May 27, 2024 5 min read

By John Sacco

For the Observer-Reporter

newsroom@observer-reporter.com

A rare dual interest – love of sports and theater – made Scot Moore a unique man and educator in the Jefferson-Morgan School District.

He was a dedicated Rocket while he also remained a loyal West Greene graduate.

What’s Moore, he was an advocate for all things Jefferson-Morgan, all things kids and all things right.

Moore, 60, is retiring as Jefferson-Morgan’s athletic director, a position he has held since 1995. He previously retired as a teacher.

“I’m retiring to spend more time with my family,” said Moore, who is recovering from recent knee replacement surgery.

Moore is looking forward to more interaction with his wife, Lisa, and five grandchildren.

“My wife and I like to get out of the cold weather,” he said.

Moore was a trusted and hard-working athletic director. He served the WPIAL as a member of the district’s softball committee and currently is the chairman. He expects to continue in that role.

That responsibility kept him going full bore nearing retirement.

“Becoming an athletic director just seemed a natural step,” Moore said. “I like being around kids and always enjoyed going to games and watching athletes compete.”

When an issue arose and Moore felt he needed to speak out, he did so with professionalism. He made no wild accusations or comments. He made no threats.

Moore was tremendous at gathering information. He presented his findings in a professional manner and remained open-minded enough to listen and make an informed and fair decision.

“People don’t understand the tremendous amount of work that goes into it,” Moore explained. “The additional amount of paperwork required now and the constant scheduling and rescheduling can be grueling on top of many other issues.”

One of Moore’s admirable traits was to be heard in a rational way and negotiate the matter, settle it with reason – always placing the best interests of kids at the forefront.

“That was Scot,” said longtime Jefferson-Morgan baseball coach and former athletic director John Curtis. “He was always looking out for the best interests of Jefferson-Morgan students. We’ll miss him in his roles.”

In addition to teacher and athletic director, Moore was director of several Jefferson-Morgan musicals through the years and was a section championship-winning softball coach for the Rockets.

“I loved the drama club, musicals and such,” Moore said. “I developed a love affair with the musicals. We got kids involved you wouldn’t think would ever become involved. For the most part, they enjoyed it and some also fell in love with them.”

Moore’s longtime friend Bill Simms, the athletic director and highly successful softball coach at West Greene, thinks Moore is one-of-a-kind person.

“He’s a heck of a guy,” Simms said. “We’ve known each other a long time. We broadcasted high school wrestling together for a long time. We have a tight bond.

“Scot is opinionated and that has served him well. He always put his students and athletes first and he has been a fine representative for Greene County.

“Scot has been diverse throughout his career. He wrote for newspapers, been part of broadcasts, coached girls softball and other sports. He is a do-it-all kind of guy. He will be missed at Jefferson-Morgan, Greene County and throughout the WPIAL.”

Simms appreciates Moore for being a good softball coach, leading Jefferson-Morgan to a section title and defeating the Pioneers in a regular-season finale, which Simms felt would result in a West Greene victory.

“He never made a big deal of it in front of our team or me,” Simms said. “We shook hands and he congratulated us and followed his team to the dugout. He was humble in what was a great victory for Jefferson-Morgan.”

Mapletown’s Linda Messich, another longtime Greene County athletic director and WPIAL committee member, said Moore’s work ethic and commitment will be missed.

“He’s just been a gem to work with and his contributions to Jefferson-Morgan and high school athletics is immeasurable,” Messich said. “Whenever we needed some help with scheduling, Scot was always flexible and accommodating. He always had a kid-first, common-sense approach.”

Moore will be succeeded by Bruce Ellsworth, who will begin serving as the Rockets’ athletic director June 1.

Perhaps the best example of Moore’s ability to influence decisions or right a wrong came earlier this year. The WPIAL, as part of its two-year cycle, placed the Jefferson-Morgan girls volleyball team in a section with a bevy of schools not sensibly geographically aligned with the Rockets. They were moved away from a section that included Avella, Beth-Center, and three Greene County neighbors in Carmichaels, Mapletown and West Greene.

Instead of condemning WPIAL officials and the volleyball committee, which some were calling for, Moore kept a calm demeanor. He pointed out what seemed sensible and financially equitable in making a case for change.

Ultimately, Jefferson-Morgan was moved back to Section 3-A with their neighbors from Washington and Greene counties.

Moore’s style is appreciated by WPIAL officials.

“Scot has a great work ethic,” said Vince Sortino, chief operating officer of the WPIAL. “He is student centric. Students come first with him. He is also a calming influence.

“He has served the softball committee and he has done a great job. He has always been ‘let’s sit down and talk about this calmly, rationally and with reason.'”

Because of that, Moore walks away pleased and fulfilled. He credits Brian Jackson, current West Greene superintendent, and the late Donna Furnier, a former Jefferson-Morgan superintendent, for guiding him and pointing him to finding success in doing things he loves.

“I’m very proud of what I and Jefferson-Morgan accomplished,” Moore said. “I’ve enjoyed the whole time doing the jobs I had and the relationships built.”

John Sacco writes a column for the Observer-reporter about local sports history.