Warren Moon
190199
225494572
2008-07-14T00:11:11Z
Yankees10
4268551
{{For|the footballer (soccer player)|Warren Moon (footballer)}}
{{Infobox NFLretired
|image=Halo3LaunchInSeattle WarrenMoon.jpg
|caption=<small>Warren Moon at [[Halo 3]] launch in [[Seattle]]</small>
|position=[[Quarterback]]
|number=1
|birthdate={{birth date and age|1956|11|18}}<BR>[[Los Angeles, California]]
|debutyear=1978
|finalyear=2000
|undraftedyear=1978
|college=[[University of Washington|Washington]]
|teams=<nowiki></nowiki><!--This forces MediaWiki to recognize the first bullet. Kind of a workaround to a bug.-->
* [[Edmonton Eskimos]] ([[1978 CFL season|1978]]-[[1983 CFL season|1983]])
* [[Tennessee Titans|Houston Oilers]] ([[1984 NFL season|1984]]-[[1993 NFL season|1993]])
* [[Minnesota Vikings]] ([[1994 NFL season|1994]]-[[1996 NFL season|1996]])
* [[Seattle Seahawks]] ([[1997 NFL season|1997]]-[[1998 NFL season|1998]])
* [[Kansas City Chiefs]] ([[1999 NFL season|1999]]-[[2000 NFL season|2000]])
|stat1label=[[Touchdown|TD]]-[[Interception (football)|INT]]
|stat1value=291-233
|stat2label=Yards
|stat2value=49,325
|stat3label=[[Passer rating|QB Rating]]
|stat3value=80.9
|nfl=MOO057675
|highlights=<nowiki></nowiki><!--This forces MediaWiki to recognize the first bullet. Kind of a workaround to a bug.-->
* 9x [[Pro Bowl]] selection ([[1989 Pro Bowl|1988]], [[1990 Pro Bowl|1989]], [[1991 Pro Bowl|1990]], [[1992 Pro Bowl|1991]], [[1993 Pro Bowl|1992]], [[1994 Pro Bowl|1993]], [[1995 Pro Bowl|1994]], [[1996 Pro Bowl|1995]], [[1998 Pro Bowl|1997]])
* 3x [[All-Pro]] selection (1988, 1989, 1990)
* 5x [[Grey Cup]] champion
* 1990 [[Newspaper Enterprise Association|NEA NFL MVP]]
* 1990 [[NFL Offensive Player of the Year]]
* 1990 [[UPI AFL-AFC Player of the Year]]
* 1989 [[Walter Payton Man of the Year Award|Man of the Year]]
* 1997 [[Pro Bowl MVP]]
* 1982 [[Grey Cup MVP]]
* 1980 [[Grey Cup MVP]]
* 1983 [[CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award|CFL Most Outstanding Player]]
* 1978 [[Rose Bowl (game)|Rose Bowl MVP]]
* Oilers/Titans Career Passing Yards Leader with 32,685
* [[Tennessee Titans#Retired Numbers|Tennessee Titans #1]] Retired
|CFHOF=24&player=Moon,%20Warren
|HOF=256
}}
'''Harold Warren Moon''' (born [[November 18]], [[1956 in sports|1956]] in [[Los Angeles, California]]) is a former [[American football|American]] and [[Canadian football]] [[quarterback]] who played for the [[Canadian Football League]]'s [[Edmonton Eskimos]] and the [[National Football League]]'s [[Tennessee Titans|Houston Oilers]], [[Minnesota Vikings]], [[Seattle Seahawks]] and [[Kansas City Chiefs]]. He is currently a broadcaster for the [[Seattle Seahawks]].
He is the only player ever to be enshrined by both the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] and [[Canadian Football Hall of Fame]]. ([[Bud Grant]] is also enshrined in both, but as a coach.) 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]] <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cfl.ca/index.php?module=roster&func=display&ros_id=1|title=Damon Allen Career Stats|accessdate=2008-01-02}}</ref>
, held the record for most passing touchdowns in professional football until surpassed by [[Brett Favre]] on [[November 22]], [[2007]], and held the record for most pass completions in professional football until surpassed by Brett Favre on [[December 23]], [[2007]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nfl.com/players/brettfavre/careerstats?id=FAV540222|title=Brett Favre Career Stats|accessdate=2008-01-02}}</ref> He still holds the record for most pass attempts in professional football history with 9,205.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cfl.ca/index.php?module=page&id=441|title=CFL.CA Regular SEason All-Time Leaders|accessdate=2008-01-15}}</ref>
==Biography==
===College years===
Moon attended [[Alexander Hamilton High School (Los Angeles)|Hamilton High School]] in [[Los Angeles, California]]. He was recruited by a number of colleges, but some, like [[UCLA]], wanted to convert Moon to another position as was the norm for many major colleges recruiting [[African American|black]] high school quarterbacks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nflhs.com/News/PlayersSpotlight/MoonMinute_11092001_sim.asp|title=Moon's Minute: My Recruitment Experience|accessdate=2007-01-19}}</ref> 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., the [[University of Washington]] was one of the few four-year colleges that was willing to sign the rifle-armed Moon, who was adamant that he play quarterback, considering himself to be perhaps a slightly above-average athlete who was either too small, too slow, or not strong enough to play other positions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nflcflfutures.com/NFLCFLFuturesNews03/0911.html|title=How Warren Moon Improved His Athleticism In High School|accessdate=2007-01-19}}</ref> The Huskies went 11-11 in Moon's first 2 seasons as a starter; but during his senior year, Moon led the Huskies to a 27-20 win over the favored [[Michigan Wolverines|University of Michigan Wolverines]] in the [[1978 in sports|1978]] [[Rose Bowl (game)|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.
===CFL career===
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, his only alternative was the [[Canadian Football League]]. Moon signed with the [[Edmonton Eskimos]], where he and [[Tom Wilkinson (football player)|Tom Wilkinson]] shared signal-calling duties and helped lead the Eskimos to an unprecedented five consecutive [[Grey Cup]] victories in [[66th Grey Cup|1978]], [[67th Grey Cup|1979]], [[68th Grey Cup|1980]], [[69th Grey Cup|1981]] and [[70th Grey Cup|1982]].<ref name=CFL>{{cite web|url=http://www.cfl.ca/index.php?module=page&id=62|title=CFL Legends >> Warren Moon|accessdate=2007-01-22}}</ref> Of note is that 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 CFL season|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 in sports|2001]] and the Edmonton Eskimos [[Edmonton Eskimos#Wall of Honour|Wall of Honour]]. In 2006, he was #5 on a list of the [[TSN Top 50 CFL Players|greatest 50 CFL players]] presented by Canadian sports network [[The Sports Network|TSN]].
===NFL career===
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 in sports|1986]] when Oilers head coach [[Jerry Glanville]] found ways to best utilize Moon's strong arm that he began having success. In [[1987 in sports|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 in sports|1980]], when [[Bum Phillips]] was the head coach and [[Ken Stabler|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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE2D6113AF93BA35757C0A96F948260|title=Moon Says New Pact Is Richest in N.F.L.|accessdate=2007-01-19}}</ref> 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. 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 35-38 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 (American football)|The Comeback]]. Moon finished the game with 36 completions for 371 yards and 4 touchdowns, with 2 interceptions.
[[1993 in sports|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|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 in sports|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 (American football)|Brad Johnson]] and Moon was released after he refused to take a $3.8 million pay cut to serve as Johnson's backup.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07EEDD103EF931A15751C0A961958260&sec=&spon=|title=Vikings Release Moon|accessdate=2007-01-19}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9507E3D9153DF934A15757C0A96F958260&sec=&spon=|title=Moon Joins Chiefs|accessdate=2007-01-19}}</ref> 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.
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. He was elected into the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] in 2006, becoming both the first [[Canadian Football Hall of Fame]]r, 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 stats====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
{| cellpadding="4"
! Year
! Team
! G
! Passing<BR>Att.-Comp.
! Yards
! Pct.
! TD
! Int.
! Sacks-Lost
! Passer Rating
|-
| 1984
| Houston
| 16
| 450-259
| 3,338
| .576
| 12
| 14
| 47-371
| 76.9
|-
| 1985
| Houston
| 14
| 377-200
| 2,709
| .531
| 15
| 19
| 46-366
| 68.5
|-
| 1986
| Houston
| 15
| 488-256
| 3,489
| .525
| 13
| 26
| 41-332
| 62.3
|-
| 1987
| Houston
| 12
| 368-184
| 2,806
| .500
| 21
| 18
| 25-198
| 74.2
|-
| 1988
| Houston
| 11
| 294-160
| 2,327
| .544
| 17
| 8
| 12-120
| 88.4
|-
| 1989
| Houston
| 16
| 464-280
| 3,631
| .603
| 23
| 14
| 35-267
| 88.9
|-
| 1990
| Houston
| 15
| 584-362
| 4,689
| .620
| 33
| 13
| 36-252
| 96.8
|-
| 1991
| Houston
| 16
| 655-404
| 4,690
| .617
| 23
| 21
| 23-174
| 81.7
|-
| 1992
| Houston
| 11
| 346-224
| 2,521
| .647
| 18
| 12
| 16-105
| 89.3
|-
| 1993
| Houston
| 15
| 520-303
| 3,485
| .583
| 21
| 21
| 34-218
| 75.2
|-
| 1994
| Minnesota
| 15
| 601-371
| 4,264
| .617
| 18
| 19
| 29-235
| 79.9
|-
| 1995
| Minnesota
| 16
| 606-377
| 4,228
| .622
| 33
| 14
| 38-277
| 91.5
|-
| 1996
| Minnesota
| 8
| 247-134
| 1,610
| .543
| 7
| 9
| 19-122
| 68.7
|-
| 1997
| Seattle
| 15
| 528-313
| 3,678
| .593
| 25
| 16
| 30-192
| 83.7
|-
| 1998
| Seattle
| 10
| 258-145
| 1,632
| .562
| 11
| 8
| 22-140
| 76.6
|-
| 1999
| Kansas City
| 1
| 3-1
| 20
| .333
| 0
| 0
| 0-0
| 57.6
|-
| 2000
| Kansas City
| 2
| 34-15
| 208
| .441
| 1
| 1
| 5-46
| 61.9
|-
! colspan="2" | Totals
| 208
| 6,823-3,988
| 49,325
| .584
| 291
| 233
| 458-3,415
| 80.9
|-
! colspan="2" | Playoff Totals
| 10
| 403-259
| 2,834
| .643
| 17
| 14
| n/a-n/a
| 85.8
|}
==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. Following his retirement, Moon has become a well-known fantasy football fan. He and fellow QB [[Erik Kramer]] host a fantasy football sports show, "Ultimate Fantasy Football", during the season on Fox Sports Net. Moon serves as a [[color commentator]] on the Seahawks' radio broadcasts, and has also provided commentary on preseason TV broadcasts for the Seahawks and Titans.
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 refusal to press charges, Warren was arrested for misdemeanor assault and went to trial in February 1996; he was acquitted.<ref>"Out of Bounds: Professional Sports Leagues and Domestic Violence." ''Harvard Law Review'', 109:1048–1049, 1996.</ref>
On [[April 6]], [[2007]], Moon was arrested for suspicion of [[DUI]] after being stopped for speeding in [[Kirkland, Washington|Kirkland]], a suburb of Seattle. The charges were later reduced to first-degree negligent driving after Moon registered breath-alcohol levels of .068 and .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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420ap_fbn_moon_negligent_driving.html|title=Hall of Famer Moon pleads guilty to negligent driving|accessdate=2008-01-29}}</ref>
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, Washington|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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/moore/349164_moore29.html?source=mypi|title=Details of Warren Moon incidents emerge|accessdate=2008-01-29}}</ref> Moon pled not guilty to the DUI charges at a [[February 5]], [[2008]] arraignment.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/seahawks/2004164086_moon05.html|title=In DUI case, Moon pleads not guilty|accessdate=2008-02-05}}</ref>
Unbeknownst to many bar-going NFL fans, Warren Moon has a drink bearing his name. The recipe is simply 3 parts sour, 1 part soda.
==References==
<references/>
== External links ==
*''Pro Football Hall of Fame:'' [http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?player_id=256 Member profile]
*{{pro-football-reference|id=MoonWa00|name=Warren Moon}}
* [http://www.cfl.ca/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=609 Warren Moon-CFL Legend]
* [http://www.geocities.com/cfl_historical/Moon.Warren.htm Warren Moon's Edmonton Eskimos Stats]
* [http://www.footballhof.com/famers/player.asp?id=151 Canadian Football Hall of Fame profile]
* [http://www.urbancelebritynews.com/2006/08/08/warren-moon-becomes-the-first-black-qb-in-canton-ohio/ Warren Moon Becomes the First Black QB in Canton Ohio] by Urban Celebrity News
{{s-start-collapsible|header={{s-sports}}}}
{{succession box | title=[[Washington Huskies Starting Quarterbacks]]| before=[[Chris Rowland]] | years=1975-77| after=[[Tom Porras]]}}
{{succession box | title=Houston Oilers Starting Quarterbacks | before=[[Oliver Luck]] | years=1984-1993| after=[[Bucky Richardson]]<br />[[Billy Joe Tolliver]]}}
{{succession box | title=Minnesota Vikings Starting Quarterbacks | before=[[Jim McMahon]]<br /> [[Sean Salisbury]] | years=1994-1996| after=[[Brad Johnson (American football)|Brad Johnson]]}}
{{succession box | title=[[Seattle Seahawks Starting Quarterbacks]]| before=[[Rick Mirer]] | years=1997-1998| after=[[Jon Kitna]]}}
{{succession box | title=Kansas City Chiefs 2nd String Quarterback| before=[[Rich Gannon]]| years=1999-2000| after=[[Todd Collins (quarterback)|Todd Collins]]}}
{{end}}
{{s-start-collapsible|header={{s-ach}}}}
{{succession box | title=[[Silver Anniversary Awards (NCAA)]] | before=[[Richard C. Chapman]]<br />[[Bo Ellis|Maurice "Bo" Ellis]]<br />[[Herman Frazier]]<br />[[Betsy King]]<br />[[John Naber]]<br />[[Rodney E. Slater]] | years='''''Class of 2003'''''<br />[[Debbie Brown]]<br />[[Ann Meyers|Ann Meyers Drysdale]]<br />[[Dale Kramer]]<br />[[Ken MacAfee|Kenneth MacAfee]]<br />[[Warren Moon]]<br />[[Gifford Nielsen]] | after=[[Trish Millines Dziko]]<br />[[Bruce Furniss]]<br />[[Virginia Gilder]]<br />[[Stacey Johnson]]<br />[[Greg Kelser|Gregory Kelser]]<br />[[Kellen Winslow]] }}
{{succession box | title=[[Rose Bowl Game#Game MVPs|Rose Bowl MVP]] <br /> 1978 | before=[[Vince Evans]] | after=[[Charles White]]<br />[[Rick Leach]] |years=}}
{{s-end}}
{{AP Offensive Players of the Year}}
{{Walter Payton Man of the Year Award}}
{{EskimosQuarterback}}
{{TitansQuarterbacks}}
{{VikingsQuarterbacks}}
{{SeahawksQuarterbacks}}
{{Titans Retired Numbers}}
{{2006 Football HOF}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moon, Warren}}
[[Category:1956 births]]
[[Category:People from Los Angeles, California]]
[[Category:Washington Huskies football players]]
[[Category:Canadian football quarterbacks]]
[[Category:CFL MOP Award winners]]
[[Category:Edmonton Eskimos players]]
[[Category:Grey Cup champions]]
[[Category:Houston Oilers players]]
[[Category:Minnesota Vikings players]]
[[Category:Seattle Seahawks players]]
[[Category:Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks]]
[[Category:American Conference Pro Bowl players]]
[[Category:National Conference Pro Bowl players]]
[[Category:Pro Football Hall of Fame]]
[[Category:Canadian Football Hall of Fame]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:National Football League announcers]]
[[Category:Undrafted National Football League players]]
[[Category:African American sportspeople]]
[[de:Warren Moon]]
[[fr:Warren Moon]]
[[it:Warren Moon]]