Never Give Up on Your Dream

Inducted in 2006, Warren Moon is the only African-American quarterback in the NFL Hall of Fame. His path to success was neither easy nor assured. As a seven-year-old growing up in Los Angeles, he lost his father to alcoholism and helped his single mom raise six sisters. Playing football as a kid, coaches questioned whether, because he was black, he had the smarts to play quarterback. Repeatedly asked to switch to another position, Moon refused, knowing that he had both the ability and the intelligence. In college, he played at the University of Washington, beating the Michigan Wolverines in the Rose Bowl. Undrafted by the NFL, he went to Canada and played for the Edmonton Eskimos, leading his team to five consecutive championships. In 1984, he signed with the Houston Oilers and played for the Oilers, Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings, and Kansas City Chiefs over his 17-year career.