CFL.ca
Forty-two years ago, one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play in the CFL put his name on his first professional contract.
Warren Moon signed with the Edmonton Eskimos on April 12, 1978, just a few months after leading the Washington State Huskies to a Rose Bowl win.
Then-Esks GM Norm Kimball (a 1991 inductee to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame) would only say that it was a multi-year deal in Edmonton. Moon arrived in Edmonton just in time for the team’s five-in-a-row Grey Cup dynasty that stretched from 1978 to 1982. He became the full-time starting QB in 1980.
The headline in the Edmonton Journal from the day of Moon’s signing made the reasoning behind the move crystal clear. A black quarterback, Moon felt he wouldn’t get a fair shot at playing the position in the NFL.
“Feeling that a black quarterback’s chance of survival in the National Football League resembles a snowball’s chance in Alabama, Warren Moon has become an Edmonton Eskimo,” the Journal’s Ray Turchansky wrote, 42 years ago on Monday.
A clipping of the Edmonton Journal’s story on Warren Moon signing with the Edmonton Eskimos on April 13, 1978 (Photo: Dave Jamieson)
In addition to Moon and Kimball, the story is full of some memorable CFL names. Edmonton QBs Tom Wilkinson, Bruce Lemmerman and Canadian pivot Bill Robinson are mentioned. Esks’ coach Hugh Campbell is quoted in the story saying that Moon, “has the ability to get off of the mat after times have been tough.”
Moon was accompanied at the signing by his agent, Leigh Steinberg, who was still in the early stages of his career and a good 18 years away from being the inspiration for the movie Jerry Maguire.
Through his five years in Edmonton, Moon would throw for 21,228 yards and 144 touchdowns. He rushed 330 times for 1,700 yards and 16 touchdowns. He was named the Most Outstanding Offensive Player of the 1980 Grey Cup and was the CFL’s MOP in 1983.
He went to the Houston Oilers in 1984 and would play 17 more years in the NFL. He threw for over 49,000 yards and was a nine-time Pro Bowler. He’s in both the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and the NFL Hall of Fame.
A tip of the hat to the eagle-eyed Dave Jamieson for pointing out the anniversary. The former Esks’ VP of communications and broadcast is currently the host of a smart and fun sports talk show on TSN 1260 in Edmonton.
