On Novemeber 15th, 2014 Linfield linebacker Parker Moore was stabbed to death outside of a 7-11 in McMinnville Oregon following the Wildcats’ 59-0 win to clinch the conference championships.
Moore lost his life in a random act of violence and the Linfield Wildcats have since had to pick up the broken pieces left behind. In honor of Moore, his #35 jersey is awarded to an “upperclassman defender that best embodies Parker’s spirit and values.” For out more information on Linfield’s monument and jersey tradition, click here.
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The football team, playing in its first full season without Moore, has constant reminders of him. The No. 35, which hung inside Smith’s office this season, has been moved into the locker room. Little stickers honoring Moore have been slapped on helmets. The team takes Moore’s away jersey out to practice and plans to bring it to road games. Nearly everyone on the team, Smith said, has dog tags, which Faults and Chandler helped design.
On the front is the Linfield logo with the slogan, “Play for Moore,” underneath it. Below that, the No. 35. On the back, it has John 11:25, the Bible verse Moore’s mother picked out.
“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even if they die.”
“In football, you’re never just playing for yourself,” Chandler said, who was selected to don the number this season. “You’re not playing for the love of the game. You’re not playing to win. You’re playing for your brothers. We’re playing now for a brother that we love, and a brother that we lost. This is a lot more than just a game.”
(Video courtesy of catdomealumni)
