John^{[lower-alpha 1]} Moore Van Cleve (September 26, 1871 – January 9, 1914)^[8] was an American football player and coach, and one of the first known professional players of the sport.

Van Cleve became one of the earliest known people paid to play football when he, Ollie Rafferty, and Peter Wright signed contracts with the Allegheny Athletic Association for $50 per game for the entire 1893 season. Only Pudge Heffelfinger and Sport Donnelly are known to have been professionals earlier.^[1]

Van Cleve again played for Allegheny in 1894. During a game against the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. Allegheny's quarterback, A. S. Valentine, was thrown out of the game after coming to the aid of Van Cleve during a fight against Pittsburgh's Joe Trees. After several appeals, Valentine left the field reportedly "crying like a baby" by the local media.^[9] During the 1895 season, Allegheny did not field a team after learning the club was under investigation by the Amateur Athletic Union for secretly paying its players. As a result, Van Cleve played for the upstart Duquesne Country and Athletic Club.^[10]

Van Cleve played end for the Pittsburgh Athletic Club in 1896.^[11] He began the following season coaching and captaining a team from Sewickley, Pennsylvania.^[2][3] The Pittsburgh Post reported that he would not rejoin the Pittsburgh Athletic Club in 1897, noting manager Bob Hamilton's statement that no paid player would be on the team;^[12] however, after a new manager took over for Hamilton during the season, Van Cleve was brought back.^[3][13]

Prior to his professional career, Van Cleve played college football at Lehigh University. On October 15, 1892, Van Cleve scored Lehigh's only touchdown in a loss against the Orange Athletic Club.^[14] He would play for Lehigh five days later during a 50–0 loss to the Princeton Tigers.^[15]

Van Cleve served as the head football coach at Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost—later renamed Duquesne University—in 1898. He also played for the team as an end.^[16][17]