Atchison – Benedictine College has landed another “A List” commencement speaker. Following such notables as Bob Hope, Lou Holtz, Father Flanagan, Governor Sam Brownback, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, Bob and Elizabeth Dole, Dick Vermeil and Erma Bombeck, the small college in rural Atchison County announced in a media release that Dayton Moore, Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager of the Kansas City Royals, will deliver the Commencement Address on May 16, 2015. The announcment was made at Kauffman Stadium prior to Moore’s address to visiting Benedictine students in the Leadership and Organizational Change class.
“We are pleased to have a relationship with the Royals organization and Dayton Moore,” said Benedictine College President Stephen D. Minnis. “Dayton has been here several times speaking to our students about leadership and teamwork and has been inspiring. He will be an excellent commencement speaker.”
Moore, a native of Wichita, Kan., brought an impressive resume to the Royals in 2006. He had previously worked for the Atlanta Braves organization since 1994, moving up within the organization to eventually serve as Assistant General Manager/Baseball Operations. Since joining the Royals in 2006, he and his staff have tirelessly worked to build a consistently strong farm system that was rated by Baseball America, MLB.com and ESPN.com as the best in baseball in 2011 and it remains among the best.
Under Moore’s leadership, the Royals won 86 games in 2013, then went on to win the American League Championship and go to the World Series in 2014. The club has also signed several key in-house players to long-term contracts during his tenure including Zack Greinke, Joakim Soria, Billy Butler, Alex Gordon, Salvador Perez and Alcides Escobar.
A leader in the Kansas City community, Moore is a regular speaker at numerous community events each year. In 2013, Moore started the “C” You In the Major Leagues Foundation. It was created to support youth baseball, education, families in crisis and faith-based programs and organizations.
Moore was a member of the Board of Directors of the NAIA’s Champions of Character program from 2007-10. The program instills an understanding of character values in sport and provides practical tools for student-athletes, coaches and parents to use in modeling exemplary character traits. Moore and his wife, Marianne, are proud to be involved with the City Union Mission of Kansas City including their service as co-chairs of the Women Who’ve Changed the Heart of the City banquet in 2011 and 2012.
Moore was presented by the Atlanta Braves 400 Club with its Ivan Allen, Jr. “Mr. Baseball” Award, given to “the person who has contributed significantly to the promotion of baseball in the Atlanta area” in February 2006. He was also awarded the 2005 Executive of the Year by the Mid-Atlantic Scouts Association. He was named by Baseball America in 2005 as one of the Top 10 Up-and-Coming Power Brokers in Major League Baseball and in 2004, and was named the top general manager prospect by the same publication.
Moore played a key role in a majority of the Braves string of 14-straight division titles. Under the leadership of former Braves and Royals General Manager John Schuerholz, the Braves earned the prestigious Organization of the Year Award from Baseball America several times, including 2005, when 18 rookies contributed to a team that posted 90 wins. The Braves won at least 100 games five times between 1997-2003 and had not won fewer than 88 games in any non-strike shortened season since 1990 prior to the 2006 season.
Prior to joining the Braves organization, Moore served as an assistant baseball coach at George Mason University from 1990-94. While working on a graduate degree at GMU, Moore also managed the Winchester Royals of the Shenandoah Valley League from 1991-93.
Moore graduated from George Mason University in 1989 with a degree in physical education and health. Three years later, he earned his master’s degree in athletic administration from GMU. He and his wife reside in Leawood, Kan., and have two daughters, Ashley and Avery, and a son, Robert.