Kellen Moore
Encyclopedia
Kellen Moore is an American football
quarterback
with the Boise State Broncos
of the Mountain West Conference
(MWC) . Moore was born in Prosser
, Washington and finished fourth out of four in voting for the 2010 Heisman Trophy
.
According to his mother, Moore "grew fast, and then he didn't grow again"—he was 5'11" (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 Washington 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 career completing 787-of-1,195 passes (65.9 percent) for 11,367 yards and 173 touchdowns with 34 interceptions. Led Prosser to a 12-1 record as a senior and spot in state semifinals by completing 287-of-399 passes (71.9-percent) for 4,269 yards and 67 touchdowns with seven interceptions. As a junior 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 include his younger brother Kirby, who plays wide receiver, and his childhood friend Cory Yriarte, who plays center for the Broncos. Kirby currently holds the national high school record for career touchdown receptions, with 95.
championship while throwing 25 touchdowns and 9 interceptions in 12 games. In the final game of 2008, Boise State lost to Texas Christian University
(TCU) in the 2008 Poinsettia Bowl
, the first of two consecutive meetings for the non-Automatic Qualifying rivals. He was named WAC Freshman of the Year and Second-team All-conference after spectacular first season, guiding Boise State to 12-1 record and was named Boise State’s Most Valuable Offensive Player by vote of teammates. He was named to Phil Steele Publications’ Second team All-WAC and also voted to the Football Writers Association of America
’s freshman All-America team.
He ranked 12th in nation in passing efficiency and 24th in total offense, averaging 265.85 yards per game and was first in WAC in passing efficiency (157.1) and second in total offense (265.8) and average passing yards per game (268.2). He completed 281 of 405 passes for 3,486 yards with 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
.
Moore threw for a school record 39 touchdowns with only 3 interceptions to lead the Broncos to a 14–0 record, another WAC title, and an at large bid to the Fiesta Bowl
vs. undefeated #4 ranked TCU
. The 2009 Fiesta Bowl was highly controversial due to the decision to pit the two non-Automatic Qualifying schools against each other instead of having them face Automatic Qualifying teams. The BCS was criticized for the perception that the risk of both, or either, team defeating a "power conference" team was too great, and that the BCS had TCU and BSU face each other so that the damage of their participation would be minimized. He finished the 2009 regular season with the highest passer efficiency rating in Division I-A with a rating of 167.3. In his first two years as a starting quarterback, Moore did not lose a regular season game.
Moore started the 2010 Fiesta Bowl against widely favored TCU and played the entire game. He had no interceptions, fumbles, or muffed snaps. He led the team on a 4th quarter 78-yard touchdown scoring drive to take the lead for good and win the game 17-10.
He was named First-team All-American
by CBSSportsline.com, a subsidiary of CBS Sports. He was named one of ten finalists for the Manning Award
. He was also First-team All-WAC and the WAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2009 and finished 7th in Heisman voting for 2009.
and was invited to the ceremony in New York City
to become the first ever Boise State player to be a Heisman finalist. Moore finished 4th in Heisman voting. Moore was also a finalist for the Davey O'Brien Award
, the Maxwell Award
, and the Manning Award
.
quarterback Andrew Luck
and Oregon
running back LaMichael James
who both finished ahead of Moore in the 2010 Heisman voting. He only needs 8 wins during the 2011 season to pass Colt McCoy
for most wins by a quarterback in NCAA history. He threw his 100th touchdown pass against Georgia during week one. Following an opening season win against Georgia
in the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff
, Moore was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated
, distributed only in the west
.
With the Broncos defeat of Air Force
on October 22, he tied former Texas
quarterback Colt McCoy
for the record with 45 wins. On November 5, 2011, as the Broncos played UNLV, Moore became the FBS quarterback with the most career wins at 46, breaking a previous tie with Colt McCoy at 45.
He is one of three finalists for the Maxwell Award along with Andrew Luck and Trent Richardson. He currently is first in the FBS with completion percentage.
2011 stats updated weekly, currently as of 11/12 vs TCU.
in kinesiology
. He is also deeply involved in an independent study project on what he termed as "what highly successful people do to become successful" with Broncos star offensive lineman Nate Potter
. In July 2011, he married the former Julie Wilson, who had been a three-sport athlete and valedictorian at Prosser High. The two had been dating since high school, when he was a sophomore and she a senior.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
with the Boise State Broncos
Boise State Broncos football
This page discusses the Boise State football program. For more Boise State athletics, see Boise State Broncos.The Boise State Broncos football program represents Boise State University in college football and compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I as a member of the Mountain West...
of the Mountain West Conference
Mountain West Conference
The Mountain West Conference , popularly known as the Mountain West, is the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS . The MWC officially began operations in July 1999...
(MWC) . Moore was born in Prosser
Prosser, Washington
Prosser is a city in and the county seat of Benton County, Washington, United States, along the Yakima River with only one zip code 99350. The population was 5,714 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, Washington and finished fourth out of four in voting for the 2010 Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
.
Early years
Moore grew up in a home steeped in the sport. During football season, he and younger brother Kirby, now a wide receiver at Boise State, practiced plays in the backyard after football practice. "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.According to his mother, Moore "grew fast, and then he didn't grow again"—he was 5'11" (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 Washington 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 career completing 787-of-1,195 passes (65.9 percent) for 11,367 yards and 173 touchdowns with 34 interceptions. Led Prosser to a 12-1 record as a senior and spot in state semifinals by completing 287-of-399 passes (71.9-percent) for 4,269 yards and 67 touchdowns with seven interceptions. As a junior 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 include his younger brother Kirby, who plays wide receiver, and his childhood friend Cory Yriarte, who plays center for the Broncos. Kirby currently holds the national high school record for career touchdown receptions, with 95.
2008
As a redshirt freshman in 2008, Moore led the Broncos to an undefeated regular season and the WACWestern Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
championship while throwing 25 touchdowns and 9 interceptions in 12 games. In the final game of 2008, Boise State lost to Texas Christian University
2008 TCU Horned Frogs football team
The 2008 TCU Horned Frogs football team represented Texas Christian University in the 2008 college football season. The team was coached by Gary Patterson. The Frogs played their home games at Amon G. Carter Stadium, which is located on campus in Fort Worth...
(TCU) in the 2008 Poinsettia Bowl
2008 Poinsettia Bowl
The 2008 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl was the fourth edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. The game started at 5 PM US PST on Tuesday, December 23, 2008...
, the first of two consecutive meetings for the non-Automatic Qualifying rivals. He was named WAC Freshman of the Year and Second-team All-conference after spectacular first season, guiding Boise State to 12-1 record and was named Boise State’s Most Valuable Offensive Player by vote of teammates. He was named to Phil Steele Publications’ Second team All-WAC and also voted to the Football Writers Association of America
Football Writers Association of America
The Football Writers Association of America is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the NCAA...
’s freshman All-America team.
He ranked 12th in nation in passing efficiency and 24th in total offense, averaging 265.85 yards per game and was first in WAC in passing efficiency (157.1) and second in total offense (265.8) and average passing yards per game (268.2). He completed 281 of 405 passes for 3,486 yards with 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
2009
In January 2009, Moore was ranked as the 37th best returning player in college football by College Football NewsCollege Football News
College Football News is a magazine and website published by College Football News, Inc., headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. News coverage includes scores, statistics, rankings, and reports on college football games. Analysis includes comparisons between teams, predictions of game outcomes and...
.
Moore threw for a school record 39 touchdowns with only 3 interceptions to lead the Broncos to a 14–0 record, another WAC title, and an at large bid to the Fiesta Bowl
2010 Fiesta Bowl
The 2010 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the #4 TCU Horned Frogs, champions of the Mountain West Conference, and the #6 Boise State Broncos, champions of the Western Athletic Conference. The game was played Monday, January 4, 2010, at University of...
vs. undefeated #4 ranked TCU
2009 TCU Horned Frogs football team
The 2009 TCU Horned Frogs football team represented Texas Christian University in the 2009 college football season. The team was coached by Gary Patterson. The Frogs played their home games at Amon G. Carter Stadium, which is located on campus in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs finished the season...
. The 2009 Fiesta Bowl was highly controversial due to the decision to pit the two non-Automatic Qualifying schools against each other instead of having them face Automatic Qualifying teams. The BCS was criticized for the perception that the risk of both, or either, team defeating a "power conference" team was too great, and that the BCS had TCU and BSU face each other so that the damage of their participation would be minimized. He finished the 2009 regular season with the highest passer efficiency rating in Division I-A with a rating of 167.3. In his first two years as a starting quarterback, Moore did not lose a regular season game.
Moore started the 2010 Fiesta Bowl against widely favored TCU and played the entire game. He had no interceptions, fumbles, or muffed snaps. He led the team on a 4th quarter 78-yard touchdown scoring drive to take the lead for good and win the game 17-10.
He was named First-team All-American
2009 College Football All-America Team
An All-American team is an honorary sports team for a specific season composed of the best amateur players at each position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply "All-Americans". Although the honorees generally do not...
by CBSSportsline.com, a subsidiary of CBS Sports. He was named one of ten finalists for the Manning Award
Manning Award
The Manning Award has been presented annually since 2004 to the collegiate American football quarterback adjudged by the Sugar Bowl Committee to be the best in the United States...
. He was also First-team All-WAC and the WAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2009 and finished 7th in Heisman voting for 2009.
2010
Kellen Moore led the Broncos to a 33–30 victory over Virginia Tech on September 6, 2010. The game was highly anticipated and received a 6.8 TV rating, nearly twice that of the next most highly watched game. Moore contributed 3 passing touchdowns in the game with a final game-winning strike to Austin Pettis with 1:14 remaining in the game. As a result of the victory, Boise State received 8 first place votes in the week 2 AP Poll, and it moved up to third in the Coaches' Poll. Moore was also mentioned by major sports media as a top candidate for the 2010 Heisman Trophy. After finishing the season with 3,506, 33 TD's and only 5 INT's, Moore was named a finalist for the Heisman TrophyHeisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
and was invited to the ceremony in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to become the first ever Boise State player to be a Heisman finalist. Moore finished 4th in Heisman voting. Moore was also a finalist for the Davey O'Brien Award
Davey O'Brien Award
The Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player adjudged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National Collegiate Athletic Association quarterbacks. The...
, the Maxwell Award
Maxwell Award
The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best football player in the United States. The...
, and the Manning Award
Manning Award
The Manning Award has been presented annually since 2004 to the collegiate American football quarterback adjudged by the Sugar Bowl Committee to be the best in the United States...
.
2011
On March 28, 2011 the Sporting News named Moore as the #1 player in their annual list of the top 25 players in the nation. He is ranked ahead of StanfordStanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
quarterback Andrew Luck
Andrew Luck
Andrew Austen Luck is an American football quarterback for Stanford University. He was the runner-up for the 2010 Heisman Trophy, and is considered a leading contender for the 2011 Heisman Trophy. He was a finalist for the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Award, the Davey O'Brien Award and the...
and Oregon
Oregon Ducks football
The Oregon Ducks football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of Oregon located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The team competes at the NCAA Division I level in the Football Bowl Subdivision and is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. Known as the Ducks, the...
running back LaMichael James
LaMichael James
LaMichael Keondrae James is a college football running back for the Oregon Ducks football team. The 2010 season was a breakout one for James, as he rushed for 1,682 yards during the regular season, the highest in the nation. He finished third in balloting for the Heisman Trophy and received the...
who both finished ahead of Moore in the 2010 Heisman voting. He only needs 8 wins during the 2011 season to pass Colt McCoy
Colt McCoy
Daniel "Colt" McCoy is an American football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Browns in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft...
for most wins by a quarterback in NCAA history. He threw his 100th touchdown pass against Georgia during week one. Following an opening season win against Georgia
2011 Georgia Bulldogs football team
The 2011 Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulldogs are led by 11th year head coach Mark Richt and play their home games at Sanford Stadium...
in the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff
2011 Chick-fil-A College Kickoff
The 2011 Chick-fil-A College Kickoff, the fourth edition of the game, featured Boise State, of the Mountain West Conference, and Georgia, of the SEC, on September 3, 2011. The game took place in Atlanta, Georgia at the Georgia Dome. Boise State won the game 35–21 for the school's first ever win...
, Moore was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
, distributed only in the west
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
.
With the Broncos defeat of Air Force
2011 Air Force Falcons football team
The 2011 Air Force Falcons football team represents the United States Air Force Academy in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Falcons will be led by 5th year head coach Troy Calhoun and will play their home games at Falcon Stadium. They are members of the Mountain West...
on October 22, he tied former Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
quarterback Colt McCoy
Colt McCoy
Daniel "Colt" McCoy is an American football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Browns in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft...
for the record with 45 wins. On November 5, 2011, as the Broncos played UNLV, Moore became the FBS quarterback with the most career wins at 46, breaking a previous tie with Colt McCoy at 45.
He is one of three finalists for the Maxwell Award along with Andrew Luck and Trent Richardson. He currently is first in the FBS with completion percentage.
College career statistics
| Year | | Passing | | Rushing | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comp | Att | Yards | TDs | Int | Rating | Att | Yds | TD | ||
| 2008 | 281 | 405 | 3,486 | 25 | 10 | 157.1 | 38 | -30 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 277 | 431 | 3,536 | 39 | 3 | 161.7 | 24 | -5 | 1 | |
| 2010 | 273 | 383 | 3,845 | 35 | 6 | 182.6 | 19 | -32 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 220 | 297 | 2,549 | 34 | 6 | 179.5 | 14 | -40 | 0 | |
| Totals | 1,005 | 1,446 | 12,879 | 125 | 25 | 169.1 | 95 | -107 | 3 | |
2011 stats updated weekly, currently as of 11/12 vs TCU.
Personal life
Moore has already earned his bachelor's degree, and is currently working on a master'sMaster of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
in kinesiology
Kinesiology
Kinesiology, also known as human kinetics is the scientific study of human movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, mechanical, and psychological mechanisms. Applications of kinesiology to human health include: biomechanics and orthopedics, rehabilitation, such as physical and occupational...
. He is also deeply involved in an independent study project on what he termed as "what highly successful people do to become successful" with Broncos star offensive lineman Nate Potter
Nate Potter
Nate Potter is an American football offensive tackle for the Boise State Broncos. He attended Timberline High School in Boise, Idaho. He is considered to be a top offensive tackle prospect for the 2012 NFL Draft.-Early years:...
. In July 2011, he married the former Julie Wilson, who had been a three-sport athlete and valedictorian at Prosser High. The two had been dating since high school, when he was a sophomore and she a senior.