Warren Moon
*Warren Moon was born on this date in 1956. He is a Black retired American football player.
Born in Los Angeles, California, Harold Warren Moon was the middle child of six sisters. His father, Harold, was a laborer who died of liver disease when Moon was seven. His mother, Pat, was a nurse, and Warren learned to cook, sew, iron, and housekeeping to help care for the family.
Early on, he decided 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 to play football as a quarterback since he could throw a football longer, harder, and straighter than anyone he knew. 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 became the varsity starting quarterback. In his senior season in 1973, they reached the city playoffs, and Moon was named to the all-city team.
Moon attended two-year West Los Angeles College and was a record-setting quarterback as a freshman in 1974; only a handful of four-year colleges showed interest in signing him. However, the offensive coordinator of the University of Washington in Seattle was eager to sign the rifle-armed Moon. Although he plays quarterback, Moon considered himself a slightly above-average athlete who lacked the size, speed, or strength to play other positions. Washington was 11–11 in Moon's first two seasons as a starter, but as a senior in 1977, he led the Huskies to the Pac-8 title and a 27–20 upset win in the Rose Bowl over Michigan. Moon was named the game's Most Valuable Player on the strength of two short touchdown runs and a third-quarter 28-yard touchdown pass.
Moon began his professional career with the Eskimos in 1978 after being undrafted in that year's National Football League Draft. His success during his six CFL seasons, five of which ended in Grey Cup victories, led to his signing by the Oilers in 1984. Over his 17 NFL seasons, Moon was named to nine Pro Bowls, received first-team All-Pro honors in 1990, and made seven playoff appearances. Following ten seasons with the Oilers, he had brief stints with the Vikings, Seahawks, and Chiefs before retiring in 2000.
At his retirement, his five consecutive Grey Cups from 1978 to 1982 remained a CFL record, and he was named Grey Cup MVP twice. Moon was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006, becoming the first Black and undrafted quarterback to receive the honor. He is also the only player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
