Kashif Moore Also Excels at Track

If Kashif Moore was an NFL wide receiver and the owners and players were still squabbling over the collective bargaining agreement, he might use the off season to pursue dreams of professional soccer, or perhaps bull riding.

But Moore, a rising senior on the Huskies football team, has another, more traditional hobby that keeps him in shape for the upcoming season: running track.

Details via the Hartford Courant's Desmond Connor:

Between spring (football) practices from March to April, Moore, one of four football captains, practiced with the outdoor track team. When the spring season ended he worked exclusively with the track team. And just like for the football team, Moore was a big contributor for the Huskies at the Big East track and field championships in Philadelphia over the weekend.

Running the leadoff leg, Moore helped the 4x100-meter relay team win the event in a school-record 40.69 seconds, only the second time (also in 2007) UConn won the event.

"It felt real good and it was great day to compete," Moore told the Courant. "I had been training with a great group of guys working on handoffs, which is one of the most important things in running any relay, getting that baton out and to the next guy. We finally got it together when it really counted. It was a good race between us and South Florida, but we were able to pull it out."

UConn won the overall title in Philly, which gave Moore a hand in three Big East championships in one academic year to go along with football and indoor track titles. Too bad Moore didn't play basketball. Either way, a nice haul for a year's work.

As for the sport that brought him to Storrs -- football -- Moore is looking to build on last season when he and Michael Smith led the team in receiving. That means learning a new offense under Randy Edsall's replacement, Paul Pasqualoni, and making more plays down the field.

"We're listening," Moore said, according to the Courant. "[Pasqualoni's] been to the places we want to go [multiple bowls, including a BCS game]. We're in good hands with Coach Pasqualoni. Everybody likes him. He's definitely a player's coach, and I know he can definitely take the program to the next level."

While soccer and bull riding aren't typical offseason training activities for football players, track is about as mainstream as they come. NFL  Hall-of-Famer Rod Woodson ran track at Purdue (he even qualified for the 1984 Olympics as a hurdler), Ki-Jana Carter ran the 100 at Penn State in the mid-'90s, and NFL speedsters Chris Johnson and Jamal Charles both ran track at ECU and Texas, respectively. In fact, the list is long and distinguished. And barring injury, it's a great way for Moore to keep in top form heading into the fall.

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