NFL great Warren Moon reflects on two Hall of Fame careers, favorite football cards

It’s a ritual on NFL Draft Day: Overrating a young quarterback that a team hopes will take it to the promised land.

Rick Mirer. Ryan Leaf. Jamarcus Russell. Robert Griffin III. Johnny Manziel.

Or, you’ll recall, the New England Patriots once waited until the sixth round to take a QB out of Michigan, a guy named Tom Brady. (How’d that work out?)

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Back in 1978, none of the 28 teams wanted to take a chance on a young quarterback out of the University of Washington. So, Warren Moon went to play in the Canadian Football League.

How did that work out for the CFL? Moon led the Edmonton Eskimos to an unprecedented five consecutive Grey Cup championships from 1978-82 and is considered one of the greatest CFL players of all time.

Flash ahead a couple decades, and Moon is the only player in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“I started wearing No. 1 in college because I always wanted to be the No. 1 guy,” Moon once said. “I always want to remind my teammates that I’m the man who can get it done.”

Bragging? No, a fact for Moon.

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Where does one catch up with the Hall of Famer, now 67 and not as elusive as he once was.

Earlier this year, Moon was in Gallup, N.M. as the guest speaker of the 33rd annual Rotary Club scholarship fundraiser at the Event Center at Red Rock State Park.

After autographing footballs, Oilers helmets and jerseys, Moon happily found time to chat with SCD contributor Gary Herron.

Have you been to New Mexico before, more than gassing up on I-40?

I remember coming in and speaking at the (2015 New Mexico Bowl) luncheon, and there were both teams there, and it was a fun event. I got to talk to some of the young players and I gave them some words of inspiration. It was a very positive visit for me.

What is your message for the Rotary audience and young people today?

I think the message I want to get across is we want to get as much money as we possibly can to fund scholarships, so young people have a chance to educate themselves and become successful in life. I think we’ve all kind of been helped out to get where we are. It’s our obligation to do the same thing for the next generation.

You’ve had many great moments in your two Hall of Fame careers, but what is your No. 1 memory?

Probably playing in the Rose Bowl and winning it in my senior year at Washington. We were huge underdogs against the University of Michigan. I had always watched that game on TV as a young kid growing up in Los Angeles, but never had a chance to attend it. Now, I’m getting a chance to play in it and be a captain and represent my school, win the game, and be the Most Valuable Player. It was a huge day for me—it put me and the university on the map that day.

Of all the QBs in the NFL today, do any of them remind you of that young Huskies QB in the 1970s?

I’ve been asked that question a lot. It’s really hard to compare people. I had the ability to move, but I also was a really good pocket passer and today there’s more guys that are playing well from the pocket. I may not be a Lamar Jackson as far as running, but I was a better passer, passing from the pocket. So, I don’t know; it’s really hard to say.

Do you have a favorite Warren Moon football card?

I do. I have a card that has a full moon (1990 Score No. 317) in it, and I love signing that card whenever somebody sends it to me.

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Do you have a Moon cave, with memorabilia from your career?

I don’t. I really never displayed all my stuff, except for a few years. I had an office, and I put some of my stuff up, and then after I moved the next time, I just kept it all kind of in storage. I have little things placed around the house; I still receive things, believe it or not. It’s not a sports shrine.

What is your approach to signing autographs?

I get [stuff] sent to my house, but I don’t know what the name of the site is. It’s an autograph site, though, but I can’t get rid of it. They won’t take it off, so I get mail all the time. (People often send money as fees, he noted.)

What is the oddest item you’ve ever autographed?

Probably a toilet seat.

Do you feel like you’re 67 years old?

People always ask me my age, and I tell them I’m 28. I’ll be 28 until I die.

What was your dream as a child?

My dream was to play in the National Football League. That dream turned into a goal once I got into college. I used to idolize O.J. Simpson [who died earlier that day] as a young kid, growing up in L.A. He played at USC; I grew up in Los Angeles, and he was the man. I thought at one point I wanted to play running back, because he was playing running back at USC. I quickly changed to quarterback after that.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

It came from my mom. She told me that you can do anything in life that you want to do if you’re willing to put in the hard work and be able to overcome the adversities that come along with it, because life is not a bowl of cherries—it’s tough. You’re gonna be told you’re not good enough; you’re going to be told no. It’s how you handle that.

What’s the best advice you would give?

That’s the same advice I would give them, because I’m living proof that it can happen for you. I stuck to that advice, and it’s not easy for everybody to do that. Everybody’s not built the same. But if you somehow have that toughness that you have so much confidence in your ability that you can be successful, then you should be able to get it done.

WARREN MOON

Born: Nov. 18, 1956 in Los Angeles

College: University of Washington (MVP of 1978 Rose Bowl, 27-0 win over Michigan).

Pro Teams: Edmonton Eskimos (CFL, 1978-83); Houston Oilers (1984-93); Minnesota Vikings (1994-96); Seattle Seahawks (1997-98); Kansas City Chiefs (1999-2000).

NFL passing yards: 49,325

Pro Bowls: 9 (1998 MVP)

Touchdowns: 291

Memorable Game: 4 TD passes in 41-38 overtime win over Buffalo in 1993 NFL playoffs.

CFL Hall of Fame: 2001

Pro Football Hall of Fame: 2006

Rookie Card: 1985 Topps #251

— Gary Herron has been covering high schools sports in the Albuquerque area for 45 years, and has been an official scorer of the Class AAA baseball team in Albuquerque dating back to 1983. He has contributed occasional stories to SCD since the 1990s.