Focused on the game, head football coach, Tyler Moore encourages his players to give 110% on the field and be ready for any challenges against the opponent.
Moore’s passion for football started back at the beginning of his high school career where his father was a great influence and inspiration that led him into coaching. Now – Moore is marking his 10th year growing and strengthening the football program at Prosper High School.
“Growing up, sports were a big part of my life – they were big interests of mine,” Moore said. “Sophomore year, football kind of started becoming a bigger part of my life. Playing quarterback, and being in football and playing for my dad was a fun experience, and, you know, I loved the game and all the nuances of the game. There’s so much more to the sport than just playing the sport.”
Moore said that being the quarterback on his high school football team, and playing for his dad was a memorable experience, but challenging at times.
“It was a great experience. Sometimes it was tough,” Moore said. “My dad is a huge role model in my life. This is a big part of the reason I got into coaching.”
The strategy of football, and seeing the impact his father had on young players inspired Moore to follow his footsteps.
“Just the way he treated people. He’s the type of guy that, you know, even with kids, when he was an adult, athletic director, and head football coach saying ‘Yes, sir, yes, ma’am – to parents, kids – It’s just the way he always treated people,” Moore said. “Seeing the impact that my dad had, and the amount of kids that he was able to create connections with and change the lives of some of them for the better, really made an impact on me.”
Growing up, his mother was an elementary school teacher, while his father was the football coach of Moore’s team.
“It was fun to see him and how he interacted with people. But also, you know, anytime you’re the coaches son on a football team, there’s a lot of pressure there, especially playing quarterback,” Moore said. “Some of that was stressful for my parents, a little bit too, and it could be stressful for me, but ultimately, is something I wouldn’t trade for. I got to be part of those relationships, and to spend time with coaches and people who work a lot of hours, and spend a lot of time away from their families, so to be able to share my high school experience with my dad, you know, was a big deal.”
Moore’s father was one of his biggest inspirations to start coaching, and throughout his career Moore said there are different stages that come with being a new coach – to having more experience and time with players, and teams.
“You kind of have your stages where you’re a younger coach, and learning the way through, how to do things, and then the middle of my career, the kind of where I’m at now, you know, progression,” Moore said. “But a lot of times it’s a lot of different special experiences – some about the kids you know you will never forget.”
Before coming to PHS, Moore coached at Cedar Park High School.
“I had a player at Cedar Park, we were a really good football team. We were fortunate enough to play a couple state championships. We won and that was a great experience,” Moore said. “But one of my biggest experiences from a state championship was in 2014, we had a kid who had been kind of the freshman B team kid, then a JV B team kid, a JV player his junior year, then finally, senior year, he’s on the varsity, and doesn’t start at the beginning of the year.”
Moore said watching his players grow, and pushing them to be better athletes is one of the special things that comes with being a coach.
“He just continued to work, continued to do things he needed to do. By the end of his senior year, he caught, 12 touchdown passes, and cut two touchdowns in the state championship game that year,” Moore said. “And so it was special to see that kid kind of go from, where he had started, and just continue to work to get where he is and finish his career.”
Besides taking care of responsibilities that come with being head football coach, Moore also coaches the offense line.
“We lost the game, but for him to kind of have that game, two touchdowns in the big stage on TV and state championship, after kind of fighting this whole career to get give himself the opportunity, you know, and just watching kids develop and become young men and seeing where they start as freshmen.”
There are close to 300 kids in the football program. There are three freshman teams, two JV teams, and the varsity football team.
“Players throughout their career is always a special thing,” Moore said. “And, relationships – It’s a relationship business, you know, teaching, coaching, whether it be relationships with the kids, relationships with the people you work with. We work a lot hours, spend a lot of time together. So, you know, relationships with the coaches, the times with the coaches. That’s always a big part of the experience.”
Moore also taught social studies for 12 years alongside his career as a coach. Moore said history has been a subject he loved to teach.
“My passion for history, obviously, passion for the sport – football and sports in general, have a great impact,” Moore said. “And seeing the impact that my dad was able to have on kids, you know, combined those things was really what pushed me towards the profession in general.”
This year marks Moore’s 14th year coaching football.
“Every year has those challenges, and a lot of them just again, it’s a relationship job. Getting the every kid to understand not only the value of what we’re doing, but their value to what we’re doing,” Moore said. “Sometimes it’s hard as a young person to see the vision of a program, to see the big picture, and we get caught up in our own issues and our own problems. So dealing with the individual personalities, a lot of times, and figuring out where those issues are going to pop up and how to how to make everybody on the same page.”
The first district game this season will be against McKinney Boyd at Children’s Health Stadium on Sept. 20 at 7 p.m.
“There’s the pressure to the games, but I’m fortunate enough for really a couple things, and one is surrounded by a great group of coaches,” Moore said. “It makes my job easy when I know the guys surrounding me are going to do a great job, and I know they can handle, their different jobs, and that makes my life easier.
The team has weekly morning practices, and go out on the field during first and fifth period.
“Our kids understand what we’re trying to do. Our kids are great. They work their tails off, and they do everything we ask them to do,” Moore said. “So at the end of the day, with the people we have around us, kids and coaches, it makes making those decisions easier, and we know what we’re going to do before we get in those situations.”
Moore’s passion for coaching has strengthened the football program overtime, and created a positive environment for players and coaches on the field.
“I came here almost 10 years ago now, as an assistant coach, and since then, I’m the third head coach. It’s been a blessing to be in this community and to raise my children,” Moore said. “I came here being married for three years and no kids – just me and my wife and a dog, and now we got two boys, and they go to one of the elementary school here.”
Moore came to Prosper alongside football coach, Coby Richards, and they continue to coach the football program together.
“To be able to be in this community so long and establish our roots and see Prosper go from one high school surrounded by fields to what it is today has been hard sometimes. You know, miss the drive around, everybody’s a Prosper Eagle,” Moore said. “Our school district has done a great job of keeping the feel of this community together. So that’s a special thing. It’s a special place. So, you know, it’s a fortune to be surrounded by the people, I’m surrounded by doing what we do at this community, for sure.”
