Herman Moore

Lore & Background

Moore graduated from George Washington High School in Danville, Virginia, in 1987. He was a three-sport athlete, excelling in basketball, football, and track and field. He attended and graduated from the University of Virginia, where he was a two-sport athlete. He ranks third all-time in career receptions, behind Olamide Zaccheaus and Billy McMullen, and held the school record in the high jump for 30 years until it was broken in 2020. Moore's college jersey number was 87. He ranks second in Cavaliers history in career receiving yards with 2,504 and ranks first in receiving yards in a season with 1,190 yards (on 54 catches) set in 1990. The year before he had 848 yards on just 36 catches. He also scored 10 touchdowns in 1989 and followed that up with 13 in 1990. On January 14, 2026, Moore was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Moore was the Detroit Lions' first-round draft pick in 1991 and went on to shatter virtually all of Detroit's receiving records. He started his career in 1991 with limited time, as he caught just eleven passes for 135 yards; he had apparently neglected to tell the Lions that he had worn contact lenses while in college to see, for which he had decided to not wear in the pros. At any rate, an eye check helped reveal the problem, which was soon fixed. He eventually became a key part of the team's run to the playoffs, as the Lions won the NFC Central title for the first time since 1983. In the divisional-round game against the Dallas Cowboys, Moore caught six passes for 87 yards with a touchdown (thrown by Erik Kramer) as the Lions prevailed 38–6 to win their first playoff game since 1957. In the NFC Championship Game against Washington, he caught four passes for 69 yards in the 41–10 loss. He started the first week of the subsequent season and caught eight passes for 82 yards before being put on injured reserve for the next four weeks. In his return against the Minnesota Vikings, he caught his first regular season touchdown pass, doing so in the fourth quarter from Erik Kramer in a 31–14 loss. He caught 51 passes for 966 yards with four touchdowns in twelve games. The next year, he caught 61 passes in 15 games with 935 yards and six touchdowns as the Lions won the NFC Central once again. In the Wild Card game, he caught one pass for 20 yards in the loss.

Reader's Guide

Herman Moore is a former Detroit Lions wide receiver who played 12 NFL seasons. He ranks third all-time in career receptions at Virginia (behind Olamide Zaccheaus and Billy McMullen) and second in career receiving yards (2,504). His 1,190 receiving yards in 1990 is the single-season record at Virginia according to the source. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on January 14, 2026.

Did You Know?

• Moore and Brett Perriman became the first teammates in NFL history with more than 100 receptions in the same season (1995).
• Moore set an NFL record with 123 receptions in 1995.
• He was inducted into both the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.