Warren Moon

football player

Personal Information

Born Harold Warren Moon, November 18, 1956, in Los Angeles, CA; son of Harold (a laborer) and Pat (a nurse) Moon; married Felicia Hendricks, March 8, 1981; children: Joshua, Chelsea, Blair, Jeffrey.
Education: West Los Angeles Junior College, 1974-75; University of Washington, B.S., 1978.

Career

Professional football player, 1978--. Quarterback for Edmonton Eskimos, 1978-83, Houston Oilers, 1984-94, Minnesota Vikings, 1994--.

Life's Work

For more than ten years Warren Moon has been a starting quarterback in the National Football League, most of that time with the Houston Oilers. Now in the twilight of his playing career, Moon has achieved the status of respected elder statesman in the NFL. Having long ago overcome questions about his talent--based on his size and subtly, on his race as well--he brought the Houston Oilers into playoff contention and possibly earned himself a future place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

In 1994 Moon signed a two-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings in search of the one laurel that has eluded him--a chance to play in the Super Bowl. Sporting News contributor Bob Sansevere notes that the citizens of Minnesota "are behaving as if Warren Moon is the second coming [of Christ].... Vikings fans have been so eager for so long for a miracle-working quarterback that they think Moon is capable of just about anything, including turning Gatorade into wine." Moon's talents may fall short of that mark, but he has certainly proven himself to be a gifted quarterback and a capable leader on the NFL level.

At the outset of his professional career, Moon was not even considered a candidate to play in the NFL. Despite the fact that he came out of the University of Washington with a Rose Bowl victory and a wealth of individual awards, he was passed over until the late rounds of the 1978 college draft. Disappointed, but still confident of his ability, Moon decamped for the Canadian Football League, where he became a championship winner with the Edmonton Eskimos.

Moon told the Rocky Mountain News that from his high school years onward he always had to work harder to gain the positions he deserved. "I've had to kind of take that extra step at every level just to show what I can do, whether it be junior college or Canada before I got a chance to play in the NFL," Moon said. "I've been told all my life that I didn't have what it took. It was the people who told me I couldn't do things that kept me going. I have a lot of confidence in myself."

A native of Los Angeles, Moon was the middle child and only boy of seven children. Warren was seven when his father died while waiting for a liver transplant. His mother, a nurse, raised the family by herself, and young Warren was expected to be the "man of the family." In Sports Illustrated, Leigh Montville wrote: "The boy learned to cook and sew and iron and clean house. To this day he cannot do the [stereotypical] 'man' things, working under the hood of a car or fixing plumbing or electrical problems, but he can bake three dozen cookies with ease."

The Moon family lived in a rough neighborhood, but their mother worked hard and saw to it that they were provided with educational and cultural perks. Warren grew up with strong moral values. Montville notes that the youngster "decided that he could play only one sport in high school because he had to work the rest of the year to help the family, and the sport would be football. Quarterback would be the position. He had discovered that he could throw a football longer, harder, and straighter than anyone he knew. He would take that arm all the way to the pros. That was his goal."

Using the address of one of his mother's friends, Moon enrolled at Hamilton High School, a mixed-race school in a middle-class section of Los Angeles. There he worked hard in his studies and tried out for the football team. He saw little playing time until his junior year, when he took over as varsity starting quarterback. In his senior season, Hamilton High reached the city playoffs, and Moon was named to the all-city team. But college recruiters showed little interest in him because he was only 5'11" and 165 pounds. Eventually Moon gave up his quest for a place at a four-year school and instead enrolled at West Los Angeles Junior College. His freshman year football exploits there raised some eyebrows, and he was named Western State Conference Player of the year in 1973.

That strong performance caught the attention of University of Washington coach Don James, who offered Moon a chance to transfer to a school playing big-time football. Moon went north, despite his apprehension about attending a college that had experienced racial tension under a previous coach and where fewer than four percent of the students were black. As a University of Washington sophomore, Moon warmed the bench. As a junior he became starting quarterback, and the Huskies stumbled to a 5-6 record. Moon was booed unmercifully by his own fans. Sometimes the jeers took on racial overtones. As Montville puts it, "amid the bad feelings it became easy to put Moon's face on the team's failure." Showing great restraint, Moon refused to acknowledge the heckling, and when the boos turned to cheers he accepted the praise without bitterness.

His tenacity was rewarded in 1977, when the Huskies won their conference championship and met the University of Michigan in the 1978 Rose Bowl game. The underdog Huskies won the Rose Bowl under Moon's leadership, and he was named Rose Bowl Most Valuable Player and the Pacific-8 Player of the Year. Overall, Moon passed for 3,277 yards and 19 touchdowns in his collegiate career.

Although Moon managed to win over Washington's fans, he failed to convince skeptical NFL scouts of his playing ability. His Rose Bowl performance notwithstanding, he was rated just the tenth best quarterback in the 1978 draft. "The stereotype was that he was a black quarterback and he was going to run around like a madman, but he wouldn't be able to throw very well," former Edmonton Eskimos and Houston Oilers coach Hugh Campbell told the Los Angeles Times. So, once again, Moon decided to prove himself elsewhere, signing with the Eskimos of the Canadian Football League.

During Moon's six seasons in Canada, he put up some stunning numbers--21,228 yards passing and 1,700 yards rushing. He had back-to-back 5,000-yard passing seasons. His 5,648 yards passing over 16 games in 1983 remains an all-time high for pro football. In addition, the Eskimos won five straight Grey Cup trophies as champions of the CFL from 1978 to 1982.

By 1984 Moon had nothing left to prove. When his contract with Edmonton expired, seven NFL teams sought to sign him as a free agent. Moon initially leaned toward the Seattle Seahawks, which would allow him to return to his college town, but he eventually chose the Houston Oilers, the team that had hired his former Edmonton coach, Campbell. The Oilers tendered a five-year, $5.5 million contract which, at the time, made Moon the highest paid player in the NFL--before he even played in a league game.

When Moon joined Houston, it was the sorriest franchise in the NFL, having won only three games in the previous two seasons. "One of the challenges of Houston was to be part of a growing situation," Moon's agent, Leigh Steinberg, told the Houston Post. "He knew it would take longer [to be on a championship team], but when it came, he knew he would be an instrumental part of the building process."

In 1984 Moon was a rookie sensation. His six years in the CFL gave him a wealth of experience, and he threw for a then-Houston-record 3,338 yards on the season. Still the Oilers went 3-13, finishing last in their division. The next season, after the club won just five of its first 14 games, Campbell was fired and a defensive-oriented coach, Jerry Glanville, took over. "Those early years [in Houston] were really hard for me to deal with at first," Moon told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "There were some uncertainties about my career here because of the coaching change. That left me disenchanted.... Plus, I think most of the people looked at the amount of money I was paid and just decided I must be a star all of a sudden. I didn't respond well to it."

Moon faced enormous pressures because he was the only black starting quarterback in the NFL at the time. "The stereotypes are there," he told the Los Angeles Times. "The opportunities haven't been given. But I think I've been accepted pretty well throughout the league. As I improved, you started not to hear the word black put in front of quarterback all the time. And now I'm pretty much recognized as just another quarterback in the league." The fans were harder to win over, however. More than once Moon's wife and children were accosted in the stands during football games by disgruntled spectators who hurled racial epithets and complained about Moon's performance.

Gradually Moon made his presence felt with the Oilers. Between 1987 and 1993 the team made the playoffs every year. Twice Moon was rated among the NFL's top five quarterbacks, and twice he started in the Pro Bowl, the league's all-star game. Glanville was fired after the 1989 season and replaced by Jack Pardee, a college coach known for helping design the "run-and-shoot" offense, a system based on speedy receivers and a strong-armed quarterback. Moon finally found the right coach for his talents, and the 1990 football season was one of his best.

That year Moon threw for 4,689 yards--the fifth highest total ever in the NFL at the time. He was named the league's top offensive performer of the year by the Associated Press. "People tend to say Super Bowl quarterbacks are the great ones," Moon told Sports Illustrated that year. "If I get there, I don't think anyone could argue with my play." The Oilers seemed to have a chance of "getting there" in 1990 until Moon was injured in the next-to-last game of the season. He sat on the sidelines during the playoffs as the Oilers lost to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Moon was well on his way to establishing a Houston Oilers passing record, but those all-important playoff victories failed to materialize. Perhaps the most disappointing playoff game for Houston was the 1992 wild card match between the Oilers and the Buffalo Bills. Moon and the Oilers led Buffalo 20-3 at halftime, but the Bills roared back and took the game to overtime, where they won it, 41-38. In 1993 the Oilers endured another bitter playoff loss, this time to the Kansas City Chiefs. Moon, for all his perceived talent, had failed to advance his team into Super Bowl contention. And time was running out for him as he edged toward 40.

In a 1990 poll by the Houston Post, Moon was voted the most popular athlete in Texas, even beating out baseball legend Nolan Ryan. Moon had established a residence in Houston and had spent much time and money on charitable causes in that region; his Crescent Moon foundation sent 82 children to college on scholarship in 1993. Unfortunately, Moon's popularity eroded as the Oilers failed to advance in the playoffs. In 1993 he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings, where he signed a two-year, $5.5 million contract. "This might be the fresh start I needed at this stage of my career," Moon told the Sporting News. "You can look at my age and say, 'Well, he's 37.' But you just need to watch me play, and that will let you know what I'm all about. As far as winning a Super Bowl ... that's the thing that's left for me to do. That's what I want to accomplish before I'm done."

Warren Moon's legacy is not yet complete. If it were, he might be considered a great but unlucky quarterback whose Oilers teams failed six straight years to advance beyond the first round of the playoffs. Moon himself hopes to see a Super Bowl start at least once before he retires. "I don't want to see the festivities anymore," he told Sport magazine. "I want to be there the way you're supposed to be there." He added: "Even though my career would not be unsuccessful if I ended up without a championship, it would definitely not be complete. If I could go out on top, I think it would be a great ending to a great story."

Awards

Named Pacific-8 Conference Player of the Year, 1977; named Most Valuable Player in the Canadian Football League (CFL), 1983; named National Football League (NFL) Rookie of the Year, 1984, and NFL Man of the Year, 1989; named Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year, 1990.

Further Reading

Sources

• Akron Beacon Journal, November 1, 1990; January 10, 1991.
• Houston Post, December 25, 1987; March 13, 1988; November 13, 1988; April 8, 1989; July 29, 1990.
• Los Angeles Times, November 18, 1989; November 3, 1990.
• Rocky Mountain News, November 18, 1990.
• St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 28, 1990.
• San Jose Mercury News, November 8, 1987.
• Seattle Times, December 2, 1990.
• Sport, February 1994, pp. 36-40.
• Sporting News, May 23, 1994, pp. 34-5.
• Sports Illustrated, November 5, 1990; December 24, 1990; September 27, 1993, pp. 62-74.

— Mark Kram

For the footballer (soccer player), see Warren Moon (footballer).

Warren Moon

Warren Moon at Halo 3 launch in Seattle
No. 1
Quarterback
Personal information
Date of birth: November 18, 1956 (1956-11-18) (age 53)
Place of birth: Los Angeles, California
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	Weight: 221 lb (100 kg)
Career information
College: Washington
Undrafted in 1978
Debuted in 1978 for the Edmonton Eskimos
Last played in 2000 for the Kansas City Chiefs
Career history
As player: Edmonton Eskimos (1978-1983) Houston Oilers (1984-1993) Minnesota Vikings (1994-1996) Seattle Seahawks (1997-1998) Kansas City Chiefs (1999-2000)
Career highlights and awards
9× Pro Bowl selection (1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997) 3× All-Pro selection (1988, 1989, 1990) 5× Grey Cup champion 2001 Enshrined on Eskimos' Wall of Fame 1990 NEA NFL MVP 1990 NFL Offensive Player of the Year 1990 UPI AFL-AFC Player of the Year 1989 Man of the Year 1998 Pro Bowl MVP 2× Grey Cup MVP (1980, 1982) 1983 CFL Most Outstanding Player 1983 Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy 1978 Rose Bowl MVP Tennessee Titans#1 Retired Other awards and honors
TD-INT	291-233
Yards	49,325
QB Rating	80.9
Stats at NFL.com
Pro Football Hall of Fame
Canadian Football Hall of Fame

Harold Warren Moon (born November 18, 1956 in Los Angeles, California) is a former American and Canadian football quarterback who played for the Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos and the National Football League's Houston Oilers, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs. He is currently a broadcaster for the Seattle Seahawks and is also a business partner with his longtime friend and agent, Leigh Steinberg at Leigh Steinberg Sports & Entertainment out of Newport Beach, California.

He is one of only two people to be enshrined in both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Canadian Football Hall of Fame. (Former coach Bud Grant, who coached the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to four Grey Cup titles and the Minnesota Vikings to four Super Bowl games, is the other.) Moon was also the first, and currently only, modern African-American quarterback elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Moon held the record for most passing yardage in professional football until surpassed by Damon Allen on September 4, 2006,^[1] held the record for most passing touchdowns in professional football until surpassed by Brett Favre on November 22, 2007, held the record for most pass completions in professional football until surpassed by Brett Favre on December 23, 2007,^[2] and held the record for most pass attempts in professional football history until surpassed by Brett Favre on December 14, 2008.

Contents 1 Early years 2 College career 2.1 College statistics 3 Professional career 3.1 Canadian Football League 3.1.1 CFL statistics 3.2 National Football League 3.2.1 NFL statistics 4 Awards 5 Personal life 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

Early years

Moon was born in Los Angeles, California, as the middle child amongst six sisters. His father, Harold, was a laborer and died of liver disease when Moon was seven years old. His mother, Pat, was a nurse, and Warren learned to cook, sew, iron and housekeep to help take care of the family. He decided early on that he could play only one sport in high school because he had to work the rest of the year to help the family. He chose not only to play football but to be a quarterback since he found that he could throw a football longer, harder, and straighter than anyone he knew.^{[3][4][5][6][7][8]}

He enrolled at Alexander Hamilton High School, using the address of one of his mother's friends to gain the advantages of a better academic and athletic reputation than his neighborhood high school could offer. He had little playing time until his junior year, when he took over as varsity starting quarterback. In his senior season, they reached the city playoffs, and Moon was named to the all-city team.^[3][7]

College career

He was recruited by a number of colleges, but some wanted to convert Moon to another position as was the norm for many major colleges recruiting black high school quarterbacks.^[9] Moon decided to attend West Los Angeles College in 1974–75 where he was a record-setting quarterback. After Moon showed his ability at West L.A., only a handful of four-year colleges showed interest in signing him. Offensive Coordinator Dick Scesniak of the University of Washington, however, was eager to sign the rifle-armed Moon. Moon was adamant that he play quarterback and considered himself to be perhaps a slightly above-average athlete who was either too small, too slow, or not strong enough to play other positions.^[10] The Huskies went 11–11 in Moon's first 2 seasons as a starter; but during his senior year, Moon led the Don James coached Huskies to a 27–20 win over the favored University of Michigan Wolverines in the 1978 Rose Bowl and was named the game's Most Valuable Player on the strength of two short touchdown runs and a third quarter 28-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Robert "Spider" Gaines.

College statistics

Year	Comp	Att	Comp %	Passing	TD	INT
1976	81	175	46.3	1106	6	8
1977	125	222	56.3	1772	12	9

Professional career

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Canadian Football League

Despite his collegiate success, Warren Moon went undrafted in the National Football League. Many pundits believe that it was because Moon was black and refused to switch positions — Moon has stated in interviews that before the draft some scouts advised him to switch to tight end. With no takers in the NFL, he turned to the Canadian Football League. Moon signed with the Edmonton Eskimos, where he and Tom Wilkinson shared signal-calling duties and helped lead the Eskimos to an unprecedented five consecutive Grey Cup victories in 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982.^[11] Notably, in the 1981 Grey Cup, the quarterback of the opposing team was J.C. Watts. Moon won the offensive Grey Cup Most Valuable Player award in the 1980 and 1982 games. In his final CFL season of 1983, Moon threw for a league record 5,648 yards, and won the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award. Throughout his CFL career, Moon amassed 1,369 completions on 2,382 attempts (57.4 completion percentage) for 21,228 yards and 144 touchdown passes. He also led his team to victory in 9 of 10 postseason games. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Edmonton Eskimos Wall of Honour. In 2006, he was ranked fifth on a list of the greatest 50 CFL players presented by Canadian sports network TSN.

CFL statistics

Year	Team	G	Passing Att.-Comp.	Yards	Pct.	TD	Int.
1978	Edmonton	15	173-89	1,112	0.514	5	7
1979	Edmonton	16	274-149	2,382	0.544	20	12
1980	Edmonton	16	331-181	3,127	0.547	25	11
1981	Edmonton	15	378-237	3,959	0.627	27	12
1982	Edmonton	16	562-333	5,000	0.592	36	16
1983	Edmonton	16	664-380	5,648	0.572	31	19
Totals		94	2,382-1,369	21,228	0.575	144	77

National Football League

Moon's decision to enter the NFL touched off a bidding war for his services, won by the Houston Oilers. However, with the NFL field being so much shorter and narrower than the CFL's, Moon had a difficult adjustment period. Even so, he still threw for a franchise record 3,338 yards in his first season with Oilers in 1984. It was only in 1986 when Oilers head coach Jerry Glanville found ways to best utilize Moon's strong arm that he began having success. In 1987, a season shortened by a players' strike that eliminated the third week of the regular NFL season, the Oilers posted a 9–6 record. It was the Oilers' first winning season since 1980, when Bum Phillips was the head coach and Ken "The Snake" Stabler was the quarterback. Moon then passed for 237 yards and a touchdown while leading the Oilers to a 23–20 overtime win over the Seattle Seahawks in the wildcard round of the playoffs in his first NFL postseason game.

Before the start of the 1989 season, Moon was given a 5 year, $10 million contract extension, which made him the highest paid player in the National Football League at that time.^[12] In 1990, Moon led the league with 4,689 passing yards. He also led the league in attempts (584), completions (362), and touchdowns (33), and tied Dan Marino's record with nine 300-yard games in a season. That included throwing for 527 yards against Kansas City on December 16, 1990, the second most passing yard ever in a single game.^[13] The following year, he again led the league in passing yards 4,690. At the same time, he joined Marino and Dan Fouts as the only quarterbacks to post back-to-back 4,000-yard seasons. Moon also established new NFL records that season with 655 attempts and 404 completions. In 1991, Moon threw for a career-high 655 passes.

In 1992, Moon played only 11 games due to injuries, but still managed to lead the Oilers to a 10–6 record, including a victory over the Buffalo Bills in the final game of the season. Moon and the Oilers then faced the Bills again in the first round of the AFC playoffs. Aided by Moon's 222 passing yards and 4 touchdowns in the first half, Houston built up a 28–3 halftime lead, and then increased it to 35–3 when Buffalo quarterback Frank Reich's first pass of the third quarter was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. But the Bills managed to storm back with 5 unanswered second half touchdowns to take a 38–35 lead with time running out in the final period. Moon managed to lead the Oilers on a last second field goal drive to send the game into overtime, but threw an interception in the extra period that set-up Buffalo kicker Steve Christie's game winning field goal. It was the largest comeback victory in NFL history and is now known in NFL Lore simply as The Comeback. Moon finished the game with 36 completions for 371 yards and 4 touchdowns, with 2 interceptions.

1993 was the Houston Oilers' best season with Warren Moon under center — and it would also be his last season with the team. The Oilers went 12–4 and won the old AFC Central division crown, but lost to Joe Montana and the Kansas City Chiefs 28–20 in the divisional round of the playoffs.

As a Houston Oiler, Moon set a franchise record for wins with 70, which stood until Steve McNair broke it in 2004, long after the team had become the Tennessee Titans.

He was traded to the Minnesota Vikings after the season, where he passed for over 4,200 yards in each of his first two seasons, but missed half of the 1996 season with a broken collarbone. After the season he signed with the Seattle Seahawks as a free agent. The Vikings' starting quarterback job was given to Brad Johnson and Moon was released after he refused to take a $3.8 million pay cut to serve as Johnson's backup.^[14] After a two year stint in the Pacific northwest, an aging Moon signed as a free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs as a backup in 1999.^[15] He played in only three games in 2 years with the Chiefs before announcing his retirement in January 2001.

Combining his NFL and CFL stats, Moon's numbers are nearly unmatched in professional football annals: 5,357 completions in 9,205 attempts for 70,553 yards and 435 touchdowns. Even if his Canadian League statistics are discounted, Warren Moon's career is still exceptional: 3,988 completions for 49,325 yards, 291 touchdown passes, 1,736 yards rushing, and 22 rushing touchdowns. Warren Moon also holds individual NFL lifetime records for most fumbles recovered 56 and most fumbles made 162.^[16]. Moon was in the top 5 all-time when he retired for passing yards, passing touchdowns, pass attempts, and pass completions.^[17]

During his NFL career, Warren Moon was named to nine Pro Bowl games (1988–1995, 1997). Moon currently works as a broadcaster for the Seattle Seahawks on both TV and radio. On the radio, he is co play-by-play announcer with former Seattle Seahawks receiver Steve Raible, who is the lead play-by-play announcer and evening anchor/sports anchor for KIRO-TV in Seattle. He was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006, becoming both the first Canadian Football Hall of Famer, first undrafted quarterback and the first African-American quarterback to be so honored. Moon was elected in his first year of eligibility. The Tennessee Titans retired his number at halftime on October 1 vs the Dallas Cowboys.

NFL statistics

Year	Team	G	Passing Att.-Comp.	Yards	Pct.	TD	Int.	Sacks-Lost	Passer Rating
1984	Houston	16	450-259	3,338	0.576	12	14	47-371	76.9
1985	Houston	14	377-200	2,709	0.531	15	19	46-366	68.5
1986	Houston	15	488-256	3,489	0.525	13	26	41-332	62.3
1987	Houston	12	368-184	2,806	0.500	21	18	25-198	74.2
1988	Houston	11	294-160	2,327	0.544	17	8	12-120	88.4
1989	Houston	16	464-280	3,631	0.603	23	14	35-267	88.9
1990	Houston	15	584-362	4,689	0.620	33	13	36-252	96.8
1991	Houston	16	655-404	4,690	0.617	23	21	23-174	81.7
1992	Houston	11	346-224	2,521	0.647	18	12	16-105	89.3
1993	Houston	15	520-303	3,485	0.583	21	21	34-218	75.2
1994	Minnesota	15	601-371	4,264	0.617	18	19	29-235	79.9
1995	Minnesota	16	606-377	4,228	0.622	33	14	38-277	91.5
1996	Minnesota	8	247-134	1,610	0.543	7	9	19-122	68.7
1997	Seattle	15	528-313	3,678	0.593	25	16	30-192	83.7
1998	Seattle	10	258-145	1,632	0.562	11	8	22-140	76.6
1999	Kansas City	1	3-1	20	0.333	0	0	0-0	57.6
2000	Kansas City	2	34-15	208	0.441	1	1	5-46	61.9
Totals		208	6,823-3,988	49,325	0.584	291	233	458-3,415	80.9
Playoff Totals		10	403-259	2,834	0.643	17	14	n/a-n/a	85.8

Awards

• 9× Pro Bowl selection (1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997)
• 3× All-Pro selection (1988, 1989, 1990)
• 5× Grey Cup champion
• 2001 Enshrined on Eskimos' Wall of Fame
• 1990 NEA NFL MVP
• 1990 NFL Offensive Player of the Year
• 1990 UPI AFL-AFC Player of the Year
• 1989 Man of the Year
• 1997 Pro Bowl MVP
• 1982 Grey Cup MVP
• 1980 Grey Cup MVP
• 1983 CFL Most Outstanding Player
• 1983 Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy
• 1978 Rose Bowl MVP
• 1977 Pac 8 Player of the Year
• Oilers/Titans Career Passing Yards Leader with 32,685
• Tennessee Titans#1 Retired
• Hall of Fame

Personal life

Moon married the former Felicia Fontenot Hendricks on March 8, 1981. Felicia's and Warren's daughter, Blair, was a member of Tulane's Women's Volleyball team.

On July 18, 1995, Warren reportedly had a violent confrontation with his wife Felicia. She told detectives that he had slapped her, choked her, and chased her when she fled in a car. In a July 21 press conference, Warren apologized for a "tremendous mistake" and said he would seek counseling. Despite Felicia's desire for the police not to press charges, Warren was arrested for misdemeanor assault and went to trial in February 1996; he was acquitted.^[18]

On April 6, 2007, Moon was arrested for suspicion of DUI after being stopped for speeding in Kirkland, a suburb of Seattle. The charges were later reduced to first-degree negligent driving after Moon registered breath-alcohol levels of 0.068 and 0.067 at the police station in the hours following his arrest. Moon pleaded guilty to the negligent driving charge and was sentenced to 40 hours of community service, a $350 fine and drug and alcohol awareness classes.^[19]

On December 28, 2007, Moon was again arrested for suspicion of DUI after refusing to take a field sobriety test and breathalyzer test while being stopped for expired tags in the Seattle suburb of Medina. He was also initially arrested for driving with a suspended license, but this was later dropped and attributed to incorrect data in the Washington State Department of Licensing's records.^[20] Moon pled not guilty to the DUI charges at a February 5, 2008 arraignment.^[21]

Moon's biography, Never Give Up on Your Dream: My Journey, is now available. The book, co-written by Don Yaeger, covers the ups and downs of Moon's professional career and personal life off the field.

See also

• All-Time Professional Passing Statistics (CFL/NFL)
• History of African Americans in the Canadian Football League#Black quarterbacks

References

1. ^ "Damon Allen Career Stats". http://www.cfl.ca/index.php?module=roster&func=display&ros_id=1. Retrieved 2008-01-02. 
2. ^ "Brett Favre Career Stats". http://www.nfl.com/players/brettfavre/careerstats?id=FAV540222. Retrieved 2008-01-02. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "Warren Moon". Contemporary Black Biography (The Gale Group, Inc). 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/warren-moon. Retrieved 2009-02-16. 
4. ^ Plaschke, Bill (2006-07-30). "Moon Made His Position Clear From Start". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2006/jul/30/sports/sp-plaschke30. Retrieved 2009-02-16. 
5. ^ Bishop, Greg (2006-07-30). "The man that is Moon". The Seattle Times. http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20060730&slug=moon30. Retrieved 2009-02-16. 
6. ^ George, Thomas (1990-10-21). "Moon: He Wears No. 1, And He's Playing Like It". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE1D91239F932A15753C1A966958260. Retrieved 2009-02-16. 
7. ^ ^{a b} "Warren Moon Biography". sports.jrank.org. http://sports.jrank.org/pages/3310/Moon-Warren.html. Retrieved 2009-02-16. 
8. ^ "Warren Moon's enshrinement speech transcript". Pro Football Hall of Fame. 2006-08-05. http://www.profootballhof.com/history/release.jsp?release_id=2179. Retrieved 2009-02-16. 
9. ^ "Moon's Minute: My Recruitment Experience". http://www.nflhs.com/News/PlayersSpotlight/MoonMinute_11092001_sim.asp. Retrieved 2007-01-19. 
10. ^ "How Warren Moon Improved His Athleticism In High School". http://www.nflcflfutures.com/NFLCFLFuturesNews03/0911.html. Retrieved 2007-01-19. 
11. ^ "CFL Legends >> Warren Moon". http://www.cfl.ca/index.php?module=page&id=62. Retrieved 2007-01-22. 
12. ^ "Moon Says New Pact Is Richest in N.F.L.". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE2D6113AF93BA35757C0A96F948260. Retrieved 2007-01-19. 
13. ^ "Individual Records: Passing". NFL Records. http://www.nfl.com/history/randf/records/indiv/passing. 
14. ^ "Vikings Release Moon". http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07EEDD103EF931A15751C0A961958260&sec=&spon=. Retrieved 2007-01-19. 
15. ^ "Moon Joins Chiefs". http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9507E3D9153DF934A15757C0A96F958260&sec=&spon=. Retrieved 2007-01-19. 
16. ^ "www.nfl.com/history/randf/records/indiv/fumbles". http://www.nfl.com/history/randf/records/indiv/fumbles. 
17. ^ "Football records and Leaderboards". http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/. 
18. ^ "Out of Bounds: Professional Sports Leagues and Domestic Violence." Harvard Law Review, 109:1048–1049, 1996.
19. ^ "Hall of Famer Moon pleads guilty to negligent driving". http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420ap_fbn_moon_negligent_driving.html. Retrieved 2008-01-29. 
20. ^ "Details of Warren Moon incidents emerge". http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/moore/349164_moore29.html?source=mypi. Retrieved 2008-01-29. 
21. ^ "In DUI case, Moon pleads not guilty". http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/seahawks/2004164086_moon05.html. Retrieved 2008-02-05. 

External links

• Pro Football Hall of Fame: Member profile
• Warren Moon at Pro-Football-Reference.com
• Leigh Steinberg Sports & Entertainment Website
• Warren Moon-CFL Legend
• Warren Moon's Edmonton Eskimos Stats
• Canadian Football Hall of Fame profile
• Canadian Football League Hall of Fame Bio by CFL.CA

Sporting positions
Preceded by Chris Rowland	Washington Huskies Starting Quarterbacks 1975-77	Succeeded by Tom Porras
Preceded by Oliver Luck	Houston Oilers Starting Quarterbacks 1984-1993	Succeeded by Bucky Richardson Billy Joe Tolliver
Preceded by Jim McMahon Sean Salisbury	Minnesota Vikings Starting Quarterbacks 1994-1996	Succeeded by Brad Johnson
Preceded by Rick Mirer	Seattle Seahawks Starting Quarterbacks 1997-1998	Succeeded by Jon Kitna
Preceded by Rich Gannon	Kansas City Chiefs 2nd String Quarterback 1999-2000	Succeeded by Todd Collins

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Richard C. Chapman Maurice "Bo" Ellis Herman Frazier Betsy King John Naber Rodney E. Slater	Silver Anniversary Awards (NCAA) Class of 2003 Debbie Brown Ann Meyers Drysdale Dale Kramer Kenneth MacAfee Warren Moon Gifford Nielsen	Succeeded by Trish Millines Dziko Bruce Furniss Virginia Gilder Stacey Johnson Gregory Kelser Kellen Winslow
Preceded by Vince Evans	Rose Bowl MVP 1978	Succeeded by Charles White Rick Leach

v • d • e Washington Huskies starting quarterbacks Heinrich • Mitchell • Lederman • Cox • Roake • Ferguson • Dunn • Hivner • Schloredt • Ohler • Siler • Douglas • Hullin • Sparlin • Manke • Kaloper • Willis • Sixkiller • Rowland • Moon • Porras • Flick • Pelluer • Millen • Chandler • Conklin • Brunell • Hobert • D. Huard • B. Huard • Tuiasosopo • Pickett • Paus • Stanback • Locker • Fouch

v • d • e NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award from the Associated Press 1972: Brown • 1973: Simpson • 1974: Stabler • 1975: Tarkenton • 1976: Jones • 1977: Payton • 1978: Campbell • 1979: Campbell (×2) • 1980: Campbell (×3) • 1981: Anderson • 1982: Fouts • 1983: Theismann • 1984: Marino • 1985: Allen • 1986: Dickerson • 1987: Rice • 1988: Craig • 1989: Montana • 1990: Moon • 1991: Thomas • 1992: Young • 1993: Rice (×2) • 1994: Sanders • 1995: Favre • 1996: Davis • 1997: Sanders (×2) • 1998: Davis (×2) • 1999: Faulk • 2000: Faulk (×2) • 2001: Faulk (×3) • 2002: Holmes • 2003: Lewis • 2004: Manning • 2005: Alexander • 2006: Tomlinson • 2007: Brady • 2008: Brees

v • d • e Walter Payton Man of the Year Award 1970: Unitas · 1971: Hadl · 1972: Lanier · 1973: Dawson · 1974: Blanda · 1975: Anderson · 1976: Harris · 1977: Payton · 1978: Staubach · 1979: Greene · 1980: Carmichael · 1981: Swann · 1982: Theismann · 1983: Benirschke · 1984: Lyons · 1985: Stephenson · 1986: Williams · 1987: Duerson · 1988: Largent · 1989: Moon · 1990: Singletary · 1991: Muñoz · 1992: Elway · 1993: Thomas · 1994: Seau · 1995: Esiason · 1996: Green · 1997: Aikman · 1998: Marino · 1999: Carter · 2000: Flanigan & Brooks · 2001: Bettis · 2002: Vincent · 2003: Shields · 2004: Dunn · 2005: Manning · 2006: Brees & Tomlinson · 2007: Taylor · 2008: Warner

v • d • e Bart Starr Man of the Year Award 1988: Largent | 1989: Munoz | 1990: Singletary | 1991: White | 1992: Byrd | 1993: Moon  | 1994: Carter | 1995: Slater | 1996: Green | 1997: Fryar & Jones | 1998: Robinson | 1999: Williams | 2000: Matthews  | 2001: Woodson  | 2002: Dilfer | 2003: Brooks  | 2004: Vincent | 2005: Martin | 2006: Lynch | 2007: Tomlinson | 2008: Dunn

v • d • e Edmonton Eskimos starting quarterbacks Stukus • Berry • Filchock • Arnold • Faloney • Parker • Getty • Amedee • Redell • Kerbow • Baker • Cosentino • Kerbow • Fulton • Trull • Lemmerman • Wilkinson • Moon • Dunigan • Allen • Ham • Allen • Bell • Vargas • McManus • Archer • Kemp • Greene • Maas • Ray • Maas • Ray • LeFors • Ray

v • d • e Edmonton Eskimos 66th Grey Cup Champions 1 Warren Moon | 7 Pete Lavorato | 8 Hank Ilesic | 10 Bruce Lemmerman | 12 Tom Wilkinson | 13 Larry Highbaugh | 15 Stuart Lang | 18 John Farlinger | 20 Tom Towns | 21 Don Warrington | 22 Tom Scott | 23 Angelo Santucci | 24 Ed Jones | 25 Jim Germany | 26 Dave Cutler | 28 Greg Butler | 29 Joe Hollimon | 30 Dale Potter | 31 Pat McNeil | 32 Larry Washington | 34 Ian Bryans | 40 Barry Kowalski | 42 Danny Kepley | 50 Willie Martin | 53 Bob Howes | 55 Ron Estay | 56 Ted Milian | 57 Eric Upton | 60 Charlie Turner | 62 Bill Stevenson | 63 Hector Pothier | 64 David Boone | 65 Dave Fennell | 69 York Hentschel | 71 Waddell Smith | 72 John Konihowski | 75 Derrick Glanton | 76 George McGowan | 77 Brian Fryer Head Coach: Hugh Campbell Coaches: Dan Daniel | Joe Faragalli | Don Matthews | Cal Murphy President: Matt Baldwin

v • d • e Edmonton Eskimos 67th Grey Cup Champions 1 Warren Moon | 7 Pete Lavorato | 8 Hank Ilesic | 10 Bruce Lemmerman | 12 Tom Wilkinson | 13 Larry Highbaugh | 15 Stuart Lang | 20 Tom Towns | 21 Don Warrington | 22 Tom Scott | 23 Angelo Santucci | 24 Ed Jones | 25 Jim Germany | 26 Dave Cutler | 27 Marco Cyncar | 28 Greg Butler | 29 Joe Hollimon | 30 Dale Potter | 34 Ian Bryans | 37 Emilio Fraietta | 42 Danny Kepley | 45 Dave Zacharko | 53 Bob Howes | 55 Ron Estay | 56 Ted Milian | 57 Eric Upton | 59 Leo Blanchard | 61 Jimmy Walker | 62 Bill Stevenson | 63 Hector Pothier | 64 David Boone | 65 Dave Fennell | 67 Michael Wilson | 69 York Hentschel | 70 Brian Kelly | 71 Waddell Smith | 72 John Konihowski | 77 Brian Fryer Head Coach Hugh Campbell Coaches Dan Daniel | Joe Faragalli | Don Matthews | Cal Murphy

v • d • e Edmonton Eskimos 68th Grey Cup Champions 1 Warren Moon | 7 Pete Lavorato | 8 Hank Ilesic | 9 Brian Broomell | 12 Tom Wilkinson | 13 Larry Highbaugh | 14 Maurice Burton | 15 Stuart Lang | 18 Mike McLeod | 20 Tom Towns | 21 Don Warrington | 22 Tom Scott | 23 Angelo Santucci | 24 Ed Jones | 25 Jim Germany | 26 Dave Cutler | 28 Greg Butler | 29 Joe Hollimon | 30 Dale Potter | 32 Neil Lumsden | 37 Emilio Fraietta | 38 Harry Walters | 40 James Parker | 42 Danny Kepley | 44 Mark Wald | 53 Bob Howes | 55 Ron Estay | 56 Ted Milian | 57 Eric Upton | 59 Leo Blanchard | 62 Bill Stevenson | 63 Hector Pothier | 64 David Boone | 65 Dave Fennell | 67 Michael Wilson | 69 York Hentschel | 70 Brian Kelly | 72 John Konihowski | 73 Randy Simmrin | 74 Ernest Pough | 75 Danny Buggs | 77 Brian Fryer | 83 Waddell Smith | 95 Dan Kearns Head Coach Hugh Campbell Coaches Dan Daniel | Joe Faragalli | Don Matthews | Cal Murphy

v • d • e Edmonton Eskimos 69th Grey Cup Champions 1 Warren Moon | 7 Pete Lavorato | 8 Hank Ilesic | 9 Brian Broomell | 12 Tom Wilkinson | 13 Larry Highbaugh | 15 Stuart Lang | 18 Mike McLeod | 20 Tom Towns | 22 Tom Scott | 23 Angelo Santucci | 24 Ed Jones | 25 Jim Germany | 26 Dave Cutler | 27 Marco Cyncar | 28 Gary Hayes | 29 Joe Hollimon | 30 Dale Potter | 31 Sean Kehoe | 32 Neil Lumsden | 34 John Pointer | 37 Emilio Fraietta | 40 James Parker | 42 Danny Kepley | 44 Mark Wald | 53 Bob Howes | 54 Ken Walter | 55 Ron Estay | 56 Ted Milian | 57 Eric Upton | 59 Leo Blanchard | 62 Bill Stevenson | 63 Hector Pothier | 64 David Boone | 65 Dave Fennell | 70 Brian Kelly | 71 Waddell Smith | 75 Bill Manchuk | 77 Brian Fryer | 95 Dan Kearns Head Coach: Hugh Campbell Coaches: Dan Daniel | Bruce Lemmerman | Don Matthews | Cal Murphy

v • d • e Edmonton Eskimos 70th Grey Cup Champions 1 Warren Moon | 4 Wendell Williams | 8 Hank Ilesic | 10 Michael Williams | 11 Cliff Olander | 13 Larry Highbaugh | 18 Mike McLeod | 20 Tom Towns | 22 Tom Scott | 23 Angelo Santucci | 24 Ed Jones | 25 Jim Germany | 26 Dave Cutler | 27 Marco Cyncar | 28 Gary Hayes | 29 Joe Hollimon | 30 Dale Potter | 31 Sean Kehoe | 32 Neil Lumsden | 36 Nereo Bolzon | 37 Emilio Fraietta | 38 Greg Marshall | 40 James Parker | 42 Danny Kepley | 53 Dan Butcher | 54 Ken Walter | 55 Ron Estay | 56 Ted Milian | 57 Eric Upton | 59 Leo Blanchard | 62 Bill Stevenson | 63 Hector Pothier | 64 David Boone | 65 Dave Fennell | 67 Rod Connop | 68 Harry Doering | 70 Brian Kelly | 71 Waddell Smith | 73 Mike Levenseller | 75 Bill Manchuk | 77 Brian Fryer | 78 Ralph Dixon | 79 Mark de Brueys | 88 Tom Tuinei | 95 Dan Kearns Head Coach: Hugh Campbell Coaches: Gene Gaines | Bruce Lemmerman | Don Matthews | Cal Murphy

v • d • e Houston Oilers / Tennessee Oilers / Tennessee Titans starting quarterbacks Blanda • Lee • Trull • Beathard • Johnson • Pastorini • Dickey • Hadl • Stabler • Manning • Nielsen • Luck • Moon • Carlson • Richardson • Tolliver • Chandler • McNair • O'Donnell • Volek • Young • Collins

v • d • e Minnesota Vikings starting quarterbacks Shaw • Tarkenton • Vander Kelen • Berry • Kapp • Cuozzo • Lee • Snead • Kramer • Dils • Wilson • Manning • Adams • Gannon • Salisbury • McMahon • Moon • Johnson • Cunningham • George • Culpepper • Bouman • Wynn • Frerotte • Jackson • Holcomb • Bollinger • Favre

v • d • e Seattle Seahawks starting quarterbacks Zorn • Krieg • Mathison • Kemp • Gelbaugh • Mirer • Friesz • Moon • Kitna • Foley • Huard • Dilfer • Hasselbeck • Wallace • Frye

v • d • e Dallas Texans / Kansas City Chiefs starting quarterbacks Davidson • Enis • Dawson • Duncan • Beathard • Lee • Livingston • Adams • Fuller • Kenney • Blackledge • Stevens • Seurer • Hudson • DeBerg • Jaworski • Pelluer • Vlasic • Krieg • Montana • Bono • Gannon • Grbac • Moon • Green • Huard • Croyle • Thigpen • Cassel

v • d • e Tennessee Titans Retired Numbers #1 Warren Moon • #34 Earl Campbell • #43 Jim Norton • #63 Mike Munchak • #65 Elvin Bethea • #74 Bruce Matthews

v • d • e Quarterbacks in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Pre-Modern Era Baugh • Clark • Conzelman • Driscoll • Friedman • Herber • Luckman • Parker Modern Era Aikman • Blanda • Bradshaw • Dawson • Elway • Fouts • Graham • Griese • Jurgensen • Kelly • Layne • Marino • Montana • Moon • Namath • Starr • Staubach • Tarkenton • Tittle • Unitas • Van Brocklin • Waterfield • Young

v • d • e Canadian Football League Most Outstanding Player Award 1953: Billy Vessels • 1954: Sam Etcheverry • 1955: Pat Abbruzzi • 1956: Hal Patterson • 1957: Jackie Parker • 1958: Jackie Parker (2×) • 1959: Johnny Bright • 1960: Jackie Parker (3×) • 1961: Bernie Faloney • 1962: George Dixon • 1963: Russ Jackson • 1964: Lovell Coleman • 1965: George Reed • 1966: Russ Jackson (2×) • 1967: Peter Liske • 1968: Bill Symons • 1969: Russ Jackson (3×) • 1970: Ron Lancaster • 1971: Don Jonas • 1972: Garney Henley • 1973: George McGowan • 1974: Tom Wilkinson • 1975: Willie Burden • 1976: Ron Lancaster (2×) • 1977: Jimmy Edwards • 1978: Tony Gabriel • 1979: David Green • 1980: Dieter Brock • 1981: Dieter Brock (2×) • 1982: Condredge Holloway • 1983: Warren Moon • 1984: Willard Reaves • 1985: Mervyn Fernandez • 1986: James Murphy • 1987: Tom Clements • 1988: David Wiliams • 1989: Tracy Ham • 1990: Mike Clemons • 1991: Doug Flutie • 1992: Doug Flutie (2×) • 1993: Doug Flutie (3×) • 1994: Doug Flutie (4×) • 1995: Mike Pringle • 1996: Doug Flutie (5×) • 1997: Doug Flutie (6×) • 1998: Mike Pringle (2×) • 1999: Danny McManus • 2000: Dave Dickenson • 2001: Khari Jones • 2002: Milt Stegall • 2003: Anthony Calvillo • 2004: Casey Printers • 2005: Damon Allen • 2006: Geroy Simon • 2007: Kerry Joseph • 2008: Anthony Calvillo (2×)

v • d • e NFL on TNT Related programs Sunday Night Football · ESPN Sunday Night Football Related articles NFL on television · Results (1990-1997) · 1982 NFLPA "all-star games" Commentators Play-by-play Skip Caray (1990–1991) · Gary Bender · (1992–1994) · Verne Lundquist (1995–1997) Color commentatory Pat Haden (1990–1997) · Mark May (1997) Sideline reporters Craig Sager (1990–1997) Studio hosts Ernie Johnson (1990-1994) · Vince Cellini (1995-1997) Studio analysts Lawrence Taylor (1994) · Warren Moon (1995) · Mark May (1995-1996) · Randall Cunningham (1996) · Keith Jackson (1997) · Sean Jones (1997)

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