Royal Oak’s Pamela Moore named athletic director of the year

ROYAL OAK — Athletics was never in the cards for Pamela Moore as a potential career choice when she was a high school student at Royal Oak Kimball High School, which today is Royal Oak High School.

Now one of the more decorated people in her field, Moore, Royal Oak High School’s assistant athletic director,  has been recognized for her work during 34 years in the athletic department.

The Oakland County Athletic Directors Association named Pamela Moore the 2022 Athletic Director of the Year Dec. 15 at the Oakland County Holiday Party and Awards Ceremony.

Moore first heard the news from Birmingham Groves’ athletic director, Thomas Flynn, who is a longtime friend.

“It’s a great honor and it’s a really nice award,” Moore said. “Tom (Flynn) and I have been friends for 30 years, and he called me one morning to tell me. That was really nice.”

The award recognizes an athletic director in Oakland County who has not only performed the job at the highest level, but who has also been recognized by others for efficiency.

Moore primarily works on Royal Oak’s day-to-day athletic operations, overseeing Royal Oak’s middle school athletics and handling the business side of the high school’s athletics.

Royal Oak Athletic Director Brian Gordon, who has worked alongside Moore since joining the Royal Oak faculty in 1990, said Moore is one of a kind in her field.

“There’s greatness that comes with people in the world of athletics: Jordan, Magic, LeBron…and then there’s Pam Moore,”’ Gordon stated in a press release. “People know Pam across the region, and even the state.”

Moore is also an active member in several organizations including the Oakland Activities Association, Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association and the Oakland County Athletic Directors Association.

Starting as a co-op student at 16 years old under Royal Oak athletics pioneer Chuck Jones, Moore didn’t see a future for her in athletics. That was until Jones asked her to join the staff full time.

“This was not my life’s plan to work in schools and work in athletics,” Moore said. “It was a nice part-time job through school, but he asked and I said yes, and 34 years later here I am.”

Jones, a Michigan High School Coaches Hall of Fame inductee who died in 2019, was a decorated Royal Oak faculty member for 41 years, serving as a math teacher; football, track, and basketball coach; and athletic director at Royal Oak Kimball High School.

Moore said she credits where she’s at now to Jones.

“He saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself, and I’m really glad he did,” Moore said.

During her time at Royal Oak Kimball, Moore also played tennis for the high school. She’s a Royal Oak native through and through, and she said Royal Oak’s culture played a significant role in her dedication to the city and school.

“A lot of it goes back to what Chuck Jones created at Royal Oak,” Moore said. “He created that family mentality. He treated everyone like family. He treated me like a daughter, not like a worker.”

As Moore continues her day-to-day work for Royal Oak Schools, there’s one thing that’s for certain. Royal Oak athletics can’t be discussed without mentioning Moore and her impact on the district.

“Royal Oak will always be a special place to me,” Moore said. “I’ve been going there since kindergarten. It’s home to me.”