Black History Month: The Life And Times Of Warren Moon

Although Warren Moon was overlooked time and again throughout his career, his perseverance led to an unusually long and extremely successful stint as a quarterback in the NFL. In addition to having to fight against the perception that he didn't have what it takes to lead an NFL team, he also had to fight against prejudice in a league that had few black quarterbacks. After being passed over by the NFL, Moon went to Canada and led his Edmonton Eskimos to five Grey Cups before being the subject of a bidding war among NFL teams. He would play professional football for 23 years and become the first quarterback to pass for over 60,000 yards in his career. Moon was the first 40-year-old to throw five touchdowns in a game and pass for 400 yards. He is also the only player in both the American and Canadian football halls of fame.