Derland Moore, a defensive tackle who spent 13 seasons in New Orleans and is a member of the Saints’ Hall of Fame, has died at the age of 68.
After initially enrolling at Oklahoma on a track scholarship, Moore walked onto the football team and became an All-American. Moore then went to the Saints with the 29th overall pick in the 1973 NFL draft. He had an excellent career in New Orleans, and the Saints chose him as one of the 50 best players in the first 50 years of franchise history.
“It was damn nice to be selected on the 50th team in New Orleans as the best of the best,” Moore said. “That was a damn nice feeling. There are some good guys involved in that. John Hill was part of that. John passed away a year ago. John and I actually lived together for three years, so we were close friends. To be a part of it with him and Archie Manning, Stan Brock, Tommy Myers, Rickey Jackson and the rest of those guys was special.”
Moore is survived by his wife, three children and six grandchildren.