Warren Moon.

Warren Moon. Warren Moon, born in 1956, American football player, a quarterback who starred in both the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the National Football League (NFL). At the time he retired Moon had amassed more passing yards than any other quarterback in professional football history (combining his CFL and NFL totals). In his first year of eligibility, Moon was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Harold Warren Moon was born in Los Angeles, California. He attended the University of Washington in Seattle, where he was the starting quarterback on the football team. In 1977 he won honors as the Pacific-10 Conference player of the year, and he was named most valuable player (MVP) of the Rose Bowl. Despite these achievements, Moon was not selected in the NFL draft. Instead he signed with the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL. Moon led the Eskimos to five consecutive Grey Cup victories (1978-1982) and passed for more than 21,000 yards during his six years in the league. In his last CFL season in 1983, he threw for 5,648 yards, setting a single-season record for a pro football quarterback. The NFL's Houston Oilers (now Tennessee Titans) signed Moon to a free-agent contract in 1984. That season he passed for 3,338 yards, and two seasons later he topped that by throwing for 3,489 yards. In 1990 Moon led the league in passing yards (4,689), completions (362), and touchdown passes (33), and he tied an NFL record by recording nine games with at least 300 yards passing. The following year he completed 404 passes in 655 attempts, setting NFL records in both categories and leading the Oilers to the playoffs. In 1993 Moon guided the Oilers to a first-place finish in the American Football Conference (AFC) Central Division. In 1994 the Oilers traded Moon to the Minnesota Vikings. In his first year with the team he ranked first in the National Football Conference (NFC) and third in the NFL in passing yards (4,264) and completions (371), setting Vikings team records in both categories. In 1997 Moon returned to Seattle, signing a free-agent contract with the Seattle Seahawks. In 1999 he joined the Kansas City Chiefs and played two seasons before retiring. Despite spending his first six professional seasons in the CFL, Moon managed to compile 49,325 passing yards during his 17 years in the NFL, the third highest total in league history at the time of his retirement. He also threw for 291 touchdowns and rushed for 1,736 yards and 22 more touchdowns. Including his 21,228 passing yards with the Eskimos, Moon passed for 70,553 yards during his pro football career. In 2006 Moon was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the first African American quarterback so honored. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.