Mewelde Moore

Mewelde Moore

Mewelde Moore as a running back at Tulane
Minnesota Vikings
Career information
College:	Tulane
NFL draft:	2004 / round: 4 / pick: 119
Career history
Minnesota Vikings (2004-present)
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Mewelde Jaem Cadere Moore (born July 24, 1982 in Hammond, Louisiana) is an American football running back and punt returner for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. .

College career

Moore is only the 2nd player in NCAA history to rush for 4,000 yards and have 2,000 yards receiving in a career, joining former Viking Darrin Nelson (Stanford). Moore ranks 11th in Division I history in all-purpose yards with 6,505 yards. He ran for 100+ yards in 22 games to set Tulane and Conference USA records. His 36 career TDs rank 2nd in Tulane and C-USA history. Moore ran for 1,138 yards as a junior and 1,421 as a sophomore, respectively, to set Tulane’s single-season rushing record. Moore was also, drafted in the 4th round of the 2000 Major League Baseball draft by the San Diego Padres. He spent 3 summers in the organization while in college.

2000

In 2000, Moore was named C-USA's Freshman of the Year. He was also a Freshman All-America choice by The Sporting News and Football News. More started 7 of the 10 games he played in on the season. He hauled in a 74-yard scoring pass against Army. Posted a season-high 131 rushing yards and had 56 receiving yards against East Carolina. He carried the ball for 114 yards against Cincinnati. He also had 100-yards rushing against Memphis and Southern Methodist.

2001

In 2001, Moore was named 1st-Team All-C-USA. He also set Tulane single-season rushing record with 1,421 yards. He broke the 100-yard rushing mark 7 times during the season. Moore also set school record with 249 rushing yards on 28 attempts, breaking the old mark by 2 yards that had stood since 1970 by David Abercrombie while hauling in 6 passes for 87 yards. He became the 1st Tulane player to break the 100-yard mark in rushing and receiving, in a game against Navy with 131 rushing yards and 130 receiving. Moore also ran for 201 yards and had 70 yards receiving against Southern. He had a career-best 168 receiving yards with TDs of 32 and 40 yards along with 80 rushing yards and a TD against Army.

2002

In 2002, Moore, once again, was named to the All-C-USA team by The Sporting News. Moore became only the 2nd player in Tulane history to run for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons, joining Eddie Price in 1948-49. Led the team in rushing and receiving. He averaged 129.5 all-purpose yards per game for the season. He scored a pair of ground TDs and caught a TD pass against East Carolina. He also ran for season-high 147 yards against Southern. Moore carried the ball 32 times for 136 yards and had 5 catches for 58 yards against Southern Mississippi. He caught a 47-yard TD pass against TCU. Moore ran for 116 yards on 30 carries and had 6 receptions for 80 yards against Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl.

2003

In 2003, Moore earned 1st-Team C-USA honors. He was named to Doak Walker and Walter Camp Award watch lists honoring the top RB and player in college football. Moore started the first 9 games of the season but missed the final 3 with broken hand that required surgery. He ranked 2nd in C-USA with a 101.0 rushing average per game and 147.0 all-purpose yards per game. Moore ran for 100 yards and had 116 receiving yards against Northwestern State, scoring on passes of 32, 28 and 23 yards. He also, posted 114 rushing yards against Texas and had TD runs of 6 and 32 yards. Also, he ran for season-best 159 yards against Memphis. Moore had 123 yards on the ground and a 25 yard TD against Louisville. Moore recorded 115 yards rushing and 55 receiving against Army before suffering season-ending broken hand.

NFL career

He was selected with the 23rd pick of the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft out of Tulane University.

2004

Moore played in 10 games with 3 starts and finished 3rd on the team with 379 yards rushing… Had 27 receptions for 238 yards. He finished 2nd on the team with 20 kickoff returns for 386 yards averaging(19.3 yards per return. He also ran for a season-best 138 yards on a season-high 20 carries against the Tennessee Titans and had 5 receptions for 30 yards. He also earned Pepsi Rookie of the Week honors for his performance. He had 92 rushing yards in Houston against the Texans in his first career start, the 3rd-best in team history for a player making their 1st start. He set a team rookie record with 12 catches at Houston, which also tied him for 2nd in team history by a RB. Moore had his 1st career 100-yard rushing day in his return to his collegiate stadium at the Saints, with 109 yards on 15 carries. Also, he caught 7 passes for 78 yards to end the day with a career-high 187 yards of offense. Moore missed games at the Colts, at the Packers, against the Lions, the Jaguars, and at the Bears with an ankle sprain. Moore was inactive for game against Chicago. He appeared in both of Vikings’ playoff games. Moore caught 2 passes for 20 yards and returned a pair of kickoffs for 71 yards in Divisional Playoff game at the Eagles. Returned 3 kickoffs for 36 yards in Wild Card game at Green Bay.

2005

In 2005, Moore enjoyed a breakout year of production as a rusher, receiver and return man. He was the only player in the NFL to score by rush, reception and punt return in 2005. He became only the 2nd Viking to score a rushing, receiving and punt return TD, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer Hugh McElhenny in 1961. Moore posted the 9th punt return TD in Vikings history with a 71-yard TD at the New York Giants in the Vikings win. The 71-yard punt return TD was the 6th longest punt return TD in team history and 8th-long overall punt return. Moore was part of an NFL-record setting day in Giants Stadium as he joined Koren Robinson (kickoff return TD) and Darren Sharper (INT return TD) to become the only team in NFL history to score all 3 ways in a game. Moore ranked 2nd in the NFC and 3rd in the NFL with an 11.7 yard average on punt returns. Moores 11.7 average was the 4th-best in Vikings history. Moore became the highest-ranked Vikings punt returner (3rd in NFL) since 1997 when David Palmer was 3rd in the League. Moore led team in rushing (662 yards), punt returns (245 yards) and was 3rd on team in receptions (37). Moore broke the 100-yard rushing mark twice on the season with 101 vs. New Orleans and 122 at Green Bay. The 122 yards at Green Bay on Monday Night Football made him the 4th Vikings RB to break 100 yards on Monday Night. Moore was honored along with cornerback Dovonte Edwards for the Monday Night Green Bay game by being put on ABCs “Horse Trailer”. Moore scored his 1st NFL TD vs. Green Bay as part of a 2nd-half comeback, catching a 14-yard pass from Daunte Culpepper that put the Vikings up 20-17 after trailing 0-17 at halftime. Moore's TD with 3:10 left in the game gave the Vikings the lead in the contest before future Viking Ryan Longwell hit a 39-yard FG with :24 to play for a 20-17 Green Bay lead before Vikings kicker Paul Edinger connected on a team-record 56-yard field goal as time expired for a 23-20 win. Moore scored his 1st rushing TD in Carolina on a short 4-yard rush. He scored his 2nd receiving TD of his career in season finale vs. Chicago on a 7-yard pass from Brad Johnson.

2006

In 2006, Moore led the team with a 10.1 punt return average and tied for 2nd on the team with a career-high 46 receptions. Moored ranked 4th in the NFC in punt return average. He joined Nate Burleson as the only Vikings in team history to return a punt for a TD on in Monday Night game with his 71-yard return against the Patriots. With the return Moore joined David Palmer to become only the 2nd player in franchise history with two career punt return TDs. He also threw the 7th TD by a RB in team history when he hit TE Jermaine Wiggins on a halfback pass at the Seahawks for a 15-yard TD. The TD pass marked the 2nd time on the season that the Vikings scored on a pass by a non-QB (K Ryan Longwell to TE Richard Owens vs. Carolina), which tied the team record set in 1984 when RB Alfred Anderson threw two TD passes. Moore also returned a punt 40 yards against the Seahawks. Moore caught the Vikings’ two longest passes on the season, both 50-yarders, one from Brooks Bollinger vs. New England and the other from Tarvaris Jackson vs. the Rams. Moore posted the 2nd-longest punt return in team history in a season opener with his 20-yard return at the Redskins during a Monday Night game. Moore led team with 5 receptions for 57 yards vs. Green Bay. He also, tied team high with 5 receptions vs. the Jets and scored his 1st receiving TD of the season, catching Tarvaris Jackson’s 1st career TD pass on a 35-yard screen pass.

Professional accomplishments

• Holds Vikings record with a 10.5-yard career punt return average.
• One of only two players in team history (David Palmer) to have 2 career punt return TDs.
• Owns 2 of the 10 longest punt returns in team history with his pair of 71-yard TDs.
• The Vikings are 4-0 in games when Moore runs for 100+ yards.
• Ranks tied with Herschel Walker for 10th place in Vikings history with 4 career 100- yard rushing games.
• Along with Koren Robinson, who had a kickoff return TD at N.Y. Giants (11/13/05), marked only the 2nd time in team history posted a punt return and kickoff return TD in the same game, the other occurring in 1999 at Kansas City when Robert Tate (KOR) and Randy Moss (PR) accomplished the feat.
• Set a Vikings’ record with 610 combined net yards in a 3-game span in 2004 (at Houston, at New Orleans, vs. Tennessee), topping the old mark of 573 set by Chuck Foreman in 1976.
• Joined Onterrio Smith as the only Viking rookies in team history to rush for consecutive 100-yard games (at New Orleans, vs. Tennessee) in 2004.
• Was the 1st RB selected from Tulane by the Vikings since taking Tommy Mason #1 overall in the 1961 inaugural draft, the 1st player ever drafted by the team.

National Football League Combine

• Height - 5'11"
• Weight - 209 pounds
• 40 yard dash - 4.63 seconds
• Benchpress - 335 pounds
• Squat - 405 pounds
• Power clean - 305 pounds

Personal

Moore took 24 credits in spring 2004 so he could graduate on time with a double major in Finance and Accounting. Moore is active in the Twin Cities community with the National Football Foundation, United Way, and Memorial Blood Center. Moore was a recipient of the Community Service Award for Business Ethics at the Tulane Council of Entrepreneurs and Business School Council Awards Gala in spring 2003. Moore was a member of the National Honor Society at Belaire High School in Baton Rouge. He also supports youth education through his Mewelde Moore Knowledge First Foundation. He married to his wife Tymeka.