Warren Moon

Career: There is no place for a quarterback to hide. It’s the glamour position on the football team. It’s the one player on the squad whom even the most lukewarm of fans pay attention to. So recapping the highlights of a career such as Warren Moon’s, who came to Houston as a $6M free agent from Canada and left after ten years with practically every passing record in franchise history, is going to seem like a story you’ve heard before. But look again.

As an African-American kid growing up in Los Angeles, to a star for a Rose Bowl champion Washington team, to the premier player in the Canadian Football League to NFL legend, Warren always seemed to have something to prove. And everywhere he went, he made his point. That he couldn’t convert Grey Cup titles into Super Bowl titles shouldn’t be held against him. He had good days in many of the Oilers’ playoff losses. He wasn’t playing defense when John Elway, Joe Montana, Bubby Brister and Frank Reich stabbed Houston in the heart yet again. But as the quarterback, Moon got too much of the glory and too much of the blame. It comes with the territory.

When Moon graduated from Washington, black quarterbacks in the NFL were rare and generally unsuccessful. Willie Thrower, Marlin Briscoe and Joe Gilliam had tried before him. Doug Williams was treated like a pioneer when he was chosen in the first round by Tampa Bay in 1978. Many still clung to outdated ideas that blacks weren’t smart enough to play the position or that they weren’t natural leaders. A few, particularly in the south, probably feared a fan backlash as well. So Warren was urged to become a running back or a safety. At 6’3", 210lbs., he had the right size for either one; but he refused. He wanted to be a quarterback and when he was not chosen in the draft (which back then lasted 12 rounds), Warren signed with the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL. His arm and legs soon took him to five league titles.

Such accomplishments impressed so much that even the NFL couldn’t ignore him anymore. Besides, the USFL had begun draining rosters of talent. Warren was unwanted on draft day; six years later, the 27-year-old quarterback was an unrestricted free agent back when star players rarely had such freedom. The bidding narrowed down to Houston and Seattle. Houston had two things that gave them the advantage: There was no established starting quarterback in Houston in 1983 and the Oilers had just hired his old Edmonton head coach, Hugh Campbell, who could help ease Moon’s transition.

It did not go smoothly. Moon was earning far more than the franchise running back and the offense was still designed for Earl Campbell’s talents, not Warren’s. The line was young and inconsistent. Moon pleaded to open up the offense. It took four seasons before he’d get his wish. Jerry Glanville started the wave toward three-receiver sets in Houston, then his replacement, Jack Pardee, went full-bore with the Run-n-Shoot.

In ten years with Houston, Moon attempted more passes (4,546), completed more passes (2.632), threw for more touchdowns (196) and had a higher completion percentage (57.9%) than any Oiler before him, including Hall of Famer George Blanda, who generaled a high-octane offense of his own back in the AFL days. Warren threw for 33,685 yards, 38 300-yard performances, 4 400-yard performances and one remarkable 527-yard game which threatened the all-time league mark. Warren ranks behind only Dan Marino and John Elway for career yards and completions. He is fourth in career touchdowns. And what he compiled in Canada doesn’t even count or he’d lead the pack in all three.

Before Moon came to Houston, the Oilers had made a postseason appearance in seven of 24 seasons. Beginning in 1987, with Moon under center, the Oilers made seven in a row. Admittedly, they were the most talented squads Houston had ever seen and many were let down that the Oilers never reached as much as an AFC Championship Game during the Moon era. More was expected than achieved, but it doesn’t take away from the accomplishments, including the only two AFC Central crowns in Oiler history.

Off the field, Warren was also a leader, lending his name, time and money to a host of charitable causes. He embraced Houston as much as the city embraced him.

But the bloom started to fade in 1993. After being benched early in the season, Moon returned and led a run of eleven consecutive wins. Though he threw for over 300 yards and a touchdown, Warren fumbled three times and was picked off once in a disappointing playoff loss to Kansas City. Nobody knew it at the time, but it was the 36-year-old’s final game in a Houston uniform.

Warren was traded to Minnesota the next spring in a mismanaged deal. He played three seasons with the Vikings and later with Seattle and Kansas City before finally hanging up the spikes. By the time he retired, the black quarterback was no longer an NFL novelty. And for his accomplishments both on and off the field in advancing the quarterbacking position, Moon was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

Houston Highlight: It looked like another long season when the 1985 Oilers fell behind defending AFC Champ Miami in the season opener. Houston trailed at home, 13-0. But then Moon hit halfback Butch Woolfolk in stride on the post route for an 80-yard score. Later, trailing 23-19 late in the fourth quarter, Warren connected with Drew Hill for a 48-yard catch-and-run. Then he converted on two fourth-down passes to keep the drive alive, culminating in a 26-23 upset victory.

by Bob Hulsey
HoustonProFootball.com

Warren Moon’s career stats YR COM ATT % YDS TD INT 1984 259 450 57.6 3,338 12 14 1985 200 377 53.1 2,709 15 19 1986 256 488 52.5 3,489 13 26 1987 184 368 50 2,806 21 18 1988 160 294 54.4 2,327 17 8 1989 280 464 60.3 3,631 23 14 1990 362 584 62 4,689 33 13 1991 404 655 61.7 4,690 23 21 1992 224 346 64.7 2,521 18 12 1993 303 520 58.3 3,485 21 21 Totals 2,632 4,546 57.9 33,685 196 166 Warren Moon Home

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