ECSU backup QB a former soldier

By Will Harris
The Daily Advance

Sunday, November 02, 2008

It is not a long drive from Greenville to Elizabeth City. But for Dontavius Moore, the journey from J.H. Rose High School to Elizabeth City State University was a long and winding road.

Moore, 26, is a backup quarterback and the oldest member of the Vikings football team, which is preparing for the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship game on Saturday. Since he graduated high school, Moore has done two tours of duty serving his country in Iraq and lost his brother, who died from an aneurysm four years ago.

Moore led a fairly normal life as a star quarterback at Rose. He received interest and scholarship offers from schools like East Carolina, North Carolina and N.C. State. But family came first for Moore, whose daughter was born in 2001. To take care of his new child, he decided that a career was a better path than college, so he joined the Army, serving his first tour of duty in Iraq shortly after the United State’s push on Baghdad.

“With a child on the way, I felt like I had to alter my plans to meet the obligations and meet the requirements that my daughter and my family needed at that time,” Moore said.

On Nov. 2, 2004, Moore’s brother James Matthews, a football player at Winston-Salem State, collapsed suddenly and died minutes later. This prompted a change in Moore, and he decided turn his focus towards school and football.

“A big part of my heart was taken away from me,” Moore said. “I think we were closer than average brothers. We made a pact together that one was going to pave the way for the other. He paved the way for me to play college football.”

Moore followed his brother, who is just two months younger, on to college. Moore spent a some time at Pitt Community College, then he went on to attend Louisburg College where he played football for two years. Again, colleges came calling, including Winston-Salem State, Elon and ECSU. Because he did not have his degree from Louisburg, some of the bigger schools were out of the question, but he was very comfortable with his choices.

“After meeting the coaching staff (at ECSU), I had a pretty good feeling in my mind and my gut about this program, that it was going in the right direction,” Moore said.

Moore participated in spring practice with the Vikings in 2007, but in June, he received a call from the Army informing him that he was being called back for another tour in Iraq. That is when he knew ECSU was the right place for him.

“Once I got over there for the second time, the communication level with the coaching staff at Elizabeth City State was tremendous,” Moore said. “E-mails, telephone calls, prayers, everything. I just can’t find the words to describe the feeling that I had for choosing Elizabeth City State, especially the way they dealt with the fact that I got called back up to the military on such short notice and the way they adjusted to it and the way they did not neglect me as a student or as an athlete.”

“We never lost faith in him, we just prayed for him to get back safely and the door was always open for him to come back and join the Vikings,” ECSU coach Waverly Tillar said.

Now back in uniform, Moore has not gotten to play much. He has appeared in two games this year, against Chowan and Lincoln, but his value on the sideline charting plays and communicating with his teammates has been invaluable.

“He brings a certain level of maturity to the team,” Tillar said. “He’s going to be a player for us down the line. He’s just biding his time. He’s a tough competitor. He’s going to do well here.”

Moore is comfortable with his place on the team and relishes the roll of being a mentor to his younger teammates.

“I try to talk to them and keep them levelheaded,” Moore said. “I try to encourage them that no matter what situation you’re faced with, you can always overcome it. You should not let adversity hold you back or hold you down from pursuing or gabbing your goals.”

Despite being as much as eight years older than some of his teammates, Moore enjoys the camaraderie.

“They give me joy on the field,” Moore said. “When I have stress about something, once I step in between those lines with those guys, that Viking family that we have, I feel a so relieved. Like nothing in the world can come between us as a team and as a family.”

Moore is on track to graduate in May with a degree in criminal justice. He plans on returning to ECSU next year to complete his football eligibility, while pursuing a master’s degree in public administration. After school, Moore is considering a career as a highway patrolman.

Although Moore has no stats to show for his contribution to the team, he is happy to be back on the field playing a game he loves and thankful for the opportunity.

“Words cannot describe how I feel about actually being right back a part of a football program,” Moore said. “I have a special place in my heart for Elizabeth City State because of the way they prayed for me while I was overseas. I shed a little tear and a little blood for them. I go the extra mile for Elizabeth City State because of that. I feel like I could never repay them for the things they have done for me.”