Daniel Moore is a trailblazer in women’s flag football and the winningest coach in the state of Illinois. As the head coach of the Lady Jaguars Flag Football program, Moore has built an elite reputation grounded in excellence, leadership, and purpose-driven coaching. A proud Chicago native, he holds a remarkable 34–3 high school coaching record, leading his teams to two Chicago Public League Red Conference Championships, an Illinois Regional Championship, and an Illinois Sectional Final appearance. On the national stage, he’s guided teams to top-five finishes at USA Worlds 18U and earned recognition as a Jr. Olympic Finalist. Beyond the field, Daniel serves as a public speaker and consultant, working with organizations to launch and elevate women’s flag football programs and camps. With unmatched passion and hands-on experience, he brings energy, strategy, and heart to every team, event, and opportunity he touches.

What first inspired you to become a coach?
I grew up in the Chicago Park District, which introduced me to a multitude of sports. I always admired and respected my coaches growing up, and I was fortunate to have coaches who really believed in me and pushed me. Ultimately, understanding what that did for me as a youth, I always wanted to pay it forward as I got older. Coaching became a way for me to do just that.

What’s the most rewarding part of coaching for you personally?
The impact you can make in a student-athlete’s life that transcends the sport is the most rewarding part, honestly. You think about all the character development, youth leadership, and life skills that sports teach us, and how it parallels real life. When you see your athletes begin to succeed and prosper in other areas of their lives, and you begin to see them grow as people first and foremost, the rewarding part becomes the journey of having the opportunity to do that with each and every athlete you encounter.

How do you define success beyond wins and losses?
For me, it is about culture. I have always held a belief that nothing is achievable without culture. The harsh reality of sports is that you will not win every game. You have to find a way to detach yourself from the result and focus more on having goals and standards that help shape that culture. When you have that, the success of your program does not rely on the wins and losses.

What’s one lesson your players have taught you?
One of the biggest lessons, if not the biggest, is that even in coaching, there is a human element to everything. You can’t coach every player the same. Players are not robots. They come from different backgrounds and experiences. Understanding this, all of my players have helped shape me into not just a better coach, but a better person in general. They have taught me to coach the person first, and then you can connect with the player.

How do you help your athletes grow as people, not just players?
One of the things I like to do is to coach mindset first. I try to hold as many one-on-one conversations with my athletes when possible. That enables me to connect with them as a person first. I believe communication is one of the most important things you can do as a coach when it comes to building trust with your players. I also like to do team bonding activities that reinforce core values that ultimately define our culture as a program. After a while, you realize these core values for your team mimic life. If you can model that consistently, you naturally will grow as a person beyond the game.

Share a moment that truly moved you during your coaching career.
My first year as head coach at King College Prep, we ran the table in the regular season and finished that year 17–0 before losing in the Elite 8 of the City Championship to our rival, which even now is still probably the hardest loss I have experienced as a coach. It took me days to process. My birthday was a few days after the game, and the team surprised me with just an outpouring of love that moved me to tears. It really put everything into perspective and made me understand that it is not always about the result, but the lives you touch along the way. They poured into me at a time when I needed it, and they showed me it was because they appreciated how I show up for them.

How do you keep your team motivated during tough times?
You have to commit to teaching mental toughness. Preaching it without teaching it is not enough. You have to use those tough times and make them coachable moments at every turn. But you can’t harp on it. You do a few things when you do this: you reinforce good habits, and then you teach acknowledging the mishap and staying present in the moment.

What’s your favorite team tradition?
I started a tradition last season called DAWG (Drive, Attitude, Win, Gratitude). Each day, week, or even before a game, the team gets in a circle and a few volunteers do what I call “Walk Your DAWG.” D = What Drives You Today? A = What Is Your Attitude Like Today? W = What Was Your Win Today? G = What Are You Grateful For Today? Staying with the theme of mindset, we practice having a DAWG mentality. The other part is that it gives your team a sense of where each player stands for the day. You begin to see that your teammate might not have 100% today, and what you do or say may just be what they need to pick them up. The other part is teaching players how to stay present in the moment and in tune with each other’s emotions.

What’s something your players might be surprised to know about you?
I am not sure. My players might know more about me than they should. LOL.

What’s the proudest moment you’ve experienced as a coach?
Bringing King Girls College Prep Flag Football its first home game ever for Senior Night 2025. We do not have a field at KCP, so we had to rent a neighborhood turf field for Senior Night. The atmosphere was electric, and what followed was the greatest game I have ever been a part of as a head coach. We beat a really, really good Jones College Prep team in 6 overtimes. A very eventful night.

How do you handle pressure and expectations as a coach?
I try to detach myself from the result. It’s hard. On one hand, you want to win every game, especially when you win a lot. On the other hand, the reality is that you won’t. No matter how well you prepare, how good your team is, or how good of a coach you think you are, you will lose eventually. And if you have a great team, one loss can seem like ten. You have to have a solid foundation as a coach and just understand everything is a process. Just enjoy the journey.

What’s a fun ritual or superstition you have before games?
Black coffee. I tell my girls all the time me drinking black coffee is like having on Black Air Force Ones. LOL.

How do you stay connected with former players?
My players know I am easily accessible. Most of them have a way to get in touch with me. And if they can’t, their parents can. I tell my players all the time I will always be accessible.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to young coaches just starting out?
Build relationships with your players. Find out the best way you can serve your athletes, and build from there. And it’s okay if you don’t have that answer just yet. It will come with time. But there’s no excuse not to build relationships with your players.

What legacy do you hope to leave behind?
I would like to hope that every single player I have ever had the privilege to coach takes a piece of me with them and pays it forward. True impact comes from when you inspire others who want to do the same. That would be enough for me.

How has coaching shaped you as a person?
It has literally changed me. It has taught me to be more open-minded and more malleable. It has taught me the importance of empathy. Most importantly, it has taught me that the interactions you have with others leave more of an impact than you think. I have learned to live my life exhibiting grace, and I owe that to doubling down on coaching.

How do you handle the emotional weight of being a role model for young athletes?
It can be tough at times. You deal with so many young athletes from different backgrounds. They have different triggers and different mindsets. At times, you feel like you have to shapeshift to deal with all of it. You have to be so locked in and in tune with yourself as a human and your character before you can lead young athletes, and I take that very seriously. I think one of the best things you can do for yourself is prioritize your self-awareness and mental health. Everybody will benefit from it, including yourself.

What’s your coaching philosophy?
My philosophy will always be rooted in the belief that athletics can be used to foster personal growth and success. I believe that leadership training and character development for your program off the field will drive the on-field success.

Can you share a game that changed your life as a coach?
Back during my coaching days at the Park District level, I had a very talented team that won three straight city championships. In the midst of our second run, we lost to a very good team from Lafollette Park during the regular season. We did not practice that week because I called myself teaching the team a lesson for misbehaving, among other things. Lafollette shut us out 16–0, which is still the only time I have been shut out. I lashed out at the players for being selfish and forcing me to shut down practice due to behavior, but I felt horrible afterward. I told myself, after reflection, that I did not want to be that type of coach and that instead of lashing out and canceling practice, I should have been more forward about trying to understand certain things they had going on as maturing players. One of the players quit that day and never came back. I could have handled the situation better.

What’s the biggest life lesson you’ve learned from a certain loss?
I would go back to my Park District days as a coach following a shutout loss and how I did not handle it well. Young athletes look for you to speak life into them. When we do not detach ourselves from the result, as coaches we take things personally. The player that quit did not quit on the team. They quit on my coaching and how I presented the result.

How do you nurture leadership within your team?
I love all my players equally, and they know that. Throughout the years, not only have they built trust with me, but I have built trust with them too. I often allow them to coordinate their own practices, meetings, and team bonding activities to allow them to grow with one another without my presence. I am very happy with the leadership on my team. They all have found ways to lead in their own unique ways.

What is one piece of advice you constantly repeat to your team?
Love on each other always. No matter what.

Do you have a signature phrase or principle?
Finish. Everything. The mentally strong do not quit or fold. They finish everything.

What is the toughest coaching decision you ever had to make?
Any time you have to discipline players individually is always the toughest decision you have to make. Any time you have to have tough conversations with players about their performance or preferred position, it’s a tough thing to do. I can’t pinpoint one sole decision, but I have had multiple. You just have to make sure you also balance those decisions from a position of love.

How do you stay current with the game to keep evolving as a coach?
I coach year-round at this point, so I am always at tournaments, on social media, and doing other things that keep me locked in. I’m also constantly reading up on the game, different philosophies, and so forth. I’m a sponge. I just love coaching. I honestly do not stop. I may have a problem. LOL.

What would your players say about you as a coach?
They would say I am a players’ coach. I have a lot of fun while I’m coaching. I love on my players. We have a great time. I have my moments. I am not a perfect coach, but I want the absolute best for my players on and off the field.

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