By Dustin Livesay
During his senior year of high school, when his friends were planning their graduation parties and looking into colleges, Tre’ Moore was changing diapers and figuring out which football scholarship would give him the best chance to provide for his son Tristan and himself.
“Having my son was just motivation for me to want to have better for him,” Moore said. “I strive for a positive future for him. I try and do the best I can for him.”
Moore began playing collegiate football at Northern Illinois University, but transferred to Youngstown State University his sophomore year for the 2013 football season. He felt comfortable transferring to YSU because of the support and understanding of his situation from head coach Eric Wolford.
“We just try to support him and at the same time try to show him the way, and sometimes give him tough love so that he can be a better man for his son,” Wolford said.
Moore, a Dayton native, also chose to play at YSU because of the proximity to his son who stayed in Dayton. Although Moore is three hours away, his schedule as a student-athlete makes it difficult to see is son, making every moment he does get to talk to him even more important.
“At times it sucks,” Moore said. “I want to be there for my son and talk to him and play with him, but I just know I have to stay on the right track.”
After practice, Moore looks forward to a phone call from his son, which helps get him through the times between visits.
“I always talk to him. He calls me, you know, he’s old enough to call and he picks up the phone and we Facetime. He asks me how practice is going and how school’s going, it’s like that kind of thing,” he said. “He knows where I am and that just gives me the goals to know that I’m doing something positive for him.”
Senior cornerback Julius Childs is Moore’s roommate and sees firsthand how important Moore’s son is to him.
“His son has the biggest impact on everything he does as a player and a student in the classroom,” Childs explained. “His son pushes him to do better everyday, even when he is down or is not really in the mood for something, he remembers that he has a son that is looking up to him and counting on him to have a better life than he has had. Moore is always reminded that his greatest accomplishment is his son, and he is very proud of that.”
Like most student-athletes, Moore has big plans for after collegiate career but ultimately wants what’s best for his son.
“I felt like I had to go get that education so I can support him in the long run,” Moore said. “I had the dreams and aspirations of going further in football and I still do, but I want to put him first in everything I do.”
When becoming a parent, there are a lot of memorable moments with those children, but for Moore, one moment stood out to him more than any other.
“My favorite memory of being a father, so far, has been when I first had him and I held him in my hands and cut that umbilical cord,” Moore said. “It was just a life changing experience, something that I have never experienced and I felt like it was my time to step up and be a man for my son. Just holding him I knew that was a part of me, my blood.”