Fresno State star honoring grandfather for the season, for ‘influence he had on me’
Family has always been big for Jalen Moreno-Cropper.
When he made his commitment to Fresno State in 2018, he cited family as a big reason why he wanted to stay home and play for the Bulldogs.
His bond with his late grandfather, Jimmy Moreno, is a bigger reason why this season he’s going by Moreno-Cropper. The full last name was on display on the back of his jersey for the season-opener against Cal Poly at Valley Children’s Stadium on Thursday night.
“I lost my grandpa in 2020,” Moreno-Cropper told Fresno State Athletics. “He was one of the biggest influences in my life. To everyone who gets the chance to watch this year, I want to be remembered by both names because of the influence he had on me, and for the remembrance of my grandpa’s life. I will continue to live through his name and dedicate this season to him.”
Jimmy Moreno died Aug. 7, 2020.
Moreno-Cropper has a banner on his Twitter account of the burial plot with the Dallas Cowboys logo in the middle.
Moreno-Cropper told his mom, Lissette Moreno, of wanting to add Moreno to the name for his senior season with the Bulldogs.
She was overcome with emotion when he told her.
“I had no idea what to say to him,” she wrote on Facebook. “But I wanted to say everything to him if u know what I mean just because he had already made a name for himself not because of of me or his father but because of himself Jalen Cropper but when he said he wanted to do it for Dad Jimmy grandpa I lost it but couldn’t show it because I was screaming with joy that my Boy was going to use my OUR last name from now on.”
Moreno-Cropper calls Parlier his hometown. He played in high school at Sanger and Buchanan.
This year the senior is on the watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, given annually to the top wide receiver in the nation.
Last season, Moreno-Cropper finished with 85 receptions for 899 yards and 11 touchdowns and also had 19 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown.
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This story was originally published September 1, 2022 at 7:15 PM.
