Ole Miss Chapter to Honor Moore Family, Michael Sweet With NFF Awards
The Ole Miss chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame plans to honor Karen and Bruce Moore and Michael W. Sweet Sr. during the Rebels’ scheduled football game against Georgia on Saturday, Nov. 7.
The Moores, of Nashville, Tennessee, will receive the chapter’s Contribution to Amateur Football Award. Sweet, of Jackson, Mississippi, will receive the Distinguished American Award. The calendar listed kickoff at 6:30 p.m. Central on ABC at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Chapter President Richard Noble said the Moores were being recognized for supporting Ole Miss and its athletics programs, while Sweet was being honored for his work at Gateway Rescue Mission in Jackson. Ole Miss athletics Vice Chancellor Keith Carter and National Football Foundation Chief Operating Officer Matt Sign were also scheduled to take part in the on-field presentation.
The Moores’ lifetime giving to Ole Miss exceeds $8 million, according to the university. Their contributions to athletics include $1.2 million to the Vaught Society in 2022 and an additional $250,000 two years later. Gate 31 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium was named in their honor after the later gift.
A $2 million gift last August is supporting a new facility for Ole Miss golf. The university plans to name the building for the Moore family. It will include offices and player lounges for the men’s and women’s programs, with construction expected to be completed by fall 2027.
Karen Moore earned a bachelor’s degree in applied sciences from Ole Miss in 1982 and has served on several university boards, including the Ole Miss Alumni Association Board, which she led as president in 2024. She is founder and president of Project Redesign, a Nashville nonprofit that furnishes homes and facilities for people in need.
Bruce Moore also graduated from Ole Miss in 1982, earning a degree in managerial finance. He retired from HCA Healthcare in 2025 as a group president overseeing service lines and operations. He has served on the University of Mississippi Foundation Board, the Parents Council and university campaign committees. The couple’s three children attended Ole Miss.
Sweet earned a degree in health, exercise science and recreation in 1978 and played three seasons at running back and wide receiver under coach Ken Cooper. He was among the first Black athletes to play football at Ole Miss. Injuries ended his college playing career before his senior season.
In three seasons, Sweet rushed for 1,376 yards and eight touchdowns, caught 29 passes for 303 yards and two touchdowns, and returned 28 kickoffs for 685 yards. His top season came in 1975, when he led the team in rushing and kickoff returns. That year, he caught a 16-yard fourth-down touchdown pass from Tim Ellis with 42 seconds left to help Ole Miss beat LSU 17-13. He also scored on a 52-yard run against Southern Mississippi and a 40-yard run against Tennessee.
Sweet has worked at Gateway since 2004 and serves as its director of ministries, overseeing chapel services, spiritual counseling and outreach. He also mentors and counsels people experiencing homelessness, unemployment or recovery from addiction, and coordinates cold-weather shelters and holiday assistance. Sweet and his wife, Sadelle, have three sons.
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