Longtime AHS tennis coach retires ... this time, for real

ASHEBORO — Eight years ago, longtime Asheboro High School boys and girls tennis coach Jay Moore put in his resignation. He had retired from teaching, had already put in 10 years as an assistant tennis coach and 14 more as the head coach.

It was time. Until it wasn’t.

Moore received a call from the athletic director that November after the coach who took over elected to leave AHS. Moore was asked to return. He did and for the next eight years led the girls and boys tennis program at AHS.

Late last week, Moore, for a second time, informed AHS personnel he was going to resign and this time, he swears, it’s for good.

Moore has spent the past 32 years on the AHS tennis courts and the program has had some incredible seasons and incredible individual talent.

“I thought I was retiring eight years ago, but that didn’t work out the way I thought it would,” he said after officially retiring for a second time. “I loved the kids. That was the biggest part of it. The kids were great and they kept me young. When I first started that very first year, I had no idea it would last this long.”

Moore was an outstanding tennis player at AHS, where he graduated from in 1966. He is a member of the Asheboro Hall of Fame as both a player in football, tennis and as a tennis coach.

“His success on the court was matched only by the impact he made from the sidelines, guiding generations of athletes and building a program that reflects his passion, integrity and competitive spirit,” AHS Athletic Director Wes Berrier said in a statement. “The lessons he taught — hard work, sportsmanship, perseverance and teamwork — will continue to influence generations of Blue Comets. His commitment to the program and unwavering support of his players have made Asheboro tennis what it is today.”

Moore had to recruit kids from his classroom and in the hallways so AHS could field a complete team.

“I would tell them when they play football, basketball or baseball and leave high school, you probably played your last official game,” Moore said. “Tennis, you can play tennis for the rest of your life.”

After assisting Tom Lewis for 10 years, Moore took over in 2004. It wasn’t hard to see what Moore felt was most important when it came to AHS tennis.

“When you look at tennis as a sport, it’s an individual sport, but at the same time a team sport,” Moore said. “You need kids to buy into that. They are just not playing for themselves but for the team. Sometimes all they are worried about is their own record.”

Moore said it didn’t take him long to find out the difference in coaching girls and boys.

“I tell people girls cry and boys yell,” he said with a slight chuckle. “We actually had a match against Southwest Guilford and one of the girls lost a close match and we lost 5-4. I went looking for her and couldn’t find her. She was on the bus crying and we had to work through that.

“I have guys when they lose a match, there is a lot of frustration and they want to throw their racket and I tell them no,” Moore added. “You have dedication from both boys and girls, but girls seem to react differently. They are a whole lot easier on a long bus trip.”

With so many individuals and teams making their marks, Moore said he had plenty of great memories, but he thoroughly enjoyed coaching Austin Allen, who went on to play at East Carolina.

“He stands out as much as anyone,” Moore said. “Hardest working kid I think I have ever seen.”

Moore said the year after Allen graduated, his boys team traveled to South Iredell, which was undefeated, for the first round of the playoffs. The Blue Comets trailed 4-2 after singles play and swept the doubles competition to advance.

“That was one of the teams I was really proud of,” Moore said.

Moore, who taught Principles of Business, Business Law and Microsoft among other classes during his teaching career, said he had between six and eight kids go on to play collegiately and estimates the AHS programs had approximately 300 team wins while he was there.

“I am going to be honest, high school tennis has dropped off since I took over,” he said. “We are offering so many other things. We are offering sports that weren’t offered when I first started.”

The newest will be girls flag football, which will begin this spring, the same time frame as girls tennis.

As Berrier said in his statement about Moore, “While you will be greatly missed, your legacy will live on for years to come.”