Baseball: Remembering Acadiana’s Mr. Baseball – Marion Lartique “Tigue” Moore – Field Dedication
Remembering Tigue Moore
Originally posted on 6/10/2014 by the Athletic Network.
ultoday.com Staff on Tue, 08/26/2008 – 06:41
Steve Moore is nephew of the late Marion Lartigue "Tigue" Moore, and works to continue much of the work to which Tigue dedicated his life.ultoday.com spoke with Steve to find out about the man for whom UL’s baseball park is named.
Tell us about Tigue Moore.
Most people who are my age or older will remember Tigue and his connection to the University. However, a lot of the younger people may not know who he was. Outside of the UL Baseball Field, there is a plaque honoring his memory. And of course, the field is named after him.
Tigue was a remarkable man. He served on the Lafayette Playground and Parks Commission for 22 years, and the 130 acre Moore Park north of I-10 was named for him. He served as President of the U(S)L Century Club, he won the Lafayette Civic Cup, and he was the second recipient of the Roberto Clemente Humanitarian Award. He won many other civic honors and awards.
Many people may not be aware that in its early years, Tigue also served as the first full-time Executive Director of the UL Foundation, entirely as a volunteer, for 12 years. He occupied an office in the old A. Hayes Town building in the University museum complex.
During his lifetime, he gave numerous scholarships and other assistance to UL, and to UL students. He also made planned gifts to benefit two universities: UL, and his alma mater The Citadel. Those gifts will be fulfilled at some point in the future.
At his funeral, so many people came up to me and told me things that Tigue had done, which the public never knew about. For example, once a UL administrator called Tigue to tell him that a student had run out of money. This was a non-athlete, and there was no way for him to finish out the term to graduate. Tigue gave the money. Nobody knew about this. That was the kind of person he was.
One person told me about a kid who couldn’t afford a baseball glove. So Tigue bought him a glove. He was always there in the event that someone needed something.
I remember Tigue not only as a civic leader, a supporter of athletics, and a philanthropist, but also as a family member. Many of my memories are of family dinners, visits to his home, and times that did not have anything to do with the things that most people associate him with. From a personal standpoint, he was a man of very few words, and could be somewhat intimidating to those who did not know him well.
Tigue had no children of his own, but he was an adoptive father to many, especially those who played baseball. He had a love of baseball that was reflected in his connections to the University, and to the American Legion baseball program in South Louisiana. He was instrumental in starting that program many years ago, and it flourishes today.
Acadiana Youth Baseball is the organization that funds and administers the AL baseball program. I took his place on the board of AYB when he passed away. We currently field 6 or 7 teams each year.
Tigue’s sister Jennie is a big Gamecocks fan. How did she take the loss in the 2000 Super Regional?
I spoke to her after the Cajuns beat USC several years ago, and were off to the CWS. Obviously, she was very disappointed that her Gamecocks had been beaten, but she knew her brother supported UL. So she had a succinct comment for the Cajuns: "Just beat Clemson."
And we did.
* * * * * * * * *
Athletic Network Footnote:
The above story was submitted to the AN by Roland Theriot.
Click below to view the story of the dedication of the Baseball field to M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field.
http://www.athleticnetwork.net/site.php?pageID=3608&newsID=15199
