Fresno State Athletics
Chris Moore Guides Athletics Through Rules and Interpretations
5/11/2005 12:00:00 AM | General
May 11, 2005
FRESNO, Calif. - What does a die-hard James Taylor fan have in common with athletics? Well, nothing, really, unless you marry another athletic department employee who loves Taylor just as much. So much that wedding vows showcase a favorite stanza only to bring levity to a serious situation.
So who is this individual? It's not a young man who wants to stand on stage and sing because a tune can not be carried. Instead, it's someone who wants to make a positive difference in his job so that others can have an opportunity to succeed.
Such a person is Fresno State's athletics compliance director Chris Moore. Just in his third year as a Bulldog, his map for personal success can be tracked back to his early childhood.
His love of sports happened at the age of seven when his father got him involved in playing baseball, basketball, football and running track. Moore began to understand what athletics could provide but the road traveled to get where he is at today took a lot of twists.
The younger of two children, his older brother Harry was deaf when Chris was born. While Harry was not born deaf, he had a kidney ailment at the age of two and the medicine provided caused him to lose his hearing. While hearing aids has helped the situation, it was Chris who understood that everyone may have handicaps but respect is where it all begins.
"Growing up you idolize your siblings," stated Moore. "It was totally natural. I treated him like anyone. It was a handicap but it wasn't something that made him different to me. You communicate with everyone and it takes different ways to understand but you always treat everyone with respect."
Looking towards the future, he realized that education was going to be the golden key to a prosperous life. Moore wasn't sure what the future held but he understood that he was in charge of his own destiny. And, to do that, he started by discovering who he wanted to become as a teenager.
"I went to an all-male Catholic school," Moore stated. "I wanted to be my own individual; I didn't want to follow in my brother's footsteps at the same high school. That decision, to go my own path, really set the groundwork for independence."
After graduating from Holy Cross High School in New Orleans in 1994, Moore went on to attend Southern Mississippi. Taking off on his own, Moore laughed out loud on how he had to grow up very quickly.
"I remember my parents standing on the front porch and waving me off to school," Moore said. "When I arrived at Southern Miss I found my dorm and started to unpack my stuff, dragging items back and forth. It wasn't until I saw other kids who had their parents helping them carry their items that I understood that I had to take care of myself."
Moore spent five and one half years getting his undergraduate degree in finance. But that time proved to be one of the most influential points of his life.
"I got involved in student organization, joined a fraternity, ran for student government and held offices," Moore said. "I also was a host for the university and did tours and orientations for incoming students and groups. Standing in the forefront of my peers allowed me to take charge of myself."
After graduating with a degree in finance in 1999 on a Friday, Moore started work the very next Monday in the Southern Mississippi's admissions office. Working there for one and a half years, Moore still was unsure of what he wanted to pursue as a profession.
Serving as a student recruiter, working in admissions and then serving in the alumni office, Moore took on more responsibilities that would lay the groundwork for what he does today.
"I went from bringing kids in to seeing them leave to bringing them back as alumni," Moore said. "I was in charge of coordinating and overseeing functions and groups as well as traveling so that everything could run smoothly."
But it wasn't until Moore had a roommate, who worked as an academic advisor at Southern Mississippi, that he decided to test the waters of another possible career. While Moore worked on getting his masters degree in sports administration, he had his choice of pursuing opportunities in the field marketing, development and compliance.
"I spoke to several departments and each one offered me a position," Moore said. "But I decided to go to compliance because it was the most interesting and, in planning for the future, gave me the clearest route to becoming an athletics director - that is what I wanted for myself. My love of sports, my background in finance, being a recruiter, working in admission and the alumni association, having a degree in sports administration, this just seemed to be the next logical step."
So what actually drew Moore to compliance?
"Rules," Moore said. "I am fascinated by rules and understanding them. I believe that if you want to be an athletics director you need a great foundation of all aspects of a business. Athletics is a business. Understanding rules and how to apply them is a huge asset for any athletic administrator."
While Moore must interpret rules while trying to incorporate the regulations and guidelines of a NCAA Division I Manual that is nearly 500 pages in length, finding that extra edge for a mid-major program while explaining and educating at the same time can make one the villain or the hero.
"The compliance officer wears a lot of different hats," Moore said. "You are there to monitor, make sure the coaches, university, alumni, student-athletes and boosters are following the rules and educate those individuals and groups on the rules. While it's also my job to interpret, I need to help prevent institutions from suffering major issues.
"The challenge in that is to find that grey area to assist and help a mid-major program like us," Moore continued. "Not pushing the envelope but if we can do it then let's do it, if not then it's not permissible. I shoot straight from the hip and I want to make sure that every program has the opportunity to succeed."
What the common person may not realize about compliance is the constant constraints within the rules and regulations and then the availability of resources to offer the best service for a university.
"I think comparing ourselves to a Pac-10 or even a Big 12 school leaves us looking through colored glasses," Moore said. "We simply do not have the resources that these schools enjoy on a constant and historical basis. While these resources include bodies, money and an incredible alumni support, we always want to be proactive instead of reactive. We're working as efficiently as we can with what we have and we continue to look at ways to get better, like any sport team would do.
"I don't think the public fully understands that," Moore continued. "They know when things go wrong but I don't believe they fully realize the parameters and pressures we deal with on a day in and day out basis. However, we know it's the support from the community and alumni who assist us and help us define resources. We simply want to be a top tier program but to achieve that we need more than what we currently have at present."
"Fresno State is fortunate to have a strong communicator like Chris," said Desiree Reed-Francois, Fresno State Associate Athletics Director/Compliance and Student-Athlete Services/Senior Woman Administrator. "His ability to work with coaches, student-athletes and administrators is an asset to the compliance program."
While Moore is set out to make the most of what is available to the benefit of the university, coaches and student-athletes and those within the athletics department benefit from the energy and never-ending persistence from a gentleman who wants to give the Bulldogs as much an advantage as possible.
"Chris is a fun-loving, hard-working individual. He's a joy to work with day in and day out," said Holly Bond, Fresno State compliance assistant. "I don't know how anyone would dislike him. He will be a great AD someday. I'm like a mother hen; Chris is younger than my son, but I've adopted him too. I'll be so proud to say, `I worked with him when he moves on to bigger and better opportunities'. He makes each day fun no matter what is transpiring within athletics. Compliance is not your most loved area of athletics, but Chris makes it better with his personality and work ethic."
"Chris is extremely conscientious and always looks ahead to prevent problems," Fresno State softball head coach Margie Wright said. "He has a great personality and very easy to work with. He has a very difficult and tedious task on a daily basis. He makes every effort to make our jobs as head coaches a little less stressful. He's in full demand from nearly everyone within the department and how he handles himself and the situations speaks volumes."
"Chris truly cares about the student-athlete," senior pitcher Amanda Wolf said. "He's easy to talk to, always there to assist with questions, and just listens when you need to rant and rave when not understanding the NCAA rules. One of his best characteristics is that he's goofy and doesn't take himself too seriously. He enjoys working with student-athletes and that is one trait that I believe is very endearing to us."
Moore has dealt with his fair share of issues as it relates to Division I athletics as well as embarking on a never ending tale of personal growth. He has his sights set high on being the top administrator who is well-rounded in all facets. What will be Moore's calling card once he reaches his ultimate goal? Maybe he'll sing a tune from his favorite performer or maybe he'll just reach out to others like he has since discovering athletics.
