SFU comes together to celebrate Moore, his legacy

President of SFU The Very Reverand Malachi Van Tassell with Bob Moore and former president, general manager, and chief executive officer of the Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL.

By Neil Rudel

nrudel@altoonamirror.com

LORETTO ­– The Saint Francis University Athletics Hall of Fame staged a unique ceremony — an induction of one — Saturday night.

Without another full class scheduled until 2027, SFU powers decided to honor Bob Moore for his many contributions to the school’s athletic history with an invitation-only recognition dinner.

And what a night it was.

About 60 Saint Francis administrators, present and past, Moore’s family, closest friends and professional colleagues packed the Stokes-Twyman Room in the DeGol Arena to fete one of the school’s greatest ambassadors.

A 1969 SFU graduate, Moore was an early sports information director, founder of the school’s Golden Era of Basketball program and just the third contributor honored by the HOF, joining longtime play-by-play voice Joe Vesnesky and the late influential president, Father Vincent Negherbon.

“We typically induct a class so tonight was different but in a good way,” SFU Hall of Fame committee chairman Pat Farabaugh said. “To shine the full spotlight on Bob was fitting. Bob has brought so many members of our Saint Francis family back together through the Golden Era initiative. Tonight, we gathered to celebrate him.”

Moore’s legacy also extended beyond Saint Francis.

After serving as Drexel’s SID, he became the publicity director of the Philadelphia and Baltimore Stars, championship teams of the USFL, before joining the Kansas City Chiefs as lead PR man and later the club’s historian in a decorated NFL career spanning 30 years.

He wears one of his three Super Bowl rings proudly.

Saturday night, a tribute video featured the likes of Dick Vermeil, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, Kansas City Royals great George Brett, former Chiefs president Carl Peterson and Philly Stars standouts Chuck Fusina and Scott Fitzkee.

Peterson started with Moore with the Stars in Philadelphia and after initially wondering about the latter’s football background — “Drexel didn’t have football,” he joked — he quickly embraced him.

And though he was part of the video, Peterson made sure to be present Saturday night, flying in from Kansas City.

“I felt I had to be here, and I wanted to be here,” he said. “Bob and his wife Maggie are two of the most important people in any success we had.”

After Peterson and former Saint Francis player Art Hunter offered glowing remarks, Moore humbly took the microphone and said, “I’m very touched.”

The Altoona native who grew up “going to (Saint Francis) games at the Jaffa Mosque and smelling the popcorn,” cited his passion for the school, for sports and their history and for building relationships.

He was proud that many from his past, Golden Era players like Clarence Hopson, Bill Stevens, Rick Hockenos, Allen Spencer, Don Appleman and Gene DeBernardis, along with his former roommate and SFU coach Dave Magarity and ex-Atlantic 10 commissioner Ron Bertovich, were in attendance.

“Being at Saint Francis in the 1960s when (Norm) Van Lier and those players were here was a great time to go to college,” Moore, 76, said. “You knew them, they were your friends and you had a relationship with them because of the size of the school.”

Moore thanked his now-departed parents, noting his mother, Dorothy, worked for basketball coach Skip Hughes, a dentist who sent Moore to Saint Francis as a student before an application had even been completed.

The Reverend Father Malachi Van Tassell, SFU president, praised Moore for “a lifelong commitment to Saint Francis and a deep passion for athletics at our university,” and reinforced the school’s motto of “Become That Someone.”

Bob Moore obviously did.

Rudel can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com.