Warren Moon

2015 CALIFORNIA SPORTS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE

Warren Moon, Hall of Fame Quarterback Warren Moon is an exceptional competitor, mentor and humanitarian. Heis a man who leads by example, encourages others to excel and readily gives 100percent of himself to everything he’s involved in. On and off the football field he has achieved great success due to his drive for perfection and his compassion for others.

Warren was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in September 2001 as a result of winning five championships in six years. To honor his achievements, a plaque was placed on the Wall of Honor In Commonwealth Stadium (home of the Edmonton Eskimos) in August 2001. Warren is one of only 21 persons to receive the honor. Despite spending his first six professional seasons in the CFL, Warren ranked third all-°©‐time in NFL passing yardage racking up nearly 50,000 passing yards in 17 NFL seasons and fourth in touchdown passes thrown at the time of his retirement. The Tennessee Titans (formerly the Houston Oilers) retired his number in 2006. In his first year of eligibility, Warren was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006 becoming the first undrafted quarterback and the first African-°©‐American quarterback to be so honored. Currently, Warren sits on the Board of Directors for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and continues to be an active member.

After his professional football career, Warren has continued his charitable endeavors. For the past 16 years, Warren has hosted an annual reception during the Pro Bowl benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where he currently sits on the advisory board. Warren founded his own non-°©‐profit organization, The Crescent Moon Foundation, in 1989. It is now more active than ever and is dedicated to providing support for educational pursuits need who have displayed a commitment to their community, as well as other charitable causes. As part of the Crescent Moon Foundation’s mission, the Rising Moon Scholarship Program awards ten scholarships of up to $5,000 annually to students that demonstrate a commitment to their community, excel in leadership and academics, and who are in need. Warren was named NFL’s man of the Year in 1989 for his work in the community. He regularly volunteers his time and expertise to a variety of charitable organizations that raise awareness and funds for communities in need. Warren generously donated $250,000 to his church, Windsor Village United Methodist Church, to build new community center.

Warren spent many years hosting an annual celebrity °©‐bowling tournament, which raised funds for the Urban Youth Scholarship Fund. He also co‐hosted many annual celebrity golf tournaments each year raising over 3 million dollars to benefit the Children’s Hospital of Seattle. He is a founding member of the Field Generals, an African‐American QB Club dedicated to molding young African‐American QB’s into future leaders. Additionally, he served as an ambassador for the NFL promoting the game of football to young people worldwide. Warren supports the initiatives of Practice Like Pros by making sure to allocate time to sit on panels to spread awareness of the consequences of head injuries during youth football. This program works to change legislation in order to establish minimal contact in high school football practices, therefore, teaching them to “practice like pros.” He works with and promotes the Beating the Odds Foundation in order to encourage real‐life role models that have overcome obstacles in their lives, and who have triumphed. For the last few years he has co-hosted an annual Los Angeles event in order to support the GEANCO Foundation, which leads special orthopedic medical missions, runs maternal and infant health programs, and supports Nigerian primary schools. Most recently, he was named the 2015 recipient of the Unstoppable Achievement award at the 6th Annual Unstoppable Gala. He is the first athlete to receive this award following last year's winner Malala Yousafzai, who recently won the Nobel Peace Prize. He is now an ambassador for the Unstoppable Foundation and helps to raise funds to create sustainable living and provide education to children and their families in Kenya.

Currently, Warren is the color analyst for the Seattle Seahawks and has worked with TNT, DirecTV, CBS Westwood One Radio, FOX Sports and as a Specialist with the NFL for pre‐season games. With ten years of experience as a partner at Leigh Steinberg Sports & Entertainment, Warren began Sports 1 Marketing in 2010 with David Meltzer, CEO at Leigh Steinberg. As the President and co‐founder, Warren leads Sports 1 Marketing to maximize the value of its clients by cultivating unique and lucrative business opportunities for corporate brands, elite athletes and strategic partners. The business is built on the foundation to make a lot of money, help a lot of people and have a lot of fun. Despite leaving the gridiron in 2000, Warren continues to lead by example, encouraging others to excel, and readily gives 100 percent of himself to all of his endeavors be it family, business, mentoring or humanitarian concerns.