Rondale Moore

Rondale DaSean Moore was born on June 9, 2000, in New Albany, Indiana, to Quincy (Shirley) Ricketts and Ronald Moore. He grew up on the same block as future NBA player Romeo Langford, living a few houses apart, and the two played basketball together until their sophomore year of high school. His family later said that everything he achieved was something he worked for with their help. In 2018 he told the Journal & Courier: "My whole life, this is something I worked for and my family has helped me obtain."

Moore attended New Albany High School, where he was part of the team that won the 2016 Indiana Class 4A state basketball championship alongside Langford. He then transferred to Trinity High School in Louisville, Kentucky, where he was a four-star football recruit. He caught 109 passes as a senior and helped Trinity finish 15-0 and win the 2017 Kentucky Class 6A state championship, and he was named Kentucky's Gatorade Player of the Year for 2017. He committed to the University of Texas in June 2017, withdrew that commitment in December 2017, and committed to Purdue University on January 6, 2018. He played college football at Purdue from 2018 to 2020.

Purdue (2018 to 2020): In his first college game, against Northwestern on August 30, 2018, Moore set a Purdue record with 313 all-purpose yards, including a 76-yard touchdown run. He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week four times that season. Against second-ranked Ohio State on October 20, 2018, he caught 12 passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns in a 49-20 upset. He finished 2018 with 114 receptions, 1,258 receiving yards, 213 rushing yards and 14 total touchdowns, and his 2,048 all-purpose yards were the second most in Purdue history. In the 2019 home opener he caught 13 passes for a career-high 220 yards against Vanderbilt, but a hamstring injury limited him to four games that year. He briefly opted out of the 2020 season during the COVID-19 pandemic, then returned when the Big Ten reinstated fall football, appearing in three games.

Arizona Cardinals (2021 to 2023): The Cardinals selected Moore in the second round, 49th overall, of the 2021 NFL Draft. In his second NFL game, on September 19, 2021, he scored on a 77-yard pass from Kyler Murray against the Minnesota Vikings. He finished his rookie year with 54 catches for 435 yards. He started eight games in 2022 before going on injured reserve, and in 2023 he played all 17 games, catching 40 passes and setting career highs with 178 rushing yards.

Atlanta Falcons (2024): On March 14, 2024, Arizona traded him to Atlanta for quarterback Desmond Ridder. He was placed on season-ending injured reserve on August 8, 2024, after a knee injury in training camp.

Minnesota Vikings (2025): Minnesota signed him to a one-year, $2 million contract on March 19, 2025. On August 9, 2025, he suffered a season-ending knee injury while returning a punt in the preseason opener against the Houston Texans. It was his only snap for the Vikings.

His NFL career totals were 39 games, 23 starts, 135 receptions for 1,201 yards and three touchdowns, and 52 rushes for 249 yards and one touchdown.

Moore remained closely tied to New Albany throughout his career. In 2022 he returned home to host his first youth football camp, and his family said he took time to contribute to local football camps and helped the less fortunate through food drives for the homeless. He is survived by his parents, Quincy (Shirley) Ricketts and Ronald Moore, his sister Lazandra Shirley, his brothers Darnell Shirley and Ronald Moore, his nephew Trenton Terry, and many aunts, cousins and extended family members. His obituary did not list a spouse or children.

Moore was known for letting his play speak for him. As a Purdue freshman he told The Athletic that he never engaged in trash talk: "I don't waste my breath. I'm good on that. I just play football." After his record-setting debut, which ended in a loss, he said, "I would rather have the win than have all the yards." Coaches consistently described him as humble and without arrogance. Jeff Brohm said in 2018 that he had "no arrogance or cockiness to him."

Moore's 2018 season remains one of the great freshman campaigns in Purdue and Big Ten history. He became the first true freshman consensus All-American in the country since 2004, and his 313 all-purpose yards in his debut still stand as a program record. Coaches and teammates remembered him for his work ethic, his smile and his humility. His death at 25, after back-to-back season-ending knee injuries, prompted many current and former NFL players, including Jamal Adams, Darius Slay, Raheem Mostert and Hollywood Brown, to speak publicly about mental health, the pressure of injuries and the importance of checking in on friends and teammates.

Paul Hornung Award (2018), given to the most versatile player in college football. Paul Warfield Trophy (2018). Consensus All-American (2018), including first-team selections by the Associated Press as an all-purpose player and by the Football Writers Association of America. Big Ten Receiver of the Year (2018). Big Ten Freshman of the Year (2018). First-team All-Big Ten (2018). CBS Sports Freshman of the Year (2018). Big Ten Freshman of the Week four times in 2018. Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year (2017).

Moore was featured in national profiles during his freshman season, including pieces by The Athletic and Bleacher Report that called him the most exciting true freshman in the country. The Big Ten Network ranked his performance against Ohio State among the top Big Ten performances of 2018. The Arizona Cardinals published video of his 2021 draft call, and the team also featured him in its Game On series playing basketball. After his death, broadcasters and outlets including ESPN, NFL.com, CBS Sports, the Associated Press and local Louisville and Indianapolis stations covered his life and the tributes that followed.

Moore died on February 21, 2026, in New Albany, Indiana, at the age of 25. Emergency services were dispatched to a residence in New Albany at 5:27 p.m. Eastern time; he was found in the garage and was pronounced dead at Baptist Health Floyd Hospital at 6:05 p.m., according to Floyd County Coroner Matthew Tomlin. New Albany Police Chief Todd Bailey said the investigation determined he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. An autopsy was conducted on February 22. He was a member of the Minnesota Vikings at the time of his death.

Tributes came from the Cardinals, Falcons, Vikings and Purdue, from coaches Jeff Brohm and Kevin O'Connell, and from players including Kyler Murray, J.J. Watt, Russell Wilson, Maxx Crosby, James Conner, Michael Wilson and Hollywood Brown. More than 100 people attended a vigil and balloon release at Sam Peden Community Park in New Albany on March 1, 2026. Visitation was held on March 5 and his funeral on March 6, 2026, at Northside Christian Church in New Albany, followed by burial at Fairview Cemetery in New Albany.

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