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Stop by Profootballhof.com each week leading up to Bob and Randy’s interview. We’ll take a look back at that week’s featured Hall of Famer and recount his enshrinement day. The Hall’s research staff will also dig into the archives and hone in on events that helped shape the careers of these Hall of Fame legends.
 

This week’s guest: WARREN MOON, Class of 2006

That’s some Pop Warner Team

Warren Moon did not take the most typical path to Canton. Coming out of college, it appeared he had little to no chance of playing quarterback in the National Football League. So, he opted to travel north of the border and play in the Canadian Football League. Six seasons and five Grey Cups later, his determination paid off when the Houston Oilers signed him to an NFL contract in 1984. Moon made a quick adjustment to the NFL and played in the league for 17 seasons.

His decision to persevere in Canada as a quarterback was one he never regretted. As he stood at the podium in Canton’s Fawcett Stadium and delivered his enshrinement speech on August 5, 2006, he reflected, “A lot of people always ask me, ‘What would have happened if you had come to the National Football League instead of going to Canada?’ I never looked behind. I always looked forward. I always take advantage of the opportunities given me. That's what I did when I went to Canada.

“The Canadian people were so refreshing, so supportive of me. I had six of the greatest years of my life up there with those guys,” he continued. “I will never regret making that decision. So thank you, all of you people north of the border. Thank you, Canada.”

While Moon never gave up the dream of playing quarterback, it came with no help from his first football coach. That’s because Moon was placed at linebacker on his Pop Warner team. But, he wasn’t the only one on the squad playing “out of position.” That same coach put future Hall of Fame wide receiver James Lofton at defensive end!

 Watch Warren’s enshrinement speech>>>
 

Back-to-back 4k-seasons (twice)

Warren Moon’s strong arm was a perfect fit for the Houston Oilers’ “Run-n-Gun” offense that was implemented in the mid-1980s. By the early ‘90s he established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the league. In 1990, for the first time, he passed for more than 4,000 yards when he racked up 4,689 yards through the air and tossed 33 touchdowns to earn the AP Offensive Player of the Year Award. The following season he bested that yardage total by one yard when he threw for a career-high 4,690 yards to become just the third quarterback in NFL history to pass for 4,000 yards in consecutive seasons.

As if once wasn’t enough, Moon repeated the feat of back-to-back 4,000-yard seasons later in his career after he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings. Moon again proved to be the perfect fit for a high-octane offense run by the Vikings. He reached the 4,000-yard mark in his first two seasons with Minnesota in 1994 and 1995.

Today, he remains the only player in league history to have consecutive 4,000-yards seasons with two different teams.
 

More on Moon from Profootballhof.com
Warren Moon’s HOF Bio
Team Histories – Titans (Oilers) | Vikings | Seahawks | Chiefs
Photo Gallery – Warren Moon, Class of 2006
4,000-yard QBs
Top 20 career passing yardage leaders 

Join us this August for one of sports greatest events. Tickets and fan packages for the 2009 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival are on sale now>>>