The ESPY’s are 25-years-old. The annual ESPN mid-summer award show celebrated a silver anniversary Wednesday at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles.

There is a pretty big local tie going back to the first ESPY’s in 1993. Western Washington University wide receiver Chris Moore won the first ever College Football Play of Year ESPY Award.

Moore’s juggling, between-the-legs catch along the sidelines versus the University of Puget Sound in 1992 beat out a long touchdown run by Notre Dame running back Reggie Brooks and an interception return for a score by Alabama’s Antonio Langham for the award.

in 1993 , The ESPY’s weren’t what they are today. Moore wasn’t at the award ceremony, he didn’t even get an award or a certificate. Former NFL QB Joe Theismann simply read “This year the winner of the ESPY goes to…Chris Moore’s great catch”.

LISTEN: Jason Stiles & Chris Moore reflect on the award winning play in The Zone 

Former WWU quarterback Jason Stiles, who threw the pass to Moore, told KPUG that Moore eventually got an award from ESPN around 2009.

Stiles also gave credit to Western student Rick Medved who was filming the game and happened to be at the right spot at the right time.  “He literally happened to be standing on that yard line at the exact right time and happened to be right where he needed to be, otherwise none of this happens regardless of how great a catch it is,” said Stiles. “There’s  so many things that happened to make that play what it was and 25 years later we’re still talking about it.”

Moore says he still gets asked about the catch. “It’s amazing how much time has past since then and even more amazing how often it still comes up.”

Moore and Stiles are both still involved in football. Moore is currently the wide receivers coach for the Mount Si High School football team. Stiles is a college football analyst for ROOT Sports TV.

(KPUG – Doug Lange)