H.R. No. 306 R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, During a stellar athletic career in which he has 1-2 excelled at all levels of play, Warren Moon has established himself 1-3 not only as a bona fide superstar by his exploits on the gridiron, 1-4 but also as an outstanding individual whose exemplary conduct on 1-5 and off the field have brought credit to himself and to the world 1-6 of sports; and 1-7 WHEREAS, Born in Los Angeles on November 18, 1956, he showed 1-8 exceptional ability at an early age, and, though playing in a 1-9 hotbed of football talent that at the time included several future 1-10 National Football League stars, he stood out above the rest, 1-11 winning recognition during his senior year in high school as the 1-12 most valuable player in the city and earning a berth on the 1-13 national high school All-America team; and 1-14 WHEREAS, After a year at West Los Angeles Junior College, the 1-15 gifted young quarterback transferred to the University of 1-16 Washington, where, under the careful tutelage of Coach Don James, 1-17 he showed remarkable poise under adverse conditions to emerge as 1-18 the unquestioned leader of the Huskies football team; and 1-19 WHEREAS, By his senior year, when he led the Washington 1-20 team to the PAC-8 Conference championship and a 27-20 upset of the 1-21 favored Michigan Wolverines in the 1978 Rose Bowl, Mr. Moon had won 1-22 over legions of Huskies fans; in addition to leading his team to 1-23 victory, he also garnered well-deserved individual honors, 1-24 including laurels as the 1977 PAC-8 player of the year and as the 2-1 most valuable player of the 1978 Rose Bowl; and 2-2 WHEREAS, Overlooked by NFL teams despite his superb 2-3 collegiate career and his powerful arm, Mr. Moon took his 2-4 considerable skills north to the Canadian Football League in the 2-5 fall of 1978; quarterbacking for the Edmonton Eskimos for six 2-6 years, he enjoyed phenomenal success as the Eskimos captured the 2-7 CFL championship trophy, the Grey Cup, five consecutive years; and 2-8 WHEREAS, Playing under Coach Hugh Campbell, he developed into 2-9 one of the CFL's most prolific passers, throwing for a record 5,648 2-10 yards in a single season in 1983 and setting another mark for most 2-11 passing yards in a single game with an incredible 555-yard 2-12 performance against the Montreal Alouettes on October 15 of that 2-13 year, two marks that had never before been achieved and that remain 2-14 unsurpassed in professional football history; and 2-15 WHEREAS, In 1984, the CFL's most valuable player and 2-16 three-time winner of the Grey Cup game's MVP award signed with the 2-17 Houston Oilers of the NFL's American Conference, rejoining his 2-18 former Eskimos coach, Hugh Campbell, who now helmed the Houston 2-19 team; and 2-20 WHEREAS, Despite a disappointing season for the Oilers, 2-21 Mr. Moon nevertheless showed glimpses of future greatness during 2-22 his first year with the team, passing for a team-record 3,338 yards 2-23 and being named to the 1984 all-rookie team by several national 2-24 sports publications; and 2-25 WHEREAS, Breaking his own club record for passing yardage in 2-26 a season several more times in the ensuing years, he eventually 2-27 guided the Houston team to the playoffs, and beginning in 1987, a 3-1 Moon-led Oiler team became a regular fixture in NFL postseason play 3-2 for the remainder of his stay in Houston; and 3-3 WHEREAS, Duplicating the success he had enjoyed in the CFL, 3-4 he became one of the league's premier quarterbacks, leading the 3-5 high-powered run-and-shoot Houston offense and setting or tying 3-6 several NFL passing records and earning numerous individual honors, 3-7 including several prestigious player of the year awards; and 3-8 WHEREAS, Off the field, he became one of the community's most 3-9 valuable citizens, setting a sterling example of involvement and 3-10 selfless public service; among the many worthy organizations to 3-11 which he has devoted his time and energy are the United Negro 3-12 College Fund, Urban League, Ronald McDonald House, Special 3-13 Olympics, March of Dimes, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Cystic 3-14 Fibrosis Foundation, American Heart Association, and Cerebral Palsy 3-15 Foundation; and 3-16 WHEREAS, The most notable of the charitable organizations 3-17 benefiting from Mr. Moon's generous concern for the well-being of 3-18 others is the Crescent Moon Foundation, which he founded in 1989 to 3-19 help raise funds for charities in the Houston area; the foundation 3-20 also provides academic college scholarships to deserving young men 3-21 and women in the community; and 3-22 WHEREAS, One of the most admired men in professional sports, 3-23 Warren Moon has displayed exceptional class to go with his superb 3-24 athletic ability, and his record of achievement in all aspects of 3-25 life is indeed worthy of special praise and recognition; now, 3-26 therefore, be it 3-27 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas 4-1 Legislature hereby commend Warren Moon on his outstanding athletic 4-2 career and his exemplary contributions to the betterment of his 4-3 community and extend best wishes for continued success in all of 4-4 his endeavors; and, be it further 4-5 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 4-6 prepared for Mr. Moon as an expression of high esteem by the Texas 4-7 House of Representatives.