Early Years
Born and raised in Prosser, Washington, Moore grew up surrounded by the sport. His father Tom was head coach at Prosser High School from 1986 to 2008, winning 21 league titles and four state championships. During football season, he and younger brother Kirby, who also plays at Boise State as a wide receiver, practiced plays in the backyard after football practice. As his father remembered in a 2011 interview, "He'd always have a little notepad with him. He was always drawing up plays." This immersion in football served him well as he developed—in his final two years of high school, his father let him call his own plays.
According to his mother, Moore "grew fast, and then he didn't grow again"—he was 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) as a high school sophomore, nearly his adult height. His lack of height proved no obstacle to success at Prosser High. Moore was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Washington. He lettered in football and basketball three times each and was named Velocity/Prep Star All-American and First-team All-state, and Division 2A MVP by the Seattle Times. He earned league player of the year honors as well as First-team All-league recognition as a sophomore, junior and senior. He was also Third-team All-state selection as a junior.
He set Washington state career records for completions (787) and touchdown passes (173). He also set state single-season records for completions (317 as a junior), yards (4,600 as a junior) and touchdown passes (67 as a senior).
He finished his career completing 787-of-1,195 passes (.659) for 11,367 yards and 173 touchdowns with 34 interceptions. He led Prosser to a 12–1 record in 2006 as a senior and spot in state semifinals, losing to the Centralia Tigers by throwing two interceptions, with one of them being a "Pick 6" to PLU Great Isaac Moog. As a junior he completed 317-of-479 passes (66.2 percent) for 4,600 yards and 66 touchdowns with 15 interceptions. The year before, as a sophomore, he completed 179-of-308 passes (58.1-percent) for 2,442 yards and 39 touchdowns with 11 interceptions.
Moore's teammates at Boise State included his younger brother Kirby and childhood friend Cory Yriarte, a center for the Broncos. Kirby currently holds the national high school record for career touchdown receptions, with 95.
Read more about this topic: Kellen Moore
Famous quotes containing the words early and/or years:
“Quintilian [educational writer in Rome around A.D. 100] thought that the earliest years of the child’s life were crucial. Education should start earlier than age seven, within the family. It should not be so hard as to give the child an aversion to learning. Rather, these early lessons would take the form of play—that embryonic notion of kindergarten.”
—C. John Sommerville (20th century)
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