Former Gophers two-sport standout and athletic director Tom Moe died on Sunday, Feb. 15. Moe, of Edina, was 87.
“We extend our deepest sympathies to the Moe family during this difficult time,” Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle said in a statement. “Tom was a tremendous man who cared deeply about the University and Gopher Athletics. He was the football team’s MVP, a baseball national champion, the athletic director and helped bring Gopher football back to campus. He was also able to watch his children and grandchildren compete for Minnesota and represent their University and state. Tom’s legacy, and that of the Moe family, is unmatched, and we will keep everyone in our thoughts.”
After a standout athletic career at Edina High School, Moe played football and baseball for the Gophers.
Moe was a three-year letterwinner in both baseball and football. He led the Gophers football team in receiving yards in 1958 and was named the team’s MVP in 1959. In baseball, he had a career batting average of .330 and was a member of the Gophers’ 1960 College World Series championship team.
Moe graduated in 1960 with a degree in economics and graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1963.
He joined the Twin Cities-based Dorsey & Whitney law firm, becoming partner in 1968. Moe became chairman of the Policy Committee and managing partner of the firm in 1989, and he served in those roles for 10 years. Under his leadership, the firm expanded and became the 25th-largest in the nation.
In December 1999, Moe was named interim director of the University of Minnesota’s men’s athletic department after the resignation of Mark Dienhart. In November 2000, Moe was named to the position permanently. He retired in 2002 after helping the University navigate the merger of the separate men’s and women’s athletic departments.
“The merger was something I felt strongly about,” Moe told the Star Tribune in April 2002, “and I think it’s something that’s going to serve our programs, men’s and women’s athletics, very positively in the future.”
