Moon reaches zenith with Hall vote

DETROIT – It was a day of firsts for Warren Moon and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Moon, the former Washington Huskies and Seattle Seahawks quarterback, on Saturday became the first African-American quarterback to be elected to the Hall of Fame. Moon was joined in the 2006 class by Troy Aikman, John Madden, Harry Carson, Rayfield Wright and the late Reggie White.

Moon was selected in his first year of eligibility.

“What a great day for me, my family and all my friends,” Moon said. “To be inducted on the first year, it’s mind-boggling.”

Moon’s numbers were never an issue. He passed for 49,325 yards and 291 touchdowns in 17 NFL seasons with Houston, Minnesota, Seattle and Kansas City. After leaving the Huskies he was shunned by the NFL and began his career in Canada, where he led Edmonton to five Grey Cup titles in six seasons while passing for 21,228 yards and 144 TDs.

“People didn’t think I could play the (quarterback position) coming out of college,” said Moon, who was inducted into the CFL Hall of Fame in 2001.

Moon’s resume lacked a Super Bowl appearance, but that wasn’t a sticking point with the 39 media members on the selection panel. The voters had two reduction votes, paring the 15 finalists to 10 and then to six. From that point, 80 percent approval was required for election.

“This means so many things in so many ways for me,” said Moon, who hasn’t decided on who will present him at induction ceremonies in August in Canton. “I think all the guys that have played the game before me as African-Americans have to share this a little bit, because we’ve made tremendous strides over the years.

“I really don’t want to make this a racial thing because it really shouldn’t be. But it is significant because it is the first, and whenever there’s a first it is significant. When Doug Williams was the first African-American quarterback to win a Super Bowl, I think that helped a lot of things as far as young black quarterbacks getting even more opportunities. This will be significant also to show that we’ve arrived at the pinnacle of our sport.”

Moon threw for 3,277 yards with 19 touchdowns and 17 interceptions at Washington from 1975-77. He was the Pac-8 player of the year as a senior when he led the Huskies to the Rose Bowl. That didn’t impress the NFL, where most teams viewed Moon as a defensive back, so he headed north.

“I wouldn’t take that (CFL) experience away for anything in the world,” Moon said. “I was able to refine my craft up there.”

Moon is an analyst on Seahawks radio broadcasts.

“If my team does what it’s supposed to do,” Moon said, “it could be a great, great weekend for me.”