A New Orleans Saints defensive lineman is dead at 27 after a cancer battle. A great teammate…

Derland Moore, a former standout defensive lineman for the New Orleans Saints, died suddenly from cancer. Moore was sixty-eight.

Throughout my life, I have known a number of sportsmen and people who have been as competitive as Derland.

In addition, he was among the kindest individuals I’ve ever met.

By no means was Derland Moore the largest defensive lineman in the NFL.

Moore was by no means one of the NFL’s fastest defensive linemen.

Moore was by no means one of the NFL’s fastest defensive linemen.

As a player, Derland Moore was among the most dedicated and hardworking people I have ever watched compete at any level.

Moore joined the team in New Orleans during a difficult period in its history.

Moore, however, was a rugged individual who hailed from his native Malden, Missouri, and had grown up as a farm child in Poplar Bluff.

Moore informed me that “you have to struggle to accomplish.” “Everything is yours to earn. I became familiar with the idea of a work ethic at a very young age. That persisted in my life. It influenced the person I became.

Moore went on to Oklahoma to become an All-American.

During Chuck Fairbanks’ junior year (1971), the Sooners finished second in the country behind conference rival Nebraska. They also lost the Game of the Century, a thrilling 35-31 loss to the Cornhuskers at Norman in a back-and-forth contest that saw Jeff Kinney score his fourth touchdown of the game with 1:38 remaining.

Moore informed me that “we had a wonderful, great team.” Nebraska also did so. Neither of us was close to anyone else in the nation. We could beat them if we played them again. We would probably win five out of ten games if we played them. We were so excellent and we performed well, so it was a very painful loss.

Nebraska defeated Alabama 38-6 in the Orange Bowl to win the national championship.

The Sooners finished the 1972 season—Moore’s senior year—ranked second in the country. Oklahoma won 17–14 at Lincoln to exact revenge on Nebraska, but fell 20–14 at Colorado. The season ended in New Orleans once more when the Sooners defeated Penn State 14-0 at Tulane Stadium in the Sugar Bowl.

The season came to an end at his future residence, Tulane Stadium, as Moore and Oklahoma defeated Auburn 40–22 in the Sugar Bowl. USC won the national championship and went undefeated.

Moore remarked, “Either of those two seasons, we could have won it all.” You felt the anguish of nearly winning it all but falling just short, even if you were proud to be a member of a winning team. That would be the exhilaration of winning and the anguish of losing, I suppose.

Oklahoma then willingly gave up eight wins due to the use of an ineligible athlete.

Then, in the 1973 NFL Draft’s second round, Moore was selected by the New Orleans Saints with the 29th overall choice.

Since New Orleans didn’t have a first-round pick that year, Moore was the center of attention.

Moore was drafted by Oklahoman J.D. Roberts, who expressed interest in him. It appeared to be an earlier marriage that would endure for a considerable amount of time.