Barry Moore Ready for 58th Year on NU Event Staff

45 Years Later, Young Still Tied to Husker Football

Huskers Hiring 150-200 Fooball Event Staff Workers

Football Inspires Devout Couples in Husker Sports

This is the fourth and final in a feature series about Nebraska expanding its football event staff.

Randy York’s N-Sider

Official Blog of the Huskers

Nearly six decades ago, Barry Moore decided he wanted to help Nebraska Athletics in whatever way he could. The longtime educator at Lincoln Northeast High School wanted to combine two things – his enjoyment of athletics and the satisfaction he gets in helping people of all kinds enjoy an experience.

Connecting his administrative skill sets to Nebraska Athletics also “gave me an experience to still compete at a very high level,” Moore told me as he prepares to begin his 58th year as a member of the Nebraska Athletics Event Staff. That incredible milestone while serving Nebraska Athletics is in a league of its own. Moore is on top of the list. He’s king of the hill and A-No. 1 when it comes to the jobs he’s done and how they influence the overall fan experience.

For 41 Years, Moore Has Served Six Husker Men’s Head Basketball Coaches   

For 41 years, Moore (above middle) has been the official clock operator for men’s basketball. That means he’s served Nebraska Basketball Coach Joe Cipriano, plus five other Husker men’s head basketball coaches – Moe Iba, Danny Nee, Barry Collier, Doc Sadler and Tim Miles.

For 19 years, Moore held the official line of scrimmage pole for Nebraska football. For 15 years, he was the clock operator for Husker football. He’s also been a longtime usher for volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball and baseball.

Beginning his third decade as a tour guide at Memorial Stadium and the Bob Devaney Sports Center, Moore somehow finds time to be a coach escort for football games and helps enhance Nebraska’s suite service. Those duties began about 20 years ago.

High-Level Event Support = Quality Experience So Fans Can Enjoy Games

What’s the biggest payoff for serving all of those duties? “If these jobs are done at a high level, the fan senses a quality experience and can enjoy the game better,” said Moore, who believes strongly that Nebraska fans deserve recognition as the greatest fans in college football.

“They’re knowledgeable, courteous and enthusiastic and have been well-treated by our Event Staff,” Moore said. “They’ve received a lot of media attention for their behavior. I think it probably helps that our fan base is a little older than most fan bases.”

Moore has a favorite memory serving Nebraska Athletics. “As a coach's escort, I was in the coaches' box when Alex Henery kicked that record field goal against Colorado,” he said. “There was nothing like that. Helping a five-year-old boy find his lost parents was another highlight.”

Even though Moore performs pivotal event staff opportunities, he credits and salutes his fellow workers who take tickets and usher, provide security and control parking management.

Basic Philosophy: People Don’t Care What You Know Until They Know You Care

“These are the first people the fan experiences at any event we host,” Moore pointed out. “Some welcome it and some see it as a bother. But making that first experience positive is super important. I relate it to a saying we believe in teaching – people don' t care what you know until they know that you care.”

As a staff worker, Nebraska volleyball fascinates Moore. Like football, the Huskers are an iconic winning program. The similarity is obvious. “The fans are loyal and have a very special if not a unique bond to the team like football,” Moore said.

NCAA record sellout streaks for both Nebraska football and volleyball are great accomplishments, but Moore doesn’t like to dwell on it. “I do not get personally caught in sellout streak mania,” Moore told me.  “It’s nice icing on the cake, but I think there are more important things to emphasize.”

Beyond football and volleyball, baseball intrigues Moore “because it takes a lot of patience to be a baseball fan," he said. "Starting the season about April 15th would help. Our fans, however, show up whenever we play. They show great enthusiasm and have great baseball knowledge. Let's hope we can find some more Alex Gordons and Joba Chamberlains.”

Nebraska Athletics Event Staffers with at Least 25 Years Experience

55 + Years (1): Barry Moore

50-54 Years (6): Bill Bryant, Gary Burk, Joe Hamersky, Robert Keller, Glen Saffer, Ken Schmale

45-49 Years (5): Doug Elting, Frank Gillaspie, Gerald Lobeda, Glen Martin, Allen Neemann

40-44 Years (8): Jim Andreas, Daryl Blue, Sharon Brooks, Ray Friesen, Dick Herr, Max Marquart, Dave McBride, Jerry Salber

35-39 Years (7): David Cookson, Alan Grell, Jaci Groves, Rod Henkel, Bob Lee, Steve Morrison, Wally Waoltemath

30-34 Years (14): Eugene Abbott, Carl Abbott, Sue Cleavenger, John Dulany, Grant Harner, Scott Hayman, Gerald Kirkendall, Charles Moyer, Mark Neeman, Ron Riethmuller, Alan Shiers, Gary Stansbury, Al Taft, Agris Taurins

25-29 Years (29): Carl Abbott, Carolyn Bornhaft, Carol Butte, Rich Calver, Steve Carr, Jim Connell, Dan Dilla, Dean Edson, Dan Furlow, Rick Gaebel, Mark Grell, Kris Hart, Allen Henk, Alan Kaiser, Brad King, James Lafollette, Rob Lobeda, Don Lund, Pam Magdanz, Garry Martin, Tony Martin, Ray Montanez, Robert Peterson, Chad Scott, Joe Skorupa, Don Tapp, Stuart Tietz, Scott Woltemath

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