On a bright sunny September day in 2003 during my junior year at the University of Washington a friend and I were making our way to seats at a home football game at Husky Stadium when I saw a familiar face. “Warren!” I shouted and made my way over for a hug. After exchanging pleasantries I turned back to my friend whose eyes were as big as saucers.
“That was Warren Moon, and you called him Warren,” he said. As the daughter of a former UW Husky and 1978 Rose Bowl Champion (Antowaine Richardson) I personally knew a lot of the guys from that era, including Spider Gaines, Michael Jackson and Nesby Glasgow. I nodded, not comprehending the big deal at first. “You KNOW Warren Moon?” he asked. “But…that’s Warren Moon.”
It was at that moment I first started to realize the larger than life impact this particular former UW Husky had on others, especially young men of color. After helping to establish the start of what would become the Golden Era of Don James at the UW, Moon would go on to become a five-time Grey Cup Champion in the Canadian Football League with the Edmonton Eskimos before joining the select group of African American quarterbacks in the NFL. His illustrious NFL career started with the Houston Oilers where he won the NFL’s Man of the Year Award in 1989, the Walter Camp Man of the Year Award in 1993 and the Bart Starr Man of the Year Award in 1994. He later went on to play for the Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs before retiring as a nine-time Pro Bowler and setting several all-time professional football passing records. Three years after our meeting in Husky Stadium, Moon would become the first (and at the time this article goes to print, still the only) African American quarterback inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame.
Recently I asked Moon, who is currently a color commentator for the Seahawks radio network, if he was aware of the impact he had and continues to have on football fans and players alike.
“I really wasn’t aware [I had that kind of impact],” Moon said. “I was inspired by others before me. Guys like James Harris, Marlon Brisco, and Doug Williams. I knew they had the opportunity and if I would handle myself on the field and with class I would have the same opportunity.”
Even though he may not have realized the impact he had on others while on the field, Moon has since made it a mission to reach out to the next generation of African American quarterbacks mentoring star athletes such as Russell Wilson and Cam Newton who he mentored early in Newton’s professional career – focusing on his transition from college to pro football.
“He’s really matured a lot,” Moon said regarding Newton. “He’s a really good kid, comes from a good family. People don’t see that because of some of the on field antics.”
“It’s a hard transition to go from college to pro,” Moon continued. “All you’ve really known [as a student] is going to school and being an athlete. You don’t always see the other things coming at you. ..People should know they see a lot of negative things about athletes in the news but they don’t always see the positive things they’re doing.”
Moon knows this from personal experience. For him, doing good for others didn’t start at retirement. It was something that’s always been a part of his life and career.
“I’ve just been very community-minded in my adult years partly because I had that in my youth. Whether it was sports, bible school, cub scouts or boy scouts – all those things helped mold me in the right direction.”
It was Leigh Steinberg, Moon’s manager and inspiration for the film Jerry Maguire, who taught him about community service and charitable works.
“[He] helped to teach me how to get involved in the community,” said Moon. “It was about giving back to the fans who help pay your salary. He also taught me that it helps to create relationships that you never know how it would impact your career down the road.”
Since then Moon has created two entities. The non-profit Crescent Moon Foundation and Sports 1 Marketing, which is part of Warren Moon Enterprises. The non-profit often teams up with the marketing and event organization to raise scholarship funds for underprivileged youth as well as an annual fundraising dinner during the weekend of the Pro Bowl for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
David Meltzer, CEO of Sports 1 Marketing, has been involved in the Crescent Moon Foundation scholarship program for the past year when operations were moved from Houston to Los Angeles.
“Warren and I, our main mission together is to raise a lot of money, help a lot of people, and have a lot of fun,” said Meltzer, adding another personal mission they each have is to pay it forward by helping to empower and teach others how to continue to empower individuals and communities focusing on education.
“David has created some amazing partnerships including the Unstoppable Foundation and the local Irvine Public School Foundation,” said Executive Assistant Iris van der Meer who helps to oversee the scholarship distributions.
The Crescent Moon Foundation gives out an average of 10 scholarships per year up to $5,000 each with a focus on reaching students at Moon’s and Meltzer’s high school alma maters, as well as the cities where Moon has lived and played in. This year van der Meer said the Crescent Moon Foundation and Sports 1 Marketing has also matched the donation for the Irvine Public School Foundation’s first college scholarship. The winner of which will be announced this summer along with the Crescent Moon Foundation 2015 scholarship winners.
And Moon shows no signs of slowing down. As one of the most prolific passers in pro football history, the Hall of Fame inductee is aiming to expand his reach beyond his decorated football career.
Along with the continuation of the scholarship program, which is now in its 26th year, this March Moon will also be receiving the Unstoppable Foundation’s Humanitarian of the Year Award for his dedicated advocacy of higher education. Moon has partnered with the non-profit organization, which aims to bring sustainable education to children and communities in developing countries, for the Warren Moon Challenge (warrenmoonchallenge.org) dedicated to challenging University of Washington Alumni to sponsor a village in rural Kenya. Through the sponsorship 70 children will receive an education and daily nutritious meals and the village itself (350 people) will receive access to clean water, sanitation and healthcare. Parents of children will also receive employment training to earn an income. So far the Warren Moon Challenge has already raised $12,600 – half of its goal of $25,000.
“It’s an honor and privilege to not only be a part of the Crescent Moon Foundation but to also work alongside Warren Moon,” said Meltzer. “He’s a hero on and off the field.”
