Travis Moore is returning to his old stomping grounds, albeit at a newer stadium.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ newly hired receivers coach spent three seasons (2003-05) as a pass-catcher with the CFL team, which at the time played at Taylor Field.
Moore experienced new Mosaic Stadium last season when he was on the staff of the Ottawa Redblacks, but he’ll have a different view in 2018 — and it’ll definitely be different from the view he had during his playing career.
“When I first got there this past year with Ottawa, I was in awe,” the 47-year-old Moore says from his home in Wilmington, N.C. “From the first time that I walked into the old stadium — when they were watering the field to keep the sand down — to what it is now, I’m speechless.”
Moore spent 11 seasons as a receiver in the CFL. He’s perhaps best known for his eight-year stint with the Calgary Stampeders (1994, 1996-2002), for whom he exceeded 1,000 yards four times. He was named a West Division all-star and a CFL all-star three times (1999-2001).
The product of Ball State University joined the Roughriders in 2003 and, in 41 games over the next three seasons, caught 175 passes for 2,394 yards with 22 touchdowns. 
“The fans are what you remember most about (that time with the Roughriders) — the support that you have from the city and from Saskatchewan,” Moore said. “You can’t even describe it.
“Everywhere you go, you’re going to see Saskatchewan fans and the loyalty that they have for their team. When you have that kind of commitment from the fans and the organization, that’s someplace where you can see yourself growing.”
Moore has coached in the CFL since 2009, when he was the running backs coach for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Stints as the receivers coach with the B.C. Lions (2010-12), Edmonton Eskimos (2013) and Redblacks (2014-17) have followed.
He won Grey Cup rings as a player with Calgary in 1998 and 2001 and as a coach with B.C. in 2011 and Ottawa in 2016.
The Redblacks didn’t retain Moore after the 2017 season, giving Saskatchewan — which saw receivers coach Markus Howell join the Lions this off-season — an opportunity to land another experienced assistant.
“You look at (Moore’s) 1,000-yard receivers and the different personalities that he has coached, like Adarius Bowman and those types of guys,” said Roughriders head coach-GM Chris Jones. “He has had some really, really good ones and a lot of his receivers have put up 1,000 yards. And they block as good as anybody.”
As a coach, Moore has worked with the likes of Geroy Simon and Emmanuel Arceneaux in B.C., Bowman and Fred Stamps in Edmonton, and Chris Williams, Greg Ellingson, Ernest Jackson and Brad Sinopoli in Ottawa. Each of those Redblacks receivers had more than 1,000 yards receiving in both the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
“If our group gets to where we can throw bubble and hitch screens and block and run after the catch and be physical like (Moore’s) groups were in Ottawa, we’ve got a chance to be even better offensively,” Jones said.
In Saskatchewan, Moore will be working with a group of receivers that currently features proven veterans like Rob Bagg, Duron Carter, Bakari Grant, Caleb Holley, Chad Owens and Naaman Roosevelt.
Last season, Carter, Grant and Roosevelt all had 1,000-yard seasons — the first time since 2013 that three Roughriders receivers had reached that plateau in the same season. That year, Chris Getzlaf, Weston Dressler and Taj Smith turned the trick for the Roughriders.
In 2017, Saskatchewan was one of only two CFL teams to have three 1,000-yard receivers, joining the Tiger-Cats (Brandon Banks, Jalen Saunders and Luke Tasker).
Moore doesn’t plan to change the individual styles of Saskatchewan’s receivers, but rather to fine-tune their games.
“It’s all about trust, working together and working hard,” Moore said. “If you play as one unit and don’t bring any selfishness, we’ll all succeed. We’ve all got to have the same agenda and that’s winning the Grey Cup. The team comes first.
“I have more than 20 years of experience playing and coaching, so I know our needs. I understand what a receiver goes through. You want the guys to want the ball. You don’t want any receivers who don’t want the ball, but they have to understand there’s only one ball.
“I try to make sure we play as a family, we understand why we’re here and we work hard every day.”
Moore has never before worked on a coaching staff with Jones or Roughriders offensive co-ordinator Stephen McAdoo, but it didn’t take him long to develop a comfort level with that duo.
“When I met with Coach Jones and Coach McAdoo during the interview, I felt like they were two great people to follow,” Moore said. “Coach Jones is a very good coach who sticks to what he believes in.
“I love the organization, too. Having played there, I know it’s a stable organization and I’m looking forward to being able to grow — and I think those are two guys you can grow with.”
