One of the most prolific passers in pro football history, Warren Moon didn't immediately step into the role of franchise quarterback in the NFL like many legendary signal-callers before him had. In fact, because he ended his college career at a time when many unwisely doubted the ability of the black quarterback in general to succeed at the pro level, he wasn't considered a top QB prospect coming out of college and ended up going undrafted.

Resisting the efforts of coaches to convert him to another position -- from the time he was recruited to play college football and leading up to his availability in the NFL Draft -- Moon was determined to prove his abilities as a passer, and took his talents, following a solid career at the University of Washington, to the Canadian Football League instead.

As a member of the Edmonton franchise of the CFL, Moon helped lead the Eskimos to an unprecedented five consecutive Grey Cup victories in his first five seasons in the league. He won championship game MVP honors in both the 1980 and 1982 games.

In 1983, his last season in the league, Moon threw for a league record 5,648 yards, and won the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award. Over the course of his Canadian career, which spanned six seasons, he threw for 21,228 yards and 144 touchdowns, completing 57.4% of his passes. He also won nine of the ten postseason contests he appeared in.

In 1984, deciding to test his abilities in the NFL, Moon offered his services to the league.

The Houston Oilers, coached by Moon's former coach in Edmonton (Hugh Campbell), outbid the competition and signed him to a free agent contract.

Moon put up solid numbers from the beginning, setting an Oilers franchise record with 3,338 yards in his first season with the team. Then he topped that mark himself two years later by throwing for 3,489 yards. Considered one of the better quarterbacks in the league by that time, Moon had quieted just about all his critics. Other teams were also coming to the realization that they had made a big mistake in passing him over years before in the NFL Draft.

It wasn't until 1990, however, that Moon really stepped out as a prolific NFL passer. Over the next two seasons, 1990 and 1991, Moon averaged more than 4,600 yards passing and totaled 56 touchdown passes. He won Offensive Player of the Year honors for his performance in 1990, and also tied Dan Marino's record with nine 300-yard games in a season.

Moon went on to have some great years with the Vikings as well after a trade sent him to Minnesota in 1994. In his first two seasons with the club, he threw for more than 4,200 yards each year. He later played two seasons with the Seattle Seahawks before finishing out the final two years of his career as a backup with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Incredibly, despite his NFL career not starting until six years after he left the University of Washington, Moon retired in the top 5 all-time for passing yards, passing touchdowns, pass attempts, and pass completions. He ended up throwing a total of 3,988 completions for 49,325 yards and 291 touchdown passes, which puts him among the top NFL quarterbacks of all time.

When combined, his NFL and CFL statistics are almost astronomical. Overall, he threw for more than 70,000 yards and recorded 435 touchdowns passes. During his NFL career, he was named to nine Pro Bowl games (1988–1995, 1997) and received All Pro honors three times (1988-90). He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006, making him one of only two people to be enshrined in both. The other being legendary head coach Bud Grant, who led the Winnepeg Blue Bombers to four Grey Cup titles and the Minnesota Vikings to four Super Bowl appearances.

Born: Harold Warren Moon - November 18, 1956 - Los Angeles, California
Drafted: Moon went undrafted by the NFL and signed with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League.
Years Played:1978-83 (CFL), 1984-2000 (NFL)
Position Played: Quarterback
Uniform Number: 1
Played For:
Edmonton Eskimos (1978–1983)
Houston Oilers (1984–1993)
Minnesota Vikings (1994–1996)
Seattle Seahawks (1997–1998)
Kansas City Chiefs (1999–2000)
College: Washington

Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame: 2006
Other Members Inducted in 2006:
Troy Aikman
Harry Carson
John Madden
Reggie White
Rayfield Wright

NFL Career Statistics
• Passing - 3,988 completions on 6,823 attempts for 49,325 yards, 291 touchdowns, and 233 interceptions.
• Career Passer Rating: 80.9
• Rushing - 543 attempts for 1,736 yards and 22 touchdowns.

NFL Highlights
• Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (2006)
• Selected for the Pro Bowl 9 Times (1988-95, 1997
• Selected First-Team All-Pro 3 Times (1988-90)
• Named Offensive Player of the Year (1990)
• Named Pro Bowl MVP (1998)
• Walter Payton Man of the Year Award Winner (1989)