West Virginia native and Marshall Univesity Alum, Randy Moss, received an early birthday present this year. His birthday is February 13 and he was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. Moss, grew up in Rand which is in the backyard of where he attended high school. He went to school at DuPont High School, home of the Panthers. DuPont is where he started gaining media attention. Moss played football, basketball, baseball, and track.
Moss signed an intent to play letter for Notre Dame in 1995. The letter was later dismissed and he found himself playing at Florida State. Moss was released from Florida's football program and found himself closer to home. He found himself playing for none other than Marshall. Moss found great success at Marshall. In '96 he set records while playing for The Herd. He set records for: most games with a touchdown catch in a season, most consecutive games with a touchdown catch, most touchdown passes caught by a freshman in a season, and most receiving yards gained by a freshman in a season. He helped lead The Herd to an undefeated season and Division I-AA title in the school's final season of being in the division. 1997 was Marshall's first season in Division I-A and Moss helped lead the team to win the Mid-Atlantic Conference title.
Moss entered the NFL Draft in 1998. He was the 21st pick of the first round. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings. As a rookie, he was named NFL Rookie of the Year and a Pro Bowl Starter. The Vikings brought Moss great success and he was the league's leader in touchdowns in both 2000 and '03. Moss traded to the Oakland Raiders in 2005. In 2007 he traded again, this time to the New England Patriots. In October 2010 he traded back to the Vikings, yet he was there only a month until he went to the Tennesse Titans. Moss set out of the 2011 season and then signed a 1-year contract with the San Fransico 49ers. Moss officially retired in 2012.
Aside from his busy career, Moss has remained prominent in his home community and his alma mater. He never forgot where he came from. I attended the middle school that is DuPont. I have met Moss, I have seen the impact he has made. He remained friends with the school's faculty, most well-known was the custodian Big Mike. He purchases uniforms and supplies for the DuPont Middle School football team. He purchases school and sports supplies for the children in the area. He also buys turkeys around the holidays to give to families to ensure that they have something for the holidays.
Randy Moss deserves to be in the NFL Hall of Fame. His community, alma mater, fans, and state are extremely proud of him. Congrats Moss!!
