Warren Moon Childhood

Harold Warren Moon was born on November 18, 1956 in Los Angeles, CA. He was the only boy among Pat and Harold Moon’s seven children. Warren’s father passed away when he was young, but his mother kept the family going. Moon knew how important it was to help around the house, and prioritized his time accordingly. He decided football would be the only sport he would commit to as he worked throughout the year.  

Warren Moon High School Stats and Awards

Warren played high school football at Hamilton High School in Los Angeles. He didn’t start at quarterback until his junior year. During his senior year, Moon led his team to the city playoffs and earned All-City honors. His high school success didn’t lead to any scholarship offers from major college football programs, so Moon had to take a different route to continue his football journey.

Warren Moon College Career Stats and Notes

After high school, Moon played football for West Los Angeles College, a two year school, before transferring to the University of Washington.   He started three years for the Huskies. Moon got his signature college moment in an upset win over Michigan in the Rose Bowl his senior year. He would also garner the game’s Most Valuable Player award. Moon ended his career at Washington with 3,465 passing yards and 20 TDs. 

Warren Moon NFL Career Stats and Notes

Moon entered the 1978 NFL Draft but was not selected. He decided to go to the Canadian Football League and signed with the Edmonton Eskimos. For six years, Moon dominated the league, leading his team to 5 Grey Cup victories. Individually his stats were stellar, throwing for over 21,000 yards and 144 TDs. In 1982, Moon became the first player in pro football history to throw for 5,000 yards in a season. Once wasn't enough so he did it again, throwing for 5,648 the following year. The two-time CFL MVP headed to the NFL after the 1983 season.

Moon signed with the Houston Oilers prior to the 1984 season. He had a tough start to his NFL career, as it wasn’t until 1987 that he would finish a season with more TDs than interceptions. From that point on Moon became one of the most prolific passers in the NFL. He was rewarded by the Oilers with the richest contract extension in the NFL in 1989. 

He continued putting up huge numbers but had little success in the playoffs. In 1994, the Oilers moved on from Moon and traded him to the Minnesota Vikings. Moon played for three teams the next 7 seasons. He would retire from the NFL in 2000 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006. 

Warren Moon and the Run and Shoot Offense

Warren Moon’s greatest years in the NFL came during a time when the Oilers ran the Run and Shoot offense. Although the 3 wide receiver, 1 back offense had been around for years, Moon and the weapons around him made it hard to defend. From 1990-1993, Moon put up historic passing numbers. He set an NFL record in 1991 with 404 completions and 655 pass attempts. In 1990 and 1991, he became the third QB at the time to throw for 4,000 yards in back to back season and led the league in passing yards both those seasons. In a game against the Kansas City Chiefs in 1990, Moon went wild throwing for a franchise record 527 yards, second most in NFL history. 

List of Pro Football Hall of Fame Members