Zeke Moore

Ezekiel "Zeke" Moore was born on 2 December 1943 in Tuskegee, Alabama. At Booker T. Washington High School he played football, baseball and basketball and ran track, earning All-State and All-District basketball honors and captaining the football team as a senior. At Lincoln University (Missouri) from 1963 to 1966 he played halfback, defensive back, kickoff returner and punt returner. In 1964 he scored 10 touchdowns, rushed for 308 yards on 44 carries (7.0 average), averaged about 30 yards on punt returns, and returned an interception 101 yards against Arkansas AM&N. Injured through much of 1965, he returned as co-captain in 1966 with six interceptions in nine games and a 75-yard kickoff return touchdown against Kentucky State.

Houston drafted Moore in the fifth round in 1967. As a rookie he mainly returned kicks and punts: 14 kickoffs for 405 yards (28.9 average) including a 92-yard touchdown against Kansas City, plus key punt returns in an upset of Buffalo. The Oilers won the AFL East and lost the AFL Championship to Oakland. After a backup year in 1968, Moore became a starting cornerback in 1969 (four interceptions, including a 51-yard touchdown return against Joe Namath) and made the AFL All-Star team. In 1970 he started all 14 games, led the Oilers with six interceptions and earned a Pro Bowl berth. He remained a fixture through 1977 despite a broken arm that limited him in 1972, finishing with 24 interceptions, 8 fumble recoveries and 4 touchdowns across 145 games (102 starts). The Oilers released him in August 1978.

Moore was known for punishing hits in an era that celebrated physical corner play. In 1973 he spoke about letters from commissioner Pete Rozelle after especially rough collisions, including a $300 fine after a hit on Hall of Famer Paul Warfield. A 1974 Houston Post profile described him as soft-spoken and polite off the field and a different character on Sundays. Fans later chose him for the Oilers 30th Anniversary Dream Team in 1989, affirming his place among the franchise's most impactful defensive backs.

Moore remained in Houston after football. He served five years as a Houston Texans ambassador, connecting the Oilers era to the city's NFL present. Public biographies also describe him as president of the Townwood Homeowners Association and a Texas registered peace officer. Lincoln University inducted him into its Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011. After his death, Houston voices including Ralph Cooper recalled a player who mentored countless teammates and community members on and off the field.

Moore died on 22 September 2026 at the age of 82. The Houston Chronicle's Matt Young and national outlets including The Big Lead reported the news on 23 September. He had long made Houston his home. No cause of death was publicly disclosed. Tributes emphasized both his All-Star / Pro Bowl peak and his decades of presence in Houston football life after his playing career ended.