Athletic Insider Interview Series: Dan Moore

Few teams on campus have had the success of Geneseo’s cross country teams over the past three decades; they have claimed the SUNYAC Championship every season since 2015, and that is not a coincidence. In August of that same year, Dan Moore took the reins as Geneseo’s new cross-country head coach.

Moore was not a cross-country star in high school; in fact, he wasn’t even a participant. Soccer, wrestling, and track were his forte in his younger years, but soccer was the main focus of his athletic pursuits. In 2002, Moore attended SUNY Geneseo as a psychology major and joined the cross-country team, along with both indoor and outdoor track. Upon his graduation, he attended Alfred University where he first gained coaching experience. Moore found work in psychology, but eventually discovered that coaching was his true passion.

“I would wait for the workday to be over so I could coach,” he said.

 In 2011, Moore received an offer for an assistant coaching position at Geneseo that would completely restructure his career. He would fulfill that role until 2013, before a brief stint at St. John Fisher University. After only one year with the Cardinals, Moore would return to Geneseo as an assistant coach for one last season. 

With three years of experience as an assistant coach for the Knights, it only seemed fitting that Moore would take over the position upon the retirement of former coach Mike Woods. With well over two dozen SUNYAC Championships, Woods made himself a legend in the Geneseo community. Several of those championships were during the years Moore ran for the Knights. “He played an integral part in my development and passion as a runner,” said Moore. “Woodsie,” as Moore referred to his past coach, proved to be a mentor, friend, and colleague for Moore and set up the program for decades of success.

After years in the position, there are things that Moore has picked up on and has incorporated into his daily schedule as a coach.

“Cross country is an individual sport, and you need to be aware of athletes learning and developing differently,” said Moore.

The differences in each student-athlete make it hard to push everyone to their fullest potential without pushing some too far, but Moore’s knowledge of psychology allows him to further understand the mental process of his athletes.

With over 20 years as a member of the Geneseo community, as a student and coach, Moore has seen significant strides made within the athletics department. Between facility upgrades and unparalleled achievements, the Knights have grown tremendously to become a dominant force in both the SUNYAC conference and Division III. He looks forward to future successes and upgrades, hopefully including a track renovation, given the successes of both cross country as well as track and field.

Along with cross country, Moore also coaches track as an assistant, alongside head coach Chris Popovici. Together, they ran for the Knights in the early 2000s and were inspired by their great coach mentioned prior. Between the two of them, they have accumulated countless SUNYAC titles and memories that will never be forgotten. Dan Moore has certainly left a significant impact on both the athletics department and the Geneseo community as a whole during his time here so far.