Seeing It Through WSU Linebacker Brandon Moore Earns Triumphs By Way Of Tribulations

Every so often, Brandon Moore sits back and wonders what might have been.

What if I hadn’t been given a chance to earn a college education?

What if I hadn’t gotten into trouble in 1994?

What if my mother hadn’t died in ‘95?

What if Chris Hayes hadn’t reinjured an ankle in the ‘95 Apple Cup, giving me a chance to play and gain some needed confidence?

What if, what if?

“At the time, you don’t see it, but things happen for a reason,” Moore said. And he should know.

The Washington State University senior expects to graduate in May with a double-major in criminal justice and sociology. Moore’s graduation might be considered an upset, since none of his five older siblings has earned more than an AA, and Moore was a Prop 48 himself.

“I’m blessed to be here,” he said.

Lucky, too, since the Pacific-10 Conference restricts the number of athletes who fail to meet minimum academic standards. For that, Moore is dismayed.

A standout linebacker on WSU’s 16th-ranked football team, Moore wasn’t the first Cougar to take advantage of the Prop 48 exception.

“They took a chance on me, and they took a chance on Frank Madu and Frank Russell, and those guys all got their degrees,” Moore said.

There is much debate over entrance requirements, especially for athletes.

Many believe the Scholastic Aptitude Test is culturally biased. Moore isn’t sure. To him, that isn’t the point.

“They have so much help here in college that they don’t have in high schools,” said Moore, who went to Banning High near Los Angeles. “You have all types of counselors, you have computers, you have tutors, you got all kinds of help here that is not available to those students in inner cities or public schools.

“If you don’t give up and you care about your life and you want to be successful, you’ll make it.”

Three years ago, some might have given up on Moore.

Friends and family were shocked when Moore and a WSU teammate ended up spending Thanksgiving in Idaho’s Latah County Jail.

The two had found a checkbook while moving into their new apartment. Instead of returning it, they used the checks in an attempt to buy video games in Moscow. It wasn’t the brightest idea Moore ever had.

The two were caught, of course, and Moore’s reputation suffered. Looking back, it doesn’t seem so bad.

“I’m glad when people bring that up,” he said. “That’s not a problem for me. That was a blessing. If it wasn’t for me getting into trouble for writing them checks, I would have played that year and I wouldn’t be here now.

“I would have gone to Tennessee and all those games in ‘94, would have played special teams and never would have redshirted. And who knows, I probably wouldn’t be on track for my degree.”

The Cougars are thankful Moore is around this season. Since the ‘95 Apple Cup, when he made seven tackles and an interception in relief of the injured Hayes, Moore has been a mainstay at weakside linebacker.

They list him at 5-foot-11 and 218 pounds, and half of that has to be biceps. “Brandon looks like one of those superhero toys you played with when you were a kid,” teammate Leon Bender once said.

Moore can play a little, too. He leads the team with 14 tackles for losses this season. Last week’s 20-tackle, two-sack performance was one of the few redeeming elements for a defense that struggled against Arizona State.

WSU (7-1) would lose the game, and maybe a shot at the Rose Bowl, but Moore didn’t lose perspective. He had already survived the loss of his mother, Josephine, to a brain tumor. What’s a football game, anyway?

“People think you’re down when things happen bad, but it’s harder when things are going well,” Moore said. “She’s not here to see me play football. She’s not going to be there at my graduation. That’s hard to conceive.”

He misses the little things, too.

“It’s a struggle mentally, just waking up and you can’t call her,” Moore said. “I can’t say, ‘Hey Mom, how you doing?’ I can’t talk to her, can’t see her, can’t touch her, can’t ask her for advice. I can just look at pictures and reminisce.”

Josephine Moore had been expected to survive. Brandon had flown down when she was hospitalized, returning to Pullman only because summer school was under way and his eligibility was in the balance.

Before long, the telephone rang. It was 6 a.m., and Ray Moore was telling his son to come home. Now.

“I’m thinking, what’s wrong?” Brandon recalled. “He didn’t want to tell me.”

The youngest child of Ray and Josephine Moore did as he was told, not knowing what to expect. Upon arriving home, there were relatives everywhere. His mother was not among them.

“I walk in and my granddad came in and told me that Mom had passed away,” Moore recalled. “I just fell out. Every time I think of that, it seems to bring tears to my eyes, every time I think of that moment. This is the first time I’ve been able to say that without breaking down.”

The reminders are often subtle. They are almost always innocent. Someone will ask about his parents, or if he has any plans for Mom’s Weekend.

“Yeah, I hear that all the time,” Moore said. “I notice it all the time. You think about it and you don’t say anything. You’re just, ‘Nah, she’s not coming up.”’

Come Saturday, when the Cougars take on Southwestern Louisiana in Martin Stadium, Ray Moore will be there. It’s Dad’s Weekend, and Brandon Moore has plans.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 color photos

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: COUGAR NOTES WSU’s defensive secondary will have a new look for Saturday’s non-conference game against Southwestern Louisiana, coach Mike Price announced Thursday. Senior free safety Ray Jackson will start at left cornerback, replacing sophomore LeJuan Gibbons, who has struggled in recent games. Freshman Lamont Thompson will take over at free safety. In another move, sophomore Torry Hollimon will start at strong safety. Senior starter Duane Stewart will miss the game with strained ligaments in his left knee. Quarterback Ryan Leaf resumed practicing without restrictions and showed no signs of being slowed by various injuries. Leaf, who practiced sparingly on Tuesday and Wednesday, continued to wear tape and padding on his sore right forearm. But he threw several deep passes without difficulty and his footwork was not inhibited by nagging injuries to his ankle and knee. Senior flanker Shawn McWashington was held out of practice with a sore hamstring and may not play Saturday. Freshman Farwan Zubedi and junior Troy Woody are preparing for additional playing time.