Tom Moore returns to Iowa, where he began more than 6 decades ago
Retirement just didn't suit Tom Moore. At 87, the longtime NFL assistant is heading back to work and back to the school where it all began.
Moore, whose coaching and playing roots trace back to the University of Iowa, is returning to the program decades after first launching a football career that would span generations, multiple Super Bowl runs and some of the game's greatest quarterbacks.
Moore will serve as senior consultant to head coach Kirk Ferentz and offensive adviser at Iowa, where he played quarterback from 1958-60 before beginning his coaching career there as a graduate assistant from 1961-62.
"I'm back where I started 65 years ago," Moore said by telephone Wednesday. "That was my first job. I'm very grateful to Kirk Ferentz.He's been very, very good to me. I create my own schedule. I come and go when I want and when I can."
Moore officially retired after the 2025 NFL season after spending the past seven years with the Bucs as senior offensive consultant. At the time, his wife, Willie, was recovering from a stroke.
Since retiring, Moore said, he flew to Iowa to talk to the Hawkeyes' coaching staff and made an appearance at the state high school football coaches convention.
"I told (Ferentz) I wanted to keep busy," Moore said. "He said, ‘Great, maybe we can work something out.'"
Moore is one of the most accomplished assistant coaches in NFL history, having won four Super Bowl rings: two with the Steelers (1978-79), one with the Colts (2006) and another with the Bucs (2020).
He and Peyton Manning arrived with the Colts in 1998, and he was Manning's offensive coordinator for his first 11 years in Indianapolis. Moore also coached the Steelers' Terry Bradshaw and finished his career on the Bucs' staff supporting Tom Brady.
Before launching his NFL career, Moore spent his formative coaching years in college football. From Iowa, he coached at Dayton, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Minnesota, in addition to the New York Stars of the World Football League.
"I'm very appreciative of all the college situations. I have nothing but great respect and admiration for Kirk Ferentz and the job he's done," Moore said. "He's been there 28 years. He does a great job coaching and taking two- and three-star players and turning them into players like (Bucs tackle) Tristan Wirfs and (former Colts tight end) Dallas Clark.
"(Ferentz) is as class as you can possibly be. It's an honor and a privilege to be at Iowa, and I get to wave to those kids (at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital) between the first and second quarter."
Moore said he will return to Iowa in June for the first three weeks of seasonal planning and be back when the Hawkeyes begin training camp.
"I'm still living a dream," he said.
• • •
Sign up for our Sports Today newsletter to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida.
Every weekday, tune into our Sports Day Tampa Bay podcast to hear reporter Rick Stroud break down the biggest stories in Tampa Bay sports.
Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams. Follow our coverage on X and Facebook.
Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.
This story was originally published May 13, 2026 at 1:39 PM.