An ex-rival with a familiar last name, Fresno State football assistant has fit right in

Kirby Moore has a character trait that should help endear him to anyone who questions his Bulldog bona fides.

Moore doesn’t keep old clothes. Meaning there’s very little chance anyone will see Fresno State’s wide receivers coach around town wearing Boise State apparel.

“I might have a Boise sweatshirt – that’s about it,” Moore says with a laugh. “We don’t need sweatshirts here in Fresno, so I’m good.”

So much about Fresno State in Year 1 under Jeff Tedford has been about restoring the Bulldogs’ pride and tradition. About bringing back ex-players as coaches and rolling out the welcome mat to Valley recruits and transfers.

Quite opposite that is Moore, the former Boise State receiver who also happens to be Kellen Moore’s younger brother. The same Kellen Moore whose 50-3 run as Broncos quarterback from 2008-11 included a 4-0 record against Fresno State by an average margin of 55-13. (And I rounded up the 13.)

If this were SEC country, Kirby Moore might not be allowed within the city limits.

Good thing Fresno is a forgiving place.

Turns out Tedford and Moore worked together last season at Washington, where Tedford was a consultant and Moore a second-year graduate assistant.

“I saw his passion, his work ethic, his attention to detail,” Tedford says. “He’s a quality person first and foremost. He has poise, he’s very knowledgeable, he relates well with the kids, connects with them and is very committed to his craft.”

In Moore’s case, connecting with the kids occasionally means reminding them about his alma mater’s football dominance.

“We go back and forth in the room,” junior Jamire Jordan says. “There’s a lot of trash talking. It’s fun.”

On the practice field, Moore is all business and encouragement. This year, in a change from the past, the receivers are being required to learn both inside and outside routes. There’s been more emphasis on precise footwork, applied to how to release off the line and make quick steps in and out of cuts.

The Bulldogs’ two leading returners, Jordan and KeeSean Johnson, both say the results will be noticeable.

“It’s the fine details that he’s really teaching us,” Johnson says, “and I think it’s taking my game to another level.”

Adds Jordan, “My routes are way better than what they used to be.”

This might be Moore’s first year as a full-time assistant, but he’s been around the game his entire life. His father, Tom, was a renowned high school coach in Moore’s hometown of Prosser, Wash. Not to mention the countless hours spent running routes with Kellen, a Dallas Cowboys backup.

With the Cowboys holding training camp in Oxnard, Tom Moore has spent the last couple weeks driving back and forth watching his oldest son play and youngest coach. With a hiking trip to Yosemite mixed in.

“He’s on the Cali football road trip,” Kirby Moore says.

Although the memory isn’t a pleasant one for Moore, the embryonic stages of his own coaching career began at Bulldog Stadium.

Moore was a senior in 2013, the year of Boise State’s last visit. During the first half, he caught a bubble screen and turned to run when a Fresno State defender came down on his ankle.

Later, the injury would be diagnosed as a Lisfranc ligament tear. At the time, Moore taped up the ankle and played through the pain.

Which may have been a factor in the game’s decisive play, when a fourth-down pass intended for Moore near midfield with less than a minute to play got batted away by cornerback Jonathan Norton.

Four years later, Moore still frowns at the memory.

“I’m always big on hands catching,” he says, wistfully. “Well, that last play I tried to body catch a little bit instead, and you saw what happened. It’s one of those things.”

“That’s why I’m not playing anymore,” he adds with a chuckle.

The injury cost Moore six games, time he spent wearing a headset on the sideline and signaling plays.

“I started helping out as much as I could with the receivers,” he says. “That’s really when I started thinking about coaching.”

Recently, Moore told his guys the story about not being able to haul in the fourth-down pass.

Their reaction? “We laughed at him,” Jordan says.

Given that Moore’s playing career ended a short time ago and that his family name will forever be part of Boise State lore, it’s easy to wonder if he ever stands in the mirror, sees himself in red and navy Bulldogs apparel and thinks, “This feels a little strange.”

“Shoot no. I was fortunate to meet Coach Tedford last year at Washington,” Moore replies. “When he talked to me about this opportunity, I was all about it. I’ve seen what this place can be.

“My senior year we played Washington the first game of the year and came here Week 4. This place was twice as loud. Twice as loud. I’ve seen what this place can be and that’s what we want to get it back to. And it wasn’t that long ago, either.”

Keep endearing himself like that, and Bulldogs fans will consider Moore an adopted son.

This story was originally published August 12, 2017 at 5:03 PM with the headline "An ex-rival with a familiar last name, Fresno State football assistant has fit right in."