'He's the kind of person you aspire to be like': Former Badgers explain Howard Moore's influence
MADISON – Few Wisconsin Badgers cross as many eras in men’s basketball as Howard Moore.
He was recruited by Steve Yoder and played a couple of years for Stu Jackson and Stan Van Gundy in the mid-1990s. Years later he returned to the program as an assistant coach under Bo Ryan and later Greg Gard.
When you combine all those seasons, Moore either played with or helped coach the Badgers’ top four all-time leading scorers.
Consider him a man of the people then and now.
“I used to tease him when we were here. I called him the mayor of Madison because everybody knew him and he knew everyone,” UW hall of famer Michael Finley said. “His heart was always in the right place and he wanted to do what was best for the university and community. When you have a guy like that it’s easy to support.”
Finley was one of the Badgers legends at a luncheon Saturday at the Champions Club at Camp Randall Stadium that celebrated the 125th anniversary of the men's basketball program and kicked off a fundraising effort for Moore’s family.
Moore has needed extensive medical care since the car he and his family were riding in was hit head-on by a drunk driver four years ago. His wife and daughter died in the accident. His son was injured. Moore was seriously burned and later suffered a heart attack that has left him severely disabled.
His out-of-pocket medical care cost are $450,000 per year. The fundraising effort aims to erase that financial burden.
“We talk a lot about all the power of the W while you’re here wearing the jersey and it amplifies 100 times after you leave,” UW coach Greg Gard said. “This is another example of this university and this basketball program really reaching back in a true-life tragedy to help one of their own.”
Before the luncheon former coaches Bo Ryan and Stu Jackson and former Badgers standout Jon Leuer joined Gard and Finley in offering their personal testimonials about Moore’s impact.
Here are highlights of their interviews.
More information about the campaign to raise money for Moore's medical bills can be found here.
Q: Bo, what makes Howard a special person?
Ryan: When I brought him here and I told him face to face that I’m offering him the job the tears couldn’t get any bigger. They started streaming down his face. He bear-hugged me. I could barely breathe and he said, "Coach, this has been my dream. I’ve wanted to be at Wisconsin. I’ve wanted to coach here," and he was so emotional. I’d never seen anyone like this. … Howard Moore embraced it like no one I’ve ever seen.
Q: Stu, why does Howard connect with so many people?
Jackson: I’ll answer that question by giving you a story.
Take you back 30 years when I first came to Wisconsin and met the team for the first time. I really hadn’t seen the team play. I hadn’t evaluated them as players, but what jumped off the map to me was that Howard was someone who was very connected to his teammates. He had an infectious personality and way about him. He was very outgoing.
To my credit I noticed right away that he’s someone that I wanted to be part of a team environment and boy did he not disappoint. He was just a great teammate, a great person to be around and then as he grew older, I grew older (and) we became friend and stayed in contact throughout his coaching career. For me it’s just an honor to call him a friend.
Q: Michael, when was the bond created between you and Howard?
Finley: I didn’t meet him until I came here on my visit, and once I came on a visit … between him and Tracy Webster is the reason I signed with Wisconsin. I always wanted to play in the Big Ten, but Howard and Tracy pretty much sold the university to me.
Our friendship grew on that day. I saw in him a big brother, which I don’t have, a guy who really took interest in me as a person and as a man and I saw that in Howard the very first time that I met him. Our friendship has grown and grown. He been my biggest fan. I’ve been his biggest fan.
Q: Jon, what did you learn from Howard beyond basketball?
Leuer: I think how to treat people the right way. You’ll never come across someone who says Howard did the wrong. He’s the kind of person you aspire to be like. You see the examples he sets just in his interactions and how he communicated with people. He was always so joyful and I think that is my biggest takeaway as a person learning from him.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin basketball legends show up to event to support Howard Moore
