Beamer’s latest hire, character coach, known nationally for inspirational speeches
If South Carolina football is ever in need of a fiery, emotional speech to rally the team together, Shane Beamer will now know where to look.
Motivational speaker and chaplain Derrick Moore has joined the Gamecocks’ staff in an off-field role, the team announced on its Twitter page.
Moore’s title will be Executive Director of Character and Player Development, according to a school spokesperson. The skills he brings to the table are obvious — Moore has developed a reputation for delivering powerful, inspiring monologues that have lit up social media. He has worked with Georgia Tech, Ohio State and the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons to narrate videos.
South Carolina fans got their first taste of that Wednesday, when the team’s official social media accounts put out a video of him speaking to players, saying in part that “success begins with a person’s will. It’s all in their state of mind.”
Moore comes to USC after two decades at Georgia Tech, where he started on the staff of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes before becoming Director of Character Development for the football program. He has also worked as a keynote speaker, delivering speeches for corporate events hosted by FedEx, Coca-Cola, the DEA, WellStar Health Systems and Chick-fil-A.
His background, though, is on the field — Moore played running back for three seasons in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers and the Detroit Lions after playing college ball at Northeastern State, where he set the NAIA rushing record in 1991. He also coached running backs and special teams at Morehead State for three years.
Also on Wednesday, USC announced Shaq Wilson will join Beamer’s staff as a defensive analyst. Wilson played for the Gamecocks from 2008 to 2012 as a linebacker, leading the team in tackles twice and getting named a team captain his senior year. He then joined the program as a graduate assistant before taking on roles as an assistant recruiting coordinator and quality control analyst at different points.
Most recently, Wilson was at Tennessee, working alongside another former Gamecock in Byron Jerideau on the strength and conditioning staff. Jerideau came back to South Carolina around a week ago, taking an assistant strength coach position.
This story was originally published January 20, 2021 at 3:13 PM.
