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Features July 22, 2023

Gotta Love It

The love of the game can start at any time.

Maybe it began when you attended your first game with your family as a kid. That excitement you felt when you pulled on your team colours, made your way through the concourse where everyone wearing the same logo as you gave you a nod or a smile.

Then you entered the hallway that led to your seats and you took in the field for the first time and stood there in awe as the players warmed up before kickoff.

Or maybe it was after seeing an incredible play on TV that you watched on replay over and over because you couldn’t believe what you just saw (those Nik Lewis hurdles, I’m looking at you).

It could have come from the tailgate parties with your friends, the roar of the home crowd after a game-winning field-goal or maybe it was the electricity you felt at a Labour Day Classic on a gorgeous September Monday.

But for veteran defensive lineman Mike Moore, his love of the game began from the moment he was born.

Football was in his blood.

“Definitely love the game,” he said. “My Dad and Grandpa, they’ve been playing the game for so long and put the ball in my hand when I was a little baby.

“I’ve been around the game always, so I just love the game,” he reiterated.

His father, quarterback Shawn Moore, played for the Stamps in 1995, following a five-year pro career where he played for the NFL’s Denver Broncos (1991-1993) and Arizona Cardinals (1994), before finally making his way to Canada where he briefly joined the Ottawa Rough Riders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

A couple weeks ago, Moore joined Stampeders Vice President of Business Operations and former offensive lineman Jay McNeil at a community event, where the two chatted about McNeil playing with Moore’s father in ’95.

“I always like hearing the old football stories,” Moore grinned. “It’s kind of like hearing war stories from the old guys, the vets and I want to be able to do that with my kids one day, too.”

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Moore’s CFL career began in Ottawa during the team’s inaugural season in 2016. He then found a home with the Edmonton Elks in 2017 and stuck with our provincial rivals until 2021.

Last year, the Virginia native suited up for the Montreal Alouettes. The Red and White signed the CFL vet on April 1.

Although he views those teams as enemies now, off the field there are many former teammates that remain close friends.

“You look at the teams on the schedule and you’re like ‘Ah, I want to go after those teams’ but you still got buddies on those teams, so you want to say ‘what’s up’ and say hi to those guys because they’re still your buddies in the league,” he said.

The 29-year-old played his first game for Calgary on June 24, against the Saskatchewan Roughriders and has played every game since then. He joins a defensive line consisting of Mike Rose, Derek Wiggan, James Vaughters, Julian Howsare, Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund and T.J. Rayam.

After a slow start, this group is starting to find their groove.

In last week’s down-to-the-wire win against the Riders in Regina, the d-line racked up 14 tackles, six sacks and one forced fumble.

“The d-line is one of the best around here, they’re great vets,” Moore said of his new unit. “They’re all treating everybody pretty well. The organization is probably one of the best organizations I’ve been part of. They treat people right and they do the right things here.”

Moore and the rest of the defensive line will look to pick up where they left off in tomorrow’s matchup against the Ottawa Redblacks. They’ll have their hands full with shifty QB Dustin Crum, who ran for 103 yards and two touchdowns against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers last week. Enjoy all the action live at our Family Day event – kickoff goes at 5 p.m. MDT and you can buy your tickets to the game here!