ST SEBASTIAN’S

SPEAKERS
Third and Long Drives Unity Day Discussion
Theresa Moore Provides Keynote Address
Introduction of Theresa
Moore
By Headmaster Bill Burke
St. Sebastian’s School celebrated
Unity Day on Friday, November
2, 2012. This year’s event centered
around the documentary Third and
Long: The History of African Americans
in Pro Football. Documentary
Executive Producer and Director
Theresa Moore (pictured with
Headmaster Bill Burke and Dean of
Students Brendan Sullivan) served as
the keynote speaker for the event.
Third and Long is a unique and
ground-breaking project that examines
the history, racial struggles, sacrifices,
and triumphs of African Americans in
professional football from 1946, with
the re-integration of the sport after a 13-
year exclusion of Black players, through
1989, when Art Shell was named the
first Black head coach of the NFL’s
modern era. The documentary explores
the history of racial integration in this
country and the sport via the impact of
societal events such as World War II,
the Civil Rights Movement, Brown vs.
Board of Education, the assassinations
of Martin Luther King and Bobby
Kennedy, and the Vietnam War.
The event started with a general
assembly in the church, where
the School Community had the
opportunity to hear Moore discuss
her life and what led her to create the
documentary. The students were then
split into groups that rotated through
different sessions throughout the
morning. Each session featured a clip
from the documentary and a discussion
period. The event concluded back
in Ward Hall with Meyer Chambers
discussing the history of the club Men
with Positive Attitudes (MPA), Moore
leading a question and answer session,
and Headmaster Bill Burke offering
his remarks on the themes discussed
throughout the day.
To heighten our awareness, to
strengthen our bonds, to reveal the
hidden wholeness, and to increase our
readiness, Theresa Moore is with us
today, and we are so very blessed that
it is so.
A standout track and field athlete in
high school in Providence, Rhode Island,
Theresa won 10 individual state
championships. While at Harvard, she
was the Ivy League 100 meter champion.
After graduating Cum Laude with
a degree in history, Ms. Moore earned
an MBA at Emory University in Atlanta.
While working for Coca-Cola and ESPN,
she was able to re-connect with sports,
engaging with the Olympics, the FIFA
World Cup, NASCAR, Major League
Baseball, Wimbledon, and the NCAA.
After leaving ESPN, Ms. Moore
launched her own company: T-Time
Productions. She now has executive
producer, director, and co-writer titles
to her credit for two documentaries,
both of which discuss and transcend
the world of sports: License to Thrive:
Title IX at 35 and the film with which
we’ll engage this morning: Third and
Long: The History of African-Americans
in Pro Football 1946-1989.
Please help me welcome our tremendously
accomplished and most distinguished
guest, Theresa Moore.
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