North Carolina State University Athletics
Senior Spotlight: Airius Moore
12/7/2017 8:07:00 AM | Football
RALEIGH, N.C. - Awareness on the football field has never been a problem for Wolfpack linebacker Airius Moore. Before the ball is even snapped, he must observe the formation, the down and distance, the level of the back, and a myriad of other details. It's a skill he spends hours honing – in practice, in the film room and in games.
But awareness off the field wasn't always as important to him until a couple of years ago. In fact, it was some advice from his younger, "wiser" brother Adonte that pushed Moore to spend as much time working becoming even more aware off the field as he is on it.
"My younger brother is really wise," says the senior. "A couple of years ago he asked me, 'What is it that you're getting from the university besides playing sports?' I thought about it and decided that maybe I wasn't taking advantage of every opportunity I had. So I started having the mindset that if I didn't start taking advantage of every opportunity I had for these four years, I was wasting them.
"I look at it like this, I don't really have a real job other than football and classes. So in my free time, I like to read books and be interested in a lot of things, just so I can be more well-rounded. I think that's ultimately helped with my perspective on life and will ultimately help me help other people."
The first thing that Moore decided to learn about was black history. He started by watching the six-hour documentary "Many Rivers to Cross." Then, he read "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander, which he would discuss with one of his friends.
"Mostly, I started to question myself and ask myself why I believe the things I believe and why do I do the things I do. I started writing down my thoughts, just trying to conceptualize them so I could really understand who I was and accept who I was.
"I think not enough people really analyze themselves and just live life aimlessly. We can wake up and just go about our day and never really think about the 'why' or have a drive or a vision."
The more Moore analyzed his motivations, the greater his desire to learn and grow became. When he talked to people, he didn't just make conversation, he asked questions. When he was interested in something, he didn't just google it, he digested it, finding books or movies or articles to study.
"I think I'm really obsessed with people who are really successful, regardless of their jobs," he says. "I respect anybody who is different from the average person. I think it's important to ask people questions. You can learn something from anybody."
Last spring, Moore took a trip that really increased his awareness, traveling to Nakuru, Kenya with some of his teammates and a group from FCA to minister to children at the Mountain Park Academy.
"I wanted to grow spiritually," he recalls. "It definitely made me way more thankful for the things I have in my life. It really changed my perspective on living in America. Everything here is based off of material things. There, it wasn't like that. The ownership is important to them, not the thing they own. It doesn't matter if it's nice, if they own something, they are proud. They were very loving and caring even though the way they lived was not close to the standards we have here."
Moore says that just like in football, you have to have vision in life. "That's something I learned by talking to people and asking questions," he says. "I had saved a lot of money and I was asking [Director of Football Operations] Joe McKillip what he thought I should invest in. He asked me what my five-year plan was. I couldn't answer the question!"
Now, Moore doesn't just have a five-year plan, but a one-year plan as well. "What are my goals this year that I want to get accomplished? If I'm not driven and working to improve, I'm just waking up every day and just being."
After analyzing his strengths, Moore identified and wrote down his "soon-to-be strengths" and is working on them. "Organization is something I am having to work on," he says. "I also want to have better self-talk, because I think that really impacts your perspective. I wrote down that I needed to spend more time with God so I can understand His principles and how I can live my life the way He wants me to. Â
"I also need to spend time analyzing my thoughts so I can make sure I'm not letting other peoples' views penetrate into my views of life."
For most people, playing collegiate football and pursuing a degree would be enough, but not for Moore. "I analyze my motivations behind everything. Could I be more productive right now? And if so, how? "
His pursuit of awareness doesn't stop at mental and spiritual improvement, but also physical. He has also become a self-taught expert on things that will help his body perform to its top capacity.
"Nutrition is something that really interested me because it could affect my performance," he says. "At first I just wanted to get the best possible result on the field. I read a book about sleep and how important sleep is and how it effects your body and I thought, 'If I can get more quality sleep than my opponent, maybe I can perform better than them.'
"Yes, that's a small thing, but small things end up becoming big things at the end of the day. From that I listened to the guy's podcast and another guy who talked about helping people with chronic illnesses through nutrition alone and I thought, 'Wow that's really interesting too.' It really changed my mind about nutrition. Now it's important because of performance, but once I'm done with football it will be towards my health.
Moore tries to eat mostly organic foods and has increased the amount of fruits and vegetables he consumes. "I make a lot of smoothies, eat cashew butters and almond butters. I drink juices, which is enzymes from fruits and vegetables. And … you can ask my teammates … if you text me after 10 o'clock, I'm usually asleep. I go to sleep between 9:45 and 10:30. All my teammates make fun of me but I believe I've had some impact on them and the way they eat or think about eating."
So what is the most important thing that Moore has learned in his journey to become aware?
"Well I like to hear what other people have to say," he laughs, "but then I go look it up, study it and see if I agree with it. I've learned that the most truthful information you can find is information you have to go look for yourself."
Moore applies that same procedure to football and how he learns from his position coach, Dave Huxtable. "I've got the smartest coach on the coaching staff. He's a great guy and he's really, really smart. He gives us the tips that we need. We go over it and over it in film, but the hour or 45 minutes we get isn't enough, so I go home and watch it over and over again. If he tells us something, I believe it, but I want to go back and see it for myself."
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