BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Former Valdosta State football student-athlete Kenny Moore II was name to the 2023 Gulf South Conference Hall of Fame, announced Monday by the league office.
Moore II former VSU softball standout Courtney Albritton Carter were the only student-athletes inducted in this year's class, along with former Alabama Huntsville men's basketball coach Lennie Acuff, former University of West Florida President Dr. Judy Bense, former Jacksonville State head football coach Bill Burgess and longtime GSC basketball official John Caldwell complete the class.
"For more than 50 years, the Gulf South Conference has cultivated a tradition of excellence not just on the field or courts, but also in the classroom and community as well," said GSC Commissioner Matt Wilson in the official release from the GSC. "This blockbuster Hall of Fame class is a strong portrayal of what our conference stands for and is a great representation of our motto—Compete. Graduate. Impact."
This is the conference's ninth class enshrined since the Hall of Fame's inception in 2014. Honorees will be celebrated on Wednesday, May 31 at 5:30 pm CT at the Hilton Pensacola Beach Hotel in Pensacola, Fla. Information regarding tickets will be released prior the event. The ceremony will also be live streamed through GSC's Facebook Page.
This marks the fifth-straight year a Blazer has been inducted into the Hall of Fame with Marti Littlefield in 2018, Dusty Bonner in 2019, Morgan Faulk in 2020, Baird in 2022 and now Moore II in 2023. There wasn't a GSC Hall of Fame in 2021 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Former VSU baseball coach Tommy Thomas was inducted in 2015 and former Blazer quarterback and head coach Chris Hatcher was inducted in the inaugural class in 2014.
Moore II earned GSC All-Decade honors after a standout out career with the Blazers on the gridiron. He earned American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) All-America accolades in 2016 becoming the 13th Blazer to do so, while he earned first team all-league honors, first team all-region honors and USA Today Second Team All-America during his first three seasons for the red and black.
As a senior, he switched positions to safety earning first team all-league, second team all-region and AFCA All-America honors, while being named to the 2016 GSC Fall Academic Team. For his career, he played in 46 games with 117 solo tackles and 54 assisted stops for 171 total tackles, while registering 8.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. He ended his career with 11 interceptions for fifth-most in school history and scored two touchdowns.
Moore II helped lead VSU to a 33-13 record overall and a 19-9 mark in the GSC, including three playoff appearances and a quarterfinal appearance in 2014. He played in every game for the Blazers in his first two seasons in 2013 and 2014, and by 2015 he established himself as one of the top defensive backs in the GSC. He joined the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) for VSU as a sophomore and served as a representative for two-and-a-half years, while representing VSU at the GSC Summer SAAC Meeting in Birmingham, Ala., and also serving as a member of the SAAC Executive Council as a senior.
Following the completion of his VSU playing career, he signed a free agent contract the New England Patriots in 2017 and then signed with the Indianapolis Colts where he has played since. In 2018, he earned a spot as a starting cornerback for the Colts and has been a constant in the Colts' secondary since.
One of the most outstanding achievements of his professional football career was he was named the Colts' 2021 nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year, which is the highest individual honor in the NFL. He was named a team captain for the Colts in 2022 and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2021 after being one of two defensive backs to record 100 tackles and at least ten passes defended.
Off the field, Moore II is a board member of "A Kid Again", a charity organization that gives children facing life-threatening illnesses the opportunity to feel "normal" again through positive experiences and memories. In 2021, he established his own nonprofit, Love One, existing to instill confidence in children through new clothing, companionship and providing other essential needs in both Valdosta and Indianapolis, while also hosting a "Day of Love" Community in Valdosta for a couple of years prior to COVID at the Valdosta Boys and Girls Club.
He anticipates graduating from VSU with a bachelor's degree this May as he is majoring in organizational leadership with minors in political science and public administration.
