NEW YORK, New York – August 31, 2015 – The Joe Moore Foundation for Teamwork has announced the launch of a new college football award, the JOE MOORE AWARD, recognizing the nation’s Most Outstanding Offensive Line Unit. The award is named after Joe Moore, widely regarded as one of the best offensive line coaches in college football history, and is the only major college football award to honor a unit.

The JOE MOORE AWARD will annually recognize the offensive line unit that best displays toughness, effort, teamwork, physicality, tone setting and finishing. The first annual award will be presented following the conclusion of the regular season. The voting committee is comprised solely of people who played or coached the position, including all of the current offensive line coaches at the Division I/FBS level as well as former players, coaches, colleagues of Coach Moore and select media.

The award is designed to preserve the legacy of Joe Moore, who coached most notably at the University of Pittsburgh and Notre Dame. Moore died of lung cancer in 2003. He was responsible for developing the skills of several All-Americans throughout his storied career, including Bill Fralic, Mark May, Russ Grimm, Jimbo Covert, Mark Stepnowski, Aaron Taylor and Andy Heck. Moore coached 52 players who went on to play in the NFL, several of whom are in the Pro and College Football Halls of Fame.

“My dad lived life in the trenches, with his players and for his players, and embraced the anonymity of the position.” said John Moore, Joe’s son. “In that sense, he probably would not be comfortable with his name being on anything, let alone a trophy. But the Joe Moore Award is a great tribute to the very things that define football as a sport, toughness and teamwork. He would have loved being associated with the only college football award to recognize a unit that embodies those principles.”

“I am honored to be a part of the committee charged with selecting the recipients of the Joe Moore Award,” said former University of Wisconsin Head Coach and current Director of Athletics, Barry Alvarez. “Joe was the best teacher of offensive linemen who I’ve ever been around and no one got more out of his players than Joe did. It is only right that this award honors Joe’s name and his legacy.”

“Coach Moore was a man of principle and the principles he embodied helped us become the best versions of ourselves,” said Aaron Taylor, the 1993 Lombardi Award winner and Chairman of the Joe Moore Award Voting Committee. “His focus on toughness, teamwork and hard work helped us become better football players and made us better men. The Joe Moore Award is an appropriate symbol of that legacy.”

Offensive lines will be evaluated throughout the regular season and a weekly honor roll recognizing top-performing units will be published on Tuesday of each week, beginning September 8. Semi-Finalists will be announced on November 16, with five (5) Finalists determined by November 30. The Joe Moore Award winning unit will be announced after the conclusion of the regular season.

About the Joe Moore Foundation for Teamwork