by Jeff BenjaminOriginally posted on May 8, 2022
Reposted on July 19, 2022
Kenny Moore died on May 4, 2022. The two-time Olympian and long-time journalist built a career based on honesty and authenticity. His coverage of the sport and of the athletes who inhabit our sport was built on his experiences as an athlete.
Kenny Moore ran the marathon in Mexico in 1968. Jack Bacheler ran the 5000m. In 1972, the US team in the marathon was Frank Shorter, Kenny Moore, and Jack Bacheler, with Shorter taking gold, Moore in 4th, and Bacheler in 9th.
This memory was provided by Jack Bachelor, Kenny Moore’s teammate on both the 1968 & 1972 Olympic teams. We thank Jack for his comments and thoughts.
Remembering Kenny Moore – 1st In A Series, from Jack Bacheler
By Jeff Benjamin
“I got the call from Frank Shorter in the early evening on May 4. Our friend and 1972 marathon teammate Kenny Moore had died that morning at 7 a.m. Hawaiian time. Though not unexpected (Kenny’s passing was a matter of when not if), the reality of his departure is difficult to comprehend.
Kenny introduced himself to me during the 1964 NCAA Championships by kicking my ass in the steeplechase (his third race), thereby qualifying for the Olympic Trials on Randall’s Island, NY. One wonders if and how much his 9:29, 14th place steeplechase performance in the Trials there may have contributed to Kenny’s competitive fire that burned so bright at the next two Olympic Trials and Games. He was one tough competitor. As friends and teammates between 1968 and ’72, our correspondence presented a dilemma. How does one return letters from John Steinbeck?
My wife and I had the fortune of spending a wonderful day with Kenny, Frank, and his wife, Michelle, following the 50th Reunion of the 1968 Olympic Team in Colorado Springs almost four years ago. (In case you’re wondering, Frank attended as Kenny’s ‘date’.) Of all the videos and reminiscing during the last night’s gala banquet, it was Kenny Moore who gave the closing remarks. Who else? His still-available, poignant, moving address should be required reading. Although Kenny’s decline was apparent in his motor control and speech by that time, he was all in and all smiles for a walk through some red rock trails near the Garden of the Gods and along a section of downtown Colorado Springs. Of course, we stopped at a bookstore, where the always-modest Kenny asked us which book WE would recommend that HE read! We ended the day at a great Mexican restaurant. It seemed like 1972.
It’s been gratifying to read the outpouring of love and affection for this remarkable individual. Our condolences go out to his loving wife, Connie. By any definition, Kenny Moore’s was a life well-lived.”
