Revisiting Howard Moore's tragic accident in 2019 stirs a mix of memories, emotions

MADISON – Reflecting on everything the Wisconsin men’s basketball program endured during the 2019-2020 season conjures so many memories, some dreadful and some delightful.

That year started with the horrific automobile accident on Memorial Day weekend, resulting in the deaths of the wife and daughter of then-assistant coach Howard Moore.

Moore suffered severe burns in the accident, caused by a wrong-way driver near Ann Arbor, Michigan, but son Jerell emerged with only minor injuries.

The year ended with UW rallying for a 60-56 victory in the regular-season finale at Indiana, the Badgers’ eighth consecutive victory, to secure a share of the Big Ten regular-season title.

Former UW player Trevor Anderson still remembers Howard Moore's faith

When Trevor Anderson looks back at that season, he recalls one poignant meeting at Moore’s home.

Moore had returned home in early June after recovering from his burns and had not ruled out the possibility of coaching that season.

The players were able to visit Moore for the first time later that month.

“So, after this tragic event we’re sitting in his living room with him,” said Anderson, a reserve guard on that team. “He was so calm. He didn’t cry once. He shared stories of his daughter and his wife. And he talked about his faith. The thing that really struck me was his faith.

“He kept talking about God’s plan and continuing to walk with him even when you are at rock bottom.

“Coach Moore is a leader of men. I pray he gets to share his story one day.”

Moore’s story in the summer of 2019 included a heart attack that left him disabled and forced him to spend months in a rehab facility before eventually returning home in December 2021.

UW officials plan to honor the Moore family again Saturday before the Badgers host Illinois at noon. Fans are asked to be in their seats by 11:45 a.m. for the ceremony.

“It’s hard to put into words,” UW coach Greg Gard said when asked what he remembers from the 2019-2020 season. “It is hard to imagine that it has been – it will be five years coming up in May.

UW officials last April unveiled a fundraising campaign to help defray Moore’s out-of-pocket medical costs, around $450,000 annually.

According to Gard, Saturday offered the best chance to bring together donors, family members and former teammates such as Michael Finley, Tracy Webster and Rashard Griffith.

Greg Gard wanted to educate the current UW players about Howard Moore

Before practice Thursday, Gard showed his players the video that will be shown before tip-off on Saturday.

“I didn’t want that to be their first emotional kind of shock,” Gard said of seeing the video Saturday. “Because we’ve got to play a game.”

He also shared with the players all he could about Moore. Remember that Tyler Wahl is the only player left from that season.

“I started way back when he came here as a player and what he was a part of and walked him through his time here as an assistant and then with the car accident,” Gard said. “Because they are aware of it, but maybe don’t have all the details.

“Walking through that and talking about it and telling that story takes me back. It was emotional. It is surreal, not in a good way.

“It takes you back to an unspeakable tragedy that has changed people’s live forever.”

Wahl, a freshman in 2019-2020, recalls the players’ visit to Moore’s home that June.

“I remember him giving us a good speech, saying: ‘You’ve got to stick together in times like this.’

“We had something we could all lean into, together. You saw the results.

“He is a great speaker, a great man, a great man of faith. I feel like it is a great thing that we’re able to recognize him on Saturday.”

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Revisiting Howard Moore's tragic accident stirs a mix of emotions