Arni's Birthday Zoom: Purdue defensive end Warren "Ike" Moore
We celebrate birthday 45 (May 30, 2023) with former Purdue defensive end Warren “Ike” Moore. The Walmart executive took time out of his day to share some memories and thoughts of his remarkable career before, during and after his days at Purdue. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, who now lives with his wife and four daughters about 10 miles from Walmart’s headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, Moore has much to share about his memories of his Purdue experience, where he hailed from 1997-2000 getting significant time at defensive end in the era of Rosevelt Colvin, Chike Okeafor and Shaun Phillips.
“It was a great time to be a Boilermaker,” Moore said. “I learned a lot playing with those guys and I was so blessed to have two great position coaches in Randy Melvin and Gary Emanuel. I learned a lot by watching Coach (Joe) Tiller and how he empowered his assistants to do their job while building his team, and that is something I try to do today.”
Moore’s claim to fame as a Boilermaker came while he was on the sidelines moments after quarterback Drew Brees threw his fourth interception in the pivotal game with Ohio State on Oct. 28, 2000. In the Zoom interview, he details the “Fix it” story and how he couldn’t watch without saying something to Brees, who was off by himself after throwing the pick that looked to cost Purdue the game against the Buckeyes and a trip to the Rose Bowl. Thanks to Moore’s encouragement and Brees’ right arm (and Seth Morales’ catch too) Brees did fix it and the rest is Purdue football history.
Moore has spent 21 years at Walmart, the last six as a Vice President. As a Boilermaker, he is a graduate of Purdue’s rigorous PharmD program, a rare feat for student-athletes due to its six-year commitment. He also proudly supports Purdue’s Leroy Keyes’ legacy at the school.
“Leroy recruited me to Purdue, and has greatly impacted my life,” Moore said. “I owe him a lot.”
Moore and his wife have four daughters ranging from ages 10 to 25.
Recent Arni’s Birthday Zoom interviews of former Purdue athletes:
Other Arni’s Birthday Zoom links
Jane (Calhoun) Schott (5/5/2021)
Life of Eugene Parker (2/24/2022)
Lauren Mioton-Connor (4/20/2022)
