{"id":17859,"date":"2025-06-27T02:07:12","date_gmt":"2025-06-27T02:07:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/17859\/"},"modified":"2025-06-27T02:07:12","modified_gmt":"2025-06-27T02:07:12","slug":"bucky-irving-tom-moore-and-a-unique-nfl-player-coach-relationship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/17859\/","title":{"rendered":"Bucky Irving, Tom Moore and a unique NFL player-coach relationship"},"content":{"rendered":"

TAMPA \u2014 It\u2019s outer-space silent at 5:30 a.m., except for a few birds chirping at the suggestion of dawn.<\/p>\n

Tom Moore, who would be on the Mount Rushmore of NFL assistant coaches if there were one, has been sitting at his desk at One Buc Place for more than two hours. He is going over a stack of plays higher than a seven-layer cake when in walks Bucky Irving, the day\u2019s first ray of light.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just come to check on my dog, make sure you doing all right,\u201d Irving says.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust doing my therapy,\u201d Moore says, pointing to his work.<\/p>\n

Moore and Irving are people of routines, and this routine plays out every morning the Bucs gather. When Moore was a boy, his father, Howard, taught him to leave early enough to change a flat tire and still arrive on time. For decades, the Bucs\u2019 senior offensive assistant has been getting to work at 3:15. Irving, a second-year running back whose phone is always set to DND, is in bed by 9:30. He doesn\u2019t need an alarm to be up at 4:50. His first stop at work is Moore\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

Sixty-four years separate them, but seeing them together you\u2019d never know it. Moore, born before a U.S. flag was raised on the beachheads of Normandy, is 86. Irving, who came into the world after the Twin Towers fell, is 22.<\/p>\n

Irving inquires about Moore\u2019s wife, Emily, and their dogs. Moore tells him about Patsy, a rescue named after Patsy Cline; when people wonder what kind of dog she is, Moore says she is a \u201cCarolina Brown,\u201d as fitting a description as any. They thought Patsy was shy, so they gave her a companion, a Sheltie named Reba (as in McEntire).<\/p>\n

Moore tells stories about players he\u2019s coached. He says that before every game, Barry Sanders ate one green apple. Irving, who has been compared to Sanders by NBC analyst Rodney Harrison and others, says he eats a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. They look at one another and smile \u2014 not like coach and player, maybe more like grandfather and grandson.<\/p>\n

Bucs coach Todd Bowles says he understands their connection because he saw the animated movie \u201cUp.\u201d \u201cTheir relationship is kind of like the old man and the little Boy Scout kid in that movie,\u201d Bowles says. \u201cSomehow, they formed this unlikely bond. I mean, it\u2019s coach-player, but they\u2019re damn best friends too, and I love it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Irving and Moore might seem like an odd couple, but if you knew them, you\u2019d understand.<\/p>\n

On the back right side of Irving\u2019s neck is a tattoo of three crosses. One represents his father, Marcellius Washington, who was killed \u2014 shot, and stabbed three times \u2014 when Irving was 2. Another signifies his grandmother Darlene Irving, who died at 59 when Bucky was a junior in high school. The third is for his half-brother Jordan Raybon, who was shot and killed when he was 16, when Irving was a freshman at the University of Minnesota.<\/p>\n

Irving wonders how it would have been different if his father had lived. He has asked his mother, Latisha Irving, what his father was like, and what he would have thought about him. But he doesn\u2019t think of what he\u2019s been through as injustice. He thinks of it as incentive. \u201cThe things I had to see growing up made me pray to God every day that I could go in a different direction and not get caught up in the things that were going on around me,\u201d he says. \u201cI feel everything happened for a reason and God gave me some challenging things to go through so I could get where I am now. I know they are watching over me and really proud.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he was 5, Irving started playing organized football for the Hazel Crest Mustangs in suburban Chicago and led them to their first championship in about two decades, Latisha says. Bucky was usually the smallest kid in his grade, but he played at a level with kids who were older than him.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/p>\n

Irving led the University of Minnesota with 966 all-purpose yards as a freshman in 2021 (left). Bucky and mom Latisha (right). (David Berding \/ Getty Images; Courtesy of Latisha Irving)<\/p>\n

At Hillcrest High, he played wide receiver, quarterback, defensive back and kicker in addition to running back. In two seasons, he had 3,264 rushing yards and 587 receiving yards.<\/p>\n

After one year at Minnesota, Irving left in search of an offense that was a better fit. He found it at Oregon, where he had 2,238 rushing yards, 712 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns in two seasons.<\/p>\n

NFL scouts were skeptical though, partly because he is 5-feet-9, 192 pounds, and partly because his combine performance \u2014 4.55 40-yard-dash, 29.5 vertical jump, 9-7 broad jump \u2014 wasn\u2019t as impressive as his tape. \u201cI\u2019m not really a guy that\u2019s into running around in T-shirts and drawers out there,\u201d Irving says. \u201cI\u2019m a guy that plays real football.\u201d<\/p>\n

Five running backs were chosen ahead of him in the 2024 draft, and he wasn\u2019t picked until the fourth round. \u201cYou know, we\u2019re kind of small people, but we\u2019ve got big hearts,\u201d says his mother, who is 4-11. \u201cSometimes people underestimate you, and that was really stressful to him because it meant so much to him. But I just prayed that he end up where he wanted to be, and he loves it in Tampa.\u201d<\/p>\n

That became evident during his rookie season when Irving averaged 5.4 yards per attempt, the third highest in NFL history among rookies with at least 200 carries. Of his 1,514 combined yards, 609 came after forcing missed tackles, second most in the NFL last season, according to Next Gen Stats. His 4.03 average in yards after contact per rush led the league, according to The 33rd Team.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s blessed,\u201d says Moore, who defers to running backs coach Skip Peete when it comes to Irving\u2019s technique and fundamentals. \u201cHe has great vision, the ability to make people miss and can go the distance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Irving\u2019s production last season was especially impressive considering he started only three games and had fewer carries than 18 running backs. This year, his opportunities are likely to increase substantially. Bowles says he expects greatness, as the game has slowed down for Irving and he\u2019s improved his footwork and pass protection. \u201cHe got to where he needed to be, but his footwork wasn\u2019t always the cleanest last season,\u201d Bowles says. \u201cHe\u2019s cleaned that up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Irving lights up a room as easily as a scoreboard. His mother, a chef who is changing the name of her catering company to Bucky Soulfood & Catering, says her son always had a warm, welcoming spirit.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always try to bring others up, ask how they doing or joke around a little bit,\u201d says Bucky, whose idea of a hobby is taking walks. \u201cYou never know if somebody\u2019s having a hard day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bucs receiver Chris Godwin has been taken by Irving\u2019s smile. Bowles, Peete and others sometimes see that smile when he pops into their offices after he sees Moore. \u201cHe\u2019s the most outgoing, gregarious person,\u201d Moore says. \u201cHe just loves life.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Irving was at Minnesota, coach P.J. Fleck gave him a figurine of Mr. Incredible, the Pixar superhero with superhuman strength and stamina, because he wanted Irving to play like Mr. Incredible might. Irving fulfilled his coach\u2019s wish and still carries the figurine with him to every game, an old soul with an action figure in his backpack.<\/p>\n

Irving is beginning a journey that Moore has survived better than almost anyone.<\/p>\n

Moore was a backup quarterback and kicker at the University of Iowa so long ago that, Bowles teases, he shared a backfield with Moses. In the early 1960s Moore served in the Army, including a period as an officer in Korea, where he was the head coach of the First Cavalry Division football team. It was the only time he was a head coach. He\u2019s won four Super Bowl rings as an assistant, coming 42 years apart \u2014 two with the Terry Bradshaw-led Steelers, one with Peyton Manning\u2019s Colts and one with the Tom Brady Bucs.<\/p>\n

In 1975, Moore unknowingly increased his chances of survival in the coaching world by aligning himself with a quarterback from Parkside High in Jackson, Mich. Moore, then the offensive coordinator at the University of Minnesota, successfully recruited him then tamed his wild streak. He later convinced the Steelers to sign him as an undrafted free agent and converted defensive back, then helped him get into coaching and eventually worked alongside him and, later, for him.<\/p>\n

Of all the relationships Moore has had with players, that one with Tony Dungy is the most similar to the one he has with Irving, he says. When Moore arrived at work in the small hours, Dungy would sometimes be waiting outside in the cold for him to let him in so they could visit. \u201cHe loved football like Bucky,\u201d Moore says.<\/p>\n

Says Irving: \u201cEvery day he gives me advice to keep my head on straight, not to get comfortable and stay humble.\u201d On the grease board in Moore\u2019s office are six words that Moore believes lead to many downfalls. He and Irving talk about them regularly.<\/p>\n

1. GREED. Moore has advised Irving to not confuse contentment with compensation. He told him when he started working for the Steelers, he was one of six assistant coaches on staff, each of whom was paid the same yearly salary: $28,000. All of them were more focused on the next Super Bowl than on the next pay raise.<\/p>\n

2. JEALOUSY. Moore has coached players who see others\u2019 statistics and become disenchanted. He warns Irving not to be like them. Eighteen NFL running backs had more carries than Irving last season, but he says he was not frustrated. \u201cI\u2019ve never been the type of guy to go to a coach and ask for more carries,\u201d he says. \u201cI want everybody in the room to have success and as long as we get the win, I\u2019m happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Bucky<\/p>\n

Bucky Irving\u2019s 5.4 yards per carry last season were the most for a 1,000-yard rusher in Bucs history. (Harry How\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

3. BOREDOM. To Moore, champions don\u2019t become champions without rehearsing the same mundane steps repeatedly and without wearing out the rewind button on a remote control. Being invulnerable to boredom, Moore says, enabled Brady to win a Super Bowl with Moore when he was 43. \u201cI don\u2019t think Bucky will get bored,\u201d Moore says. \u201cNo. 3 won\u2019t get him.\u201d Says Irving, \u201cFor real.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. DEATH BY INCHES. Many start to get comfortable and cut corners, Moore says. Moore remembers the 13 years he coached Manning, saying the quarterback prepared for the last game they were together just as he had for the first. Even though Manning knew shortcuts, he didn\u2019t take them. \u201cIt\u2019s easy to say, \u2018I know it all, I\u2019ll watch three hours of tape instead of five,\u2019\u201d Moore says. \u201cPeyton didn\u2019t, and that\u2019s why he was great.\u201d<\/p>\n

5. B\u2014-ING. The 2021 Bucs had a lot to complain about, but they weren\u2019t complainers. That\u2019s a reason, Moore has told Irving, he believes they won the Super Bowl during the COVID-19 pandemic. \u201cWe had every situation possible you could complain about,\u201d he says. \u201cWe had half the guys dressing in the indoor facility and an outdoor shower for them. It was like a MASH operation. We had a trip from hell when we got to the airport at 1:30 and didn\u2019t get to Charlotte until 11 at night. But I never heard one player or coach b\u2014- the entire season.\u201d<\/p>\n

6. AGENDAS. Moore has seen many assistant coaches become preoccupied with a promotion, or with becoming a head coach. He could have been one of them, having interviewed and been a runner-up for head-coaching jobs with the University of Minnesota and the Detroit Lions.<\/p>\n

The closest he came to having an agenda was wanting to coach pro football in 1974. He told Irving about leaving the University of Minnesota to join the New York Stars of the World Football League. But the Stars struggled financially and didn\u2019t pay Moore for six months. A $5,000 loan from fellow coach George Perles and an offer to return to the University of Minnesota saved him, and he learned a lesson. Since then, he\u2019s been pleased with his role, whatever it has been.<\/p>\n

With the Bucs, he takes a macro look at the offense, sharing ideas on pass concepts, the red zone and third-down situations. And he does much more, including contributing to the defense. \u201cWhen Tom has something to say, you listen because he doesn\u2019t speak all the time,\u201d Bowles says. \u201cWhen he sees that I\u2019m agitated, he calms me down.\u201d<\/p>\n

As long as Moore can share his passion, the light within continues to shine.<\/p>\n

\"Bucs<\/p>\n

Just another early-morning meeting in Moore\u2019s office. (Dan Pompei \/ The Athletic)<\/p>\n

\u201cBucky\u2026. My Great Grandson.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what Irving wrote on the grease board in Moore\u2019s office. Beneath it is his phone number.<\/p>\n

Moore has two children, two grandchildren, three step-grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Irving has had a stepfather since he was 12. His high school coach, Morgan Weaver, also treated him like a son, taking him to visit colleges and sharing life lessons.<\/p>\n

But the bond between Moore and Irving, in a league often devoid of sentimentality, is unlike any other.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just look at him like the grandfather I always wanted to have, who knows about football and can coach you in football,\u201d Irving says.<\/p>\n

When players like Irving trust Moore the way he does, it makes his life\u2019s work seem worthwhile. \u201cI love the kid,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Before games, Moore stands beneath a goalpost to watch warmups. As Irving talked with Moore in the end zone before one game, a photographer took their picture \u2014 Irving with his arm around Moore, one of them with so many yards ahead of him, the other with so many yards behind.<\/p>\n

Irving made two copies of the photo. One is in his locker. The other, framed, sits on Moore\u2019s cabinet behind his desk. It\u2019s the only photo in his office.<\/p>\n

(Illustration: Demetrius Robinson \/ The Athletic; Photos: Kim Klement Neitzel \/ Imagn Images; Cliff Welch \/ Icon Sportswire via Getty Images; Julio Aguilar \/ Getty Images; Mike Ehrmann \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TAMPA \u2014 It\u2019s outer-space silent at 5:30 a.m., except for a few birds chirping at the suggestion of…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":17860,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[1232,9445,62,3528,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-17859","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-nfl","9":"tag-oregon-ducks","10":"tag-sports","11":"tag-tampa-bay-buccaneers","12":"tag-united-states","13":"tag-unitedstates","14":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114752889909472354","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17859"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17859\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}