Herman Joseph Moore was born on October 20, 1969. He was an American professional football player who played as a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. Moore played college football for the Virginia Cavaliers. He was chosen by the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 1991 NFL draft and also played for the New York Giants.
Early life
Moore completed high school at George Washington High School in Danville, Virginia, in 1987. Moore participated in three sports and performed well in basketball, football, and track and field.
College career
Moore went to and graduated from the University of Virginia, where he played two sports. He was third in the school's history for total receptions, behind Olamide Zaccheaus and Billy McMullen. He held the school record in the high jump for 30 years until it was broken in 2020. Moore's college jersey number was 87.
He was second in the Cavaliers' history for total receiving yards with 2,504 yards. He had the most receiving yards in a single season with 1,190 yards (from 54 catches) in 1990. The year before, he had 848 yards from 36 catches. He scored 10 touchdowns in 1989 and 13 touchdowns in 1990.
On January 14, 2026, Moore was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Professional career
Moore was the Detroit Lions' first-round draft pick in 1991 and later broke many of the team's receiving records. He began his career in 1991 with limited playing time, catching 11 passes for 135 yards. He had forgotten to tell the Lions that he wore contact lenses in college to see, so he decided not to wear them in professional games. After an eye check, the issue was fixed. He later became an important player as the Lions won the NFC Central title for the first time since 1983. In the divisional-round game against the Dallas Cowboys, Moore caught six passes for 87 yards, including a touchdown, as the Lions won 38–6 in their first playoff game since 1957. In the NFC Championship Game against Washington, he caught four passes for 69 yards in a 41–10 loss.
He started the first week of the next season, catching eight passes for 82 yards before being placed on injured reserve for four weeks. When he returned against the Minnesota Vikings, he caught his first regular-season touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. He caught 51 passes for 966 yards with four touchdowns in 12 games. The following year, he caught 61 passes for 935 yards with six touchdowns as the Lions won the NFC Central again. In the Wild Card game, he caught one pass for 20 yards in a loss.
In 1994, Moore played all 16 games, catching 72 passes for 1,173 yards and 11 touchdowns. He improved further the next year, being named team MVP on offense. He set a league record for receptions in a season with 123, a club record for receiving yards with 1,686, and scored 14 touchdowns. On October 29, he caught three touchdown passes in a game against the Green Bay Packers. This was the last time a Lions receiver achieved this feat until 2008 (Roy Williams was the next). On November 23, Moore caught 127 yards in a game against the Minnesota Vikings, along with teammates who also reached 100 yards. Running back Barry Sanders rushed for 138 yards, and quarterback Scott Mitchell passed for 410 yards in a 44–38 Lions victory. His best single-game performance was on December 4, 1995, against the Chicago Bears, where he caught 14 passes for 183 yards, a club record. He was named to the Pro Bowl for the second straight year while the Lions reached the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons. Moore and teammate Brett Perriman became the first teammates in NFL history with over 100 receptions in the same season.
In 1996, Moore caught 106 passes for 1,296 yards with nine touchdowns. He became the second receiver (after Jerry Rice) to have three 100-reception seasons, leading the league with 104 receptions for 1,293 yards and eight touchdowns. He was named to the Pro Bowl for the fourth straight year and received a third consecutive All-Pro selection while the Lions made the playoffs after a two-year absence. However, the Lions lost a chaotic playoff game to the Philadelphia Eagles, with Moore catching seven passes for 133 yards and a touchdown (his second and final postseason touchdown).
In the next three years, Moore's performance declined. He caught 82 passes for 983 yards with five touchdowns in 1998, the last season with Barry Sanders. In 1999, the Lions reached the playoffs for the sixth time in the decade but did not have success. Moore played eight games, catching 16 passes for 197 yards with two touchdowns. In the Wild Card game, he caught three passes for 69 yards. After playing three games for the Lions in 2001 with only four catches, he moved to the New York Giants. He did not play in two of the three games and was later released.
Over 12 NFL seasons, Moore had 670 receptions for 9,174 yards and 62 touchdowns. He holds NFL records for receptions (61) and receiving yards (965) on Thursday games, aided by playing for the Lions, who frequently played on Thanksgiving Day. His 1998 game earned him the inaugural All-Iron Award. Moore held Detroit's career receptions record (670) until Calvin Johnson surpassed it in 2015. Johnson also broke Moore's touchdown catch record (62) on November 10, 2013, and his career receiving yards record (9,174) on December 8, 2013. In 2010, Moore was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.