Military mindset helps linebacker in life, on field

Old habits are hard to break for junior Josh Moore. The Hamden, Conn., native is starting at linebacker for IU. But for Moore it has been a long road to the gridiron of the Big Ten. \nHe spent his first two years at Valley Forge Military Academy.\nMoore said he's carried over the character traits he learned in the military to his everyday life. He still keeps his room clean. He still makes his bed in the military style. \n"It's a habit," Moore said. "You get good habits when you're in the military. I chose to stay with it. Even though I'm not there now I try to keep the same mindset."\nAnd Moore has achieved that goal so far in emerging as a leader and big-play man on a young Hoosier defense. Moore is tied for the team lead in total tackles with 43, sharing the lead with linebacking mate, sophomore Kyle Killion.\nBut Moore's senior year of high school wasn't as rosy. Moore was denied clearance by the NCAA Clearinghouse for an English and a math course that were not on the Clearinghouse's list of approved courses. That ruling dropped Moore's core GPA from a 2.3 to below the necessary 2.0. Moore had the SAT score he needed. But overnight the 6-1, 210 pounder went from evaluating Division I schools to looking at possible junior colleges.\nMoore chose Valley Forge.\n"I really needed the discipline," Moore said. "So it helped me out in the long run."\nWhen Moore arrived at Valley Forge, he underwent an eight-week plebe system. While Moore was a plebe, he couldn't watch television, talk on the telephone or surf the Internet. \nMoore said he was cut off from the outside world.\n"That was basically to get your mindset to try to change you to a strong young man," Moore said.\nMoore did change -- he performed well academically in his first year. And following that performance, the academy asked Moore to become a master sergeant, the second-highest rank in a platoon besides the lieutenant.\nThe master sergeant is accountable for everybody in the platoon, according to Moore. There are four platoons in a company, and the companies at Valley Forge consisted of about 200 cadets.\nMoore was in charge of between 45 to 50 cadets in his platoon.\n"I was responsible for where they were at all times of the day," Moore said. "I had to make sure they got to their classes on top of doing my own work plus football. It was pretty tough, but it helped me as far as leadership skills and communication."\nMoore said that his leadership skills were one of the main reasons that coach Gerry DiNardo recruited him. Moore chose IU over Big Ten rivals Michigan State and Wisconsin along with several other Division I-A schools.\nDefensive coordinator Tim Kish also knows a little something about military academies. Kish coached at Army from 1984 to 1991.\nKish said he reminds Moore of his background from time to time.\n"I refer to it a lot when he's undisciplined and when he does things out on the field that I couldn't believe he would do," Kish said. "I was in a military academy too, so I can relate a little bit."\nOne player who has definitely seen Moore's military style is junior Kevin Smith. Smith first met Moore when he was his host on Moore's official visit to IU during the recruiting process.\nBut Smith didn't fully see Moore's military academy lifestyle carry over until he roomed with Moore during fall camp.\nSmith said it started right away with Moore, who used to rise every morning at 5:15.\n"The funny thing is the first couple of days he would be up way before we were supposed to be, studying his playbook," Smith said. "He made up his bed all the time military style. It was kind of weird."\nMoore, who also lists making music and comic book card collecting as personal hobbies, said he wouldn't be donning number 13 today for the Hoosiers if it weren't for Valley Forge, even though it was an all male school.\n"It was kind of good because you could focus, and you didn't have any distractions as far as the classroom," Moore said. "But then the downside was there was no females. As far as academics, it got me here so I wouldn't trade it for the world."\n-- Contact staff writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.