Warren Moon
Warren Moon
Harold Warren Moonis an American former professional gridiron football quarterback who played for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League, and the Houston Oilers, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, and Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He is currently the color commentator for the Seahawks radio network, working alongside Steve Raible. He was the first African-American quarterback inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionFootball Player
Date of Birth18 November 1956
CityLos Angeles, CA
CountryUnited States of America
To be inducted in my first year of eligibility is mind-boggling. Not too many guys have had that happen.
When people talk about the great quarterbacks, it's almost exclusively the guys who have won Super Bowls. There have been some very good ones who hardly get mentioned because they never won the big one. I don't know if that's fair, but that's the way it is.
I think all the guys that have played in the game before me as African- Americans have to share in this a little bit. We've made tremendous strides over the years and I really don't want to make this a racial thing because it shouldn't be. But it is significant because it is the first and I think whenever there is a first it is significant. When Doug Williams was the first African-American quarterback to win a Super Bowl, I think that helped a lot of things as far as young black quarterbacks getting more opportunities. I think this will be significant also. It shows we have arrived at the pinnacle of our sport.
I think all of the guys who played the game before me who were African-American can share this with me. It is significant. Anytime there is a first, it is significant.
I know I had a guy who argued my case extremely well. But I also had to relegate myself to having to wait. I had to wait to get to a major college, and I had to wait to get to the NFL.
I'm as happy for the guys as if I had played in the football game. I'm so relieved. This franchise has been trying for so long and to finally get there is great.
He's one of those guys who has a tendency to sulk a little bit,
I don't want to make this a racial thing, but it's significant. I am very, very deeply honored to be involved with the rest of these guys in this great fraternity.
I don't want to make this a racial thing, but it is significant because it is the first. All the guys who played the game before me as African-Americans have to share in this a little bit. This is the crowning jewel to my career.
Sportsmanship is making sure you have respect for the guy you're playing across from.
It would be the story of the NFL so far this year,
Ben is so young, and he has so much to learn. Matt has arrived. But for the future, I would rather have Ben because of where he is going to go. His future is unlimited.
Doug Williams did a little bit of that when he won the Super Bowl, but this would take it to another level.
You look at me -- I played 17 years and didn't get one. That had a lot to do with how long I played. I was still chasing that elusive, one last goal that I had left to accomplish in my career. Unfortunately, it never happened. But I'll tell you what: I did try.