Derby’s Sherrone Moore goes viral after leading Michigan to top-10 win at Penn State

A football coach from Derby, Kansas is going viral after stepping into the college football spotlight on Saturday.

All eyes were on No. 3-ranked Michigan this weekend after head coach Jim Harbaugh was suspended three games by the Big Ten amid an ongoing NCAA investigation into alleged sign-stealing and unable to coach the Wolverines in a top-10 matchup at No. 10 Penn State.

Enter Sherrone Moore, a 2004 Derby High School graduate and Michigan offensive coordinator, who served as acting head coach on Saturday and led Michigan to a 24-15 victory to improve to 10-0 this season and keep its hopes of a national championship alive.

Afterward, Moore gave an emotional interview on the field to FOX reporter Jenny Taft that quickly went viral on social media.

“I want to thank Coach Harbaugh,” Moore said with tears streaking down his face. “(Expletive) love you, man. Love the (expletive) out of you, man. I did this for you! For the university, our president, our AD. We’ve got the best players, the best university, the best alumni in the country. Love you guys!”

Moore was a standout football and basketball player at Derby from 2000-04 before a successful college football career that saw him play two years at Butler Community College and finish at Oklahoma, where he was a two-year starter and played in two BCS Bowl games.

Nearly two decades removed from his time in Derby, Moore still keeps up-to-date with his high school roots. His parents still live in Derby and he was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame earlier this year.

“Talk about a guy that is so deserving of the moment,” Derby football coach Brandon Clark said. “Sherrone is one of the nicest human beings int he world. He does everything right. He lives his life the right way, he coaches the right way. He genuinely cares about everybody who he comes into contact with. He’s just an amazing person.”

The 37-year-old has been coaching at the NCAA Division I level since 2009 when he began a five-year stint with Louisville. From there, he moved on to coach tight ends at Central Michigan from 2014-17 before being hired as the Michigan tight ends coach in 2018. He was promoted to co-offensive coordinator in 2021 and has been serving as the sole offensive coordinator this season.