Houston Sports - Warren Moon

Warren Moon

Born: November 18, 1956

Sport: Football (5 time Grey Cup winner, 9 time Pro Bowl, Canadian Football Hall of Fame, Pro Football Hall of Fame) 

I know it's not football season, but this weekend was the NFL Draft and it seemed a good time to remember one of the greats that our city has supported.  The franchise that moved out of Houston when I was a kid made headlines by having the #1 pick, and a former Houston Oilers quarterback was gracious enough to present his retired jersey (sporting the number 1) to Cam Ward, the young man who was selected and will attempt to lead his team from the same position.  That man, Warren Moon, had one of the most unique and improbable career paths in football history, and was the first local QB that I rooted for. 

The Astrodome area during Warren Moon's first season with the Oilers

Warren Moon's childhood years were not easy, as he was the only boy in a family of seven children and his mother was forced to raise them alone after her husband, Harold, died of liver cancer.  Supporting such a large family as a nurse, Pat Moon made sure each of her children learned basic home skills so they could all chip in to help.  Young Warren displayed athletic talent early but was limited to a single sport due to time constraints.  He picked football and made the team, but didn't get much time on the field until he was named the varsity team starting quarterback as a junior.  He performed well enough to be named to the Los Angeles All City team, but the colleges that recruited him wanted Moon to switch positions, likely due to a prevalent mentality that trusted an African American's athleticism more than his intellect.  Rather than accept the change, Warren opted to take the community college route, becoming a record-setting passer as a freshman at nearby West Los Angeles College.  The University of Washington decided to give him a chance to run the offense, so in 1975 Moon headed north to join the Huskies. 

After two mediocre seasons in the Pac 8 Conference, Warren Moon finally blossomed into the quarterback that Washington hoped he'd become, leading his team to a conference title and an upset win over Michigan in the 1978 Rose Bowl.  Both the AP and Coaches polls ranked the Huskies in the top 10 at season's end, a significant improvement over previous years.  But despite his college success, Moon did not generate interest from the NFL.  Believing he would be a late draft pick and never have the opportunity to start, he chose instead to sign a contract with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League.  For five seasons he played in a two QB system, and the team won the championship, known as the Grey Cup, all five years.  In 1981 he married Felicia Hendricks, who he had known since high school, and with whom he has four children. After not reaching the title game during his sixth year in Edmonton, Moon decided to make his move to the NFL and from among his numerous suitors decided to sign with the Houston Oilers prior to the 1984 season, largely because they were coached by Hugh Campbell, who had led the Eskimos during their five title seasons.

Warren Moon had a long and distinguished tenure in the NFL, and helped Houston football earn its way back into relevance.  In 1987 the team returned to the postseason after an absence of six years, and Moon succeeded in getting the Oilers to the playoffs seven consecutive years.  Despite six straight Pro Bowl appearances and gaudy passing numbers that broke records and led him to become to highest-paid man in the league, Moon was unable to lead his team to a Super Bowl.  The team decided to rebuild and traded their star QB away to the Minnesota Vikings in 1994.  The Oilers would never again make the playoffs, as the franchise left Houston after the 1996 season and were known as the Tennessee Titans by the time they once again showed up in postseason play.  Moon, however, continued to have success in Minnesota by having two more Pro Bowl seasons and making the playoffs all three years.  An injury sidelined him during the 1996 season, costing him the starting job and ending his streak of Pro Bowls.  When he refused to reduce his pay in order to serve as a backup, Moon was cut from the team.  He got the last laugh, however, as he signed with the Seattle Seahawks for one last Pro Bowl season at the age of 41.

Over his final three seasons, one with Seattle and two with the Kansas City Chiefs, Warren Moon eventually lost his starting role and only played in a total of 13 games.  After starting his professional career in 1978, Moon threw his final TD pass in 2000 and retired after the season.  His NFL totals alone were notable, but when combined with his CFL marks he is virtually untouched in productivity.  He still holds franchise records from his time with the Oilers for pass attempts, pass completions, passing yards, and passing touchdowns, plus he retains certain single-season and playoff records with both Minnesota and Seattle, despite not having played for a quarter century.  Unfortunately for Moon, his playing career and his marriage ended the same year, but he returned to his old Seattle stomping grounds as a broadcaster for a number of years and remarried in 2005, this time to Mandy Ritter, with whom he had one son.  Working both the TV and radio broadcasts until 2017 with the Seahawks, he was finally given a Super Bowl ring in 2014 when the franchise defeated the Denver Broncos for their first and only title.  Over the years Moon has had his jersey retired by the Tennessee Titans (2006) and been induced into the Edmonton Eskimos Wall of Fame (2001), CFL Hall of Fame (2001), UW Ring of Honor (2013), and Pro Football Hall of Fame (2006).  Within the Pro Football HOF, he is the first from the CFL HOF, the first undrafted QB, and the first African American QB to be enshrined.  He has supported numerous charities, including the United Negro College Fund, Ronald McDonald House, and his own Crescent Moon Foundation, and has also served as a mentor to several young players, including Cam Newton, Russell Wilson, and the Houston Texans' current QB, C.J. Stroud.