MAYVILLE, N.D.-Mike Moore arrived here in the spring of 1986 expecting Mayville to be a short stop up the ladder of college football coaching.
On Sunday, Moore will end 21 years affiliated with Mayville State University-a run twice interrupted by other ventures-when his resignation as the MSU athletic director, which he submitted in November, takes effect.
"Like any young coach, I had a goal of working at a higher level,'' the 57-year-old Moore said. "I figured I'd be here for a couple of years and move on. And here it is, 30-some years later and I am moving on.
"I've lived in Mayville since 1990. It's been good to me, a great place to raise a family. It still is good. It became my home.''
Moore, an Oklahoma native, first came to Mayville as football offensive coordinator after being a UND football graduate assistant. He stayed for two years, moved back to Oklahoma and got out of coaching for two seasons, then returned as the Comets' head football coach.
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He held that position for four seasons. When his contract wasn't renewed, Moore went into private business for nine years. His third go-around at the university came in 2003 when he was hired at the Mayville State University Alumni Foundation.
A year later, he was named athletic director, a position he's held since.
Moore said one of his biggest accomplishments as athletic director was getting full-time assistant coaches for the sports programs.
"I was really happy we were able to do that,'' he said. "That ties in with our roster sizes. We wanted full rosters on our teams. That's generated some revenue, and we've put some of that money into hiring full-time, benefited coaches.''
There also have been upgrades at Lewy Lee Fieldhouse, including a new weight room and coaches' offices, and a fund drive to put artificial turf on the football field. The six-year effort has raised approximately $550,000 and, Moore said, the turf could be in place for the 2018 season.
Moore also had to deal with changes as Mayville State went from the North Dakota College Athletic Conference to independent status to the current North Star Athletic Association.
Moore said the athletics program has grown. He estimates there were approximately 150 student-athletes on campus when he became athletic director; now there are approximately 250.
"Our biggest challenge moving forward is scholarship dollars,'' Moore said. "There is a lot of focus on that. It's a big need. Our scholarship money got a little bump from our booster club about three years ago. But we're certainly not keeping pace with increases in tuition.
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"Being at a small school, we have to be very efficient, very innovative. We don't have the economy that larger schools have. We're a small school in a small community. And there is a lot of competition for resources.''
Moore said he wasn't asked to leave. "I stepped down on my own.
"I'm creeping up on 60. The job demands a lot of your time, probably more so at a smaller college where you wear so many hats. I started thinking about this within the last year and a half. It just seemed like the right time. Maybe I'm a little busier than I want to be at this stage in my life.''
More hasn't ruled out staying in Mayville, or in the surrounding area. He has no set plans.
''Mayville has been good to me,'' Moore said. "It's been home. I have no regrets.''
