The 87-year-old Moore isn't going to be barking orders or calling plays from the sidelines - he's simply just going to advise Iowa's offense. That's not a bad thing at all.
It’s mid-May, but the Iowa football program is still making additions to its 2026 coaching staff.
Last week, it was announced that longtime NFL assistant coach Tom Moore would join Kirk Ferentz’s staff as an offensive advisor and senior consultant to the head coach.
The move brought praise from some, but was also ridiculed by others. Why? Because Moore is 87 years old.
Here were just a few of the ignorant replies to Scott Dochterman of The Athletic’s tweet breaking the news:
“Hiring an 87-year-old offensive consultant is peak Iowa.”
“Was Chuck Grassley offered or did he pass?”
“Was the ghost of Don Coryell unavailable? Seriously, leave it to Iowa to find the one active coach older than Kirk Ferentz.”
At first glance, the critics are right. Why in the world would Iowa, a team annually ridiculed for its poor offensive play, hire an 87-year-old to its coaching staff?
Because it’s Tom Moore, that’s why.
I’m 65 years younger than Moore, but even I know how much of a legend he is. He coached in the NFL for 47 seasons and won four Super Bowl championships. Two of those titles came while Moore was the wide receivers coach for the latter half of the legendary 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers teams, and the third came during an equally-successful 12-year stint as Peyton Manning’s offensive coordinator with the Indianapolis Colts.
And that was just during Moore’s title-winning seasons. Aside from working with Lynn Swann, Terry Bradshaw, Manning, and Marvin Harrison, he was also Barry Sanders’ offensive coordinator for three seasons with the Detroit Lions.
Moore also happens to be an Iowa alum. He played quarterback and placekicker for legendary coach Forest Evashevski from 1958-60 and helped the Hawkeyes to a pair of claimed national titles in 1958 and 1960. Moore’s coaching career began in Iowa City, too, where he was a graduate assistant for two seasons.
In short, Moore is one of the most respected coaches to ever grace a football field. One of the most famous quotes associated with Moore and even used recently by Iowa running backs coach Jay Norvell is this: “Tom Moore has forgotten more football than most people know.”
I’m not sure Moore will be available for interviews during Iowa football media day in August, but if he is, he sounds like a guy that could recall one of his play calls during the Super Bowl XLI victory nearly 20 years ago.
Hawkeye fans overreacting to this move don’t understand Moore’s job description. He’s not going to be on the field calling plays or barking at players on the sidelines – he’s simply going to be an extra voice for Ferentz and review some playbooks.
It’s obvious that Moore loves what he does and refuses to stop, so why is that a bad thing?
Having one of the most legendary assistants in NFL history advising your 2026 offense that will feature a new starting quarterback can only help.
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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at [email protected]
