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Tuesday, August 26, 1997

Paralyzed player visits teammates; named honorary captain

By TERRANCE HARRIS Fort Worth Star-Telegram

FORT WORTH, Texas - Matt Moore was wheeled onto the Amon Carter Stadium field by his father this weekend as TCU football practice wound down. For the first time since a 1995 accident left him paralyzed, Moore faced his Horned Frogs teammates.

TCU football coach Pat Sullivan spontaneously gave way to his seniors after they welcomed him with heartfelt clapping.

Defensive tackle Matt Harper emerged from the circle of Frogs.

"We would like for you to be our honorary team captain," Harper said.

With a humble nod, Moore accepted.

"Having Matt here today was a message from God that we can't give up," said linebacker Kam Hunt, who was also a teammate of Moore's at Katy Mayde Creek High School near Houston. "Matt didn't give up on himself, as we all could see this afternoon."

Many eyes welled with tears, including those of Moore's father, Ron, who was standing nearby.

"That was very emotional for us," Ron Moore said. "I knew the first time we came back out to the field, it would be emotional.

"But in some ways, it was also gratifying."

The event was a momentous step in Moore's return to campus and college life after a fall while catching passes before a walk-through practice at Amon Carter Stadium left the former running back's third and fourth neck vertebrae dislocated and left him without feeling from his shoulders down.

As a walk-on freshman in 1994, Moore caught the first touchdown pass during the season opener at North Carolina. He earned a scholarship to begin his sophomore season but tragedy struck before the season-ending game against Texas A&M.

Moore, 21, had been rehabilitating at his parents' Houston home and returned to Fort Worth last week to begin classes Monday. The English major will carry six credit hours this semester, taking British literature and philosophy courses.

"It's exciting being back," Moore said as the wind blew his long blond hair into his face. "But the important thing is, I'm not trying to look too far ahead.

"I'm kind of taking this whole thing one day at a time and see what it's like."

Though Moore realized the transition would be challenging, returning to TCU was always his intention. Moore is accompanied by his full-time nurse, Jennifer Burns, and will be assisted by two other rotating nurses around the clock.

And for at least the next month, his mother, Lynn, plans to stay with him in a home near campus that the family purchased.

The family, along with Matt, remains hopeful that research in the spinal-cord field could pave the way for a full recovery.

"We're so proud of Matt and the way he has handled this all and gotten back to school," Ron Moore said. "I suppose it says a lot about his character.

"Lynn and I both are so proud of him."

The same goes for Sullivan and the athletic and academic community at TCU. TCU chancellor William Tucker, athletic director Frank Windegger and other university dignitaries made their way over to shake Moore's hand and offer encouragement as he watched the Frogs in their first controlled scrimmage of the summer.

The NCAA's catastrophic injury insurance covers Moore's expenses, and Sullivan's wife, Jean, has spent the past two weeks diligently helping prepare the house while the coaching staff and athletic trainers worked on the landscaping.

"The actions they have taken just shows the type of class act coach Sullivan, his family, the players and school are," Ron Moore said. "Without them and the wonderful support they have given, none of this would be possible."

For now, Matt Moore is becoming reacquainted with his surroundings.

"It's really weird seeing some things again," he said. "So many memories are coming back at me.

"I know it has been a long time, but it seems like yesterday.

"And now, I'm back."

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