As a pastor does on Sundays, Derrick Moore will preach the head coach of South Carolina Shane Beamermessage on Saturdays in the next football season.
Gamecocks’ new executive director of character and player development is in Columbia, after spending the last 20 years with Georgia Tech. In early 2001, Moore was on the Fellowship of Christian Athletes team at Georgia Tech, tasked with leading the Yellow Jackets spiritual emphasis program. He later became the Director of Character Development for Georgia Tech Athletics, which included participating in four games of the ACC football title, a 2009 ACC title and three Orange Bowls.
In addition, Moore is a highly sought-after speaker who addresses more than 100,000 people annually and more than 50 companies a year, including FedEx, Coca-Cola, The DEA, WellStar Health Systems and Chick-fil-A. He narrated motivational publications for Georgia Tech, Atlanta Falcons, Ohio State Buckeyes and several other major sports organizations and corporations.
In an exclusive interview with TheBigSpur.com, Moore was asked to explain how he prepares for speeches in the locker room. It is a process he says starts like any other game week on the premises of a football program.
“It starts that Sunday, when we get to work and start the work week,” said Moore. “In all the speeches I made, people asked me, ‘Where can I get my speeches?’ They all come from the head coach.
“While he is getting his message across to players and coaches during the week, I am outlining my message from his message. What I am about to say to them in the locker room on match day is the same message that the coach has been talking about all week. I will wrap it in a different format and will have two to three minutes to remove it. The coach had six days. “
Working with Beamer for the first time, Moore is learning about the Gamecocks’ head coach as well as his players. Moore is actively studying both the coach and the players. He recently spoke to the team. You can see Beamer standing next to him.
WHAT. WE ARE. YOU. GOING. FOR. DOES. ABOUT. THIS? pic.twitter.com/HSCmhImJbr
– Professional fighter Luke Day (@CoachLukeDay) February 27, 2021
“In the case of Coach Beamer, I will be watching everything he says and watching how they respond to it,” said Moore. “I am evaluating how they respond and I continue with my presentation. On Friday, I am closing where I am going.
“When the moment happens, there is no script. I’m saying everything the coach said, but I have no control over how it will go. Many emotions are in it and when you are looking into the eyes of children, you do not need more passion and energy than that. “
Below is more of our individual interview with Moore, a transcript of questions and answers that investigates his decision to leave the Yellow Jackets for Gamecocks, his observations within the program at Columbia, and which inspired a man whose job it is to motivate others.
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