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When I was a young lad in the years before I went off to college, I was big into sports like a lot of other boys my age. My favorite college football team was the Louisiana State University Tigers from Baton Rouge (Red Stick), Louisiana.

I loved their school colors, the mascot, the excitement, and tradition generated by Saturday games in Tiger Stadium, Death Valley as their stadium was known. And, they won a lot of football games during that era. I always thought I would go to school there, but that dream faded when I enrolled at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and became a card-carrying alumnus of the Volunteers.

One name associated with LSU was that of Bernie Moore, who was an athlete, coach, and administrator.  He served as the head football coach at Mercer University (1926–1928) and Louisiana State University (LSU) (1935–1947). Moore was also the head basketball coach at Mercer (1926–1928) and the head track and field coach at LSU (1930–1947). He was then SEC commissioner from 1948 to 1966. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1952.

Moore’s 1935 LSU Tigers posted a 9–2 record and won the school’s first Southeastern Conference championship.  He also was a line coach at Sewanee. After ending his tenure at LSU, the longest of any coach at the university to that point, Moore became SEC Commissioner in 1948. In 1967, he won the inaugural James J. Corbett Memorial Award given by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.

So, what’s the local connection? 

Not too long ago, Chuck Marsh asked me if I knew about Bernie Moore, and I said I certainly did as coach at LSU and mainly as SEC Commissioner.  Chuck said, “Someone told me he was buried in Winchester. Do you know where he is buried?”

I was a little surprised at hearing that, but I said I would check it out and let him know.  I knew just the person to ask.

As owner and namesake of Moore-Cortner Funeral Home for 60 years, Bob Cortner was the obvious choice to solve this riddle, so I gave him a call.

“Yes,” he said, “Bernie Moore is buried in Franklin Memorial Gardens (owned by Moore-Cortner). He was one of the first funerals we arranged back in 1967.”

When I asked why in the world would Coach Moore retire to Franklin County after living in Baton Rouge, Birmingham, and other places, he simply said that Moore’s wife was a native.

“She is buried next to him in the cemetery,” said Bob. “She was the daughter of Ellen and Rufus Clark, who was an administrator for the Clark College, which was situated on the site of the current Clark Memorial Elementary in Winchester.  Since she had ties to the community, they moved back here after Bernie retired.”

Bob went on to say that they were neighbors of Bernie and Anna for a while, and talked about what a great relationship they had with them. He told me where to find their grave sites, and after a search of the cemetery, I found their plaques designating where the couple is buried.  Bernie passed away in 1967 at age 72, while Anna lived until 1973.

Bernie Moore’s legacy includes induction into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1963 and the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1966. LSU’s Bernie Moore Track Stadium is named in his honor.  Frank Rose, former University of Alabama president, said Moore’s “energies, his demand for total integrity, and his devotion to clean sports and good academics have left their mark on the campuses of every SEC member. For that, we are grateful.”

And that’s the way it oughta be.

Alan Clark is a retired US Army Colonel, former Chief Technology Officer, Past District Governor of Rotary International, radio host and general manager, and holds a Doctorate in Education from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. His editorials have been published by Lakeway Publishers, Inc., and he is the author of several books and monographs. He was the recipient of awards for his editorials by the UT/Tennessee Press Association in 2019, 2021, and 2022.