It was a rite of passage for generations of Florida State fans — a stop as essential as the game itself.
“You had to stop at Garnet and Gold on your way to the stadium,” legendary FSU radio voice Gene Deckerhoff said. “Guy was such a special Seminole.”
Guy Moore, who turned that tradition into a Tallahassee institution for more than 40 years as the owner of Garnet and Gold, died Wednesday, June 17, at his home, surrounded by family.
He was 81.
Moore, also a graduate of FSU, opened his first of multiple stores in 1979. His facility on Pensacola Street, within walking distance of Doak Campbell Stadium, is always crowded with fans before and after home games.
Moore was also widely known in the community for hiring thousands of local students from FSU, Florida A&M and Tallahassee State College and actively giving back to FSU.
“Guy would go out of his way to make sure the customer found what he wanted – even if that meant sending him to the competition,” said Tara Kennedy, the store’s Chief Operating Officer of 30-plus years.
“FSU was his life, 100 percent.”
Guy Moore’s love for FSU was well known
Moore was a Golden Chief for many years and a recipient of the Circle of Gold from the Alumni Association. Garnet & Gold was one of the original FSU licensee and his stores carried a variety of merchandise from decals, stickers, hats, shirts, stuffed animals, pet wear, sweats, jackets, diploma frames, seat cushions, tailgate chairs and tents.
“Guy was always very generous to people, especially to Coach (Bobby) Bowden and his family,” said Sue Hall, the longtime administrative assistant to Bowden “I’ve known Guy for a long time. He was a very generous, sweet man.”
Moore’s flagship store for many years was at Governor’s Square Mall. He also changed with the times. His businesses’ digital platform generated millions and millions of website visits annually and he also partnered regularly with Seminole media networks and student-athletes.
Deckerhoff recalled being in Moore’s store on Pensacola Street for an event prior to an FSU-Florida football game at Doak Campbell Stadium.
“You couldn’t even turn around – and it was filled with fans from everywhere, not just Tallahassee,” Deckerhoff said.
“It was a right of passage to stop at Garnet and Gold on game days.”
Jim Henry is the Tallahassee Democrat sports editor. Email him at jjhenry@tallahassee.com.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: ‘FSU was his life’: Garnet and Gold owner Guy Moore dies
Reporting by Jim Henry, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jim Henry, Tallahassee Democrat | USA TODAY Network
