and alumni base, so we are able to continually do these modifications. Proper now, we nonetheless want to lift a big amount of cash and we’d like the group help in that.

“So, these renovations ought to all begin within the spring between Lifetime Sports activities and all the baseball, softball complexes.”

TCC basketball men’s coach Rick Cabrera has watched Moore make an exerted effort to construct the Eagles’ athletic applications whereas offering help for teaching staffs.

“Chuck has proven a large amount of help for all athletics,” he mentioned. “He is displayed modern and inventive methods whereas forming his tradition and imaginative and prescient for the way forward for Tallahassee athletics.”

Huge, however attainable expectations for TCC sports activities groups from Moore

Final season, TCC males’s basketball reached the FCSAA Division I State/NJCAA District state quarterfinals. The baseball staff obtained to the FCSAA/NJCAA South Atlantic District match.

As the brand new AD final 12 months, Moore noticed the groups to see the place might assist them prosper.

“I simply sat again and assessed how issues had been operated and the place I could make the sure maneuvers some change to observe what I envision for us,” he mentioned.

Moore’s expectation is for the applications to compete each season for years to return — particularly as soon as they put money into upgraded amenities for the groups.

“I really feel like we should always compete for championships each single 12 months,” Moore mentioned. “There is not any excuse for us to not as soon as we do the renovations and we’ve the instruments.

“We additionally wish to graduate our student-athletes. That is the underside line expectation.”

Moore needs to see an uptake in Tallahassee group and alumni help

Moore appears like he has one thing particular brewing at TCC.

However with out the help of the Huge Bend and TCC alumni and supporters, his imaginative and prescient is much less prone to materialize.

Moore is looking on the all these which can be at the moment or previously affiliated with the establishment.

“In all places I’m going, I meet any person completely different that’s related to TCC and nearly all of them emphasize the constructive skilled that they’d,” he mentioned. “We’re needing immediately athletic help and our donor base is close to to non-existent.

“So, one in all our objectives is to construct up our engagement and permit the group and our alumni to see the worth in what our athletics does as a result of it is one thing to be reckon with.”

Eagles basketball will obtain welcomed publicity in two weeks because the staff competes in ESPN+’s NJCAA Sport of the Week towards Daytona State School on Monday, Dec. 19, at 6 p.m.

Moore is providing the primary 100 followers to attend the sport free entry to help the Eagles by carrying royal blue.

Raffles and prizes can even be given out in the course of the sport.

“Tallahassee is a tremendous sports activities city,” Moore mentioned. “If the group begin popping out to see what we’ve to supply, they will get hooked by seeing how good we’re.

“All of our applications are winners and also you’re seeing high-level gamers. I might like to see the group come out and help us, not simply financially, but additionally bodily within the bleachers as a result of I promise these student-athletes will recognize it.”

Gerald Thomas III covers FAMU athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him by way of e-mail at [email protected] or on Twitter @3peatgee.

Observe the Tallahassee Democrat on social media at Tallahassee Democrat (Fb), TallahasseeDemocrat (Instagram), and @TDOnline (Twitter)