What do football and school have in common? According to one NFL Hall of Fame athlete, a lot.

To sports fans, Lenny Moore is an all-American halfback and NFL Hall of Famer.

On Monday, Moore spoke at Reading High School as a member of the class of 1952.

"I didn't know anything until they taught me a little bit of everything of what I needed to climb the ladder," said Moore. 

Moore said racism during the Jim Crow America was painful to overcome, but he succeeded and went on to great things.

Moore gave advice to more than 2,000 teachers and staff in the Reading School District to think positively.

It's been a trying time for the district in recent years, with high dropout rates, problems with crime and lackluster test scores.

Moore said the district has all the capabilities to rebuild trust and restore its reputation. 

With Moore's motivational speech, school district officials said it would, in turn, motivate the students to see education as an opportunity to beat the odds.

The district's strategic plan is an expression of its vision for educating students to high levels.

Officials also said their plan is a reflection of what they believe is possible.

Moore said that same attitude can also apply on the football field.

'We have to become collective," said Moore. "It's got to be a collective situation. We all got to be on the same page."

Moore said it was his teachers and coaches who motivated him to apply what he was learning on and off the field.

He said racism was worse than getting tackled by men three times larger than him in the NFL.

He said had to feel the pain to overcome it.

"What we try to work toward is to do it the right way to do it where there's no second guessing," said Moore. "Now, I may not be good enough doing it the right way but then again, I may be good enough, and I may be better than that."