NFL Hall-of-Famer quarterback Warren Moon has a strong connection to Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, projected as the likely number one pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. Andrew’s dad Oliver Luck played in the NFL, and was a backup quarterback in Houston when Moon played there. Moon met Andrew as a little boy.
Asked how Luck’s changed, Moon said, “He’s about 6-foot-4 now, he’s a lot richer and a lot smarter. He’s an impressive kid, but his dad is the same way.”
He described Luck’s dad as “a really good guy… and I think Andrew is the same way.”
ProPlayerInsiders caught up with Moon at the NFLPA PULSE Awards, and talked to him about Luck and his charity organizations. Moon has a foundation called Crescent Moon, which raises money for underprivileged children.
PPI: With the rule changes in the NFL, how many yards do you think you would’ve thrown for this year?
Warren Moon (WM): I’d have broken them all this year, I’ll tell you that. It’s a fun game of quarterbacks and receivers right now, no questions about it. More power to them. Records are made to be broken, rules are always going to be adjusted and what you see this year is probably going to get broken next year.
PPI: Have you gotten a chance to see Andrew Luck
WM: I haven’t yet, but I played with his dad, he was my back up. I met Andrew when he was a little boy. He might not remember it.
PPI: How has he changed?
WM: He’s about 6-foot-4 now, he’s a lot richer and a lot smarter. He’s an impressive kid, but his dad is the same way. His dad wasn’t quite the athlete he is, but a very smart football player, more athletic than you would think and a really good guy. I think that’s what makes him more special than anything and I think Andrew Is the same way just from what I’ve seen.
PPI: What two players are you rooting for in the playoffs?
WM: I am rooting for Joe Flacco. He has taken a lot of heat. I want him to have the big game, a signature game – not that makes him an elite quarterback, because he’s still got a ways to go to get to that – but the type of game that will take his team to get to the championship.
And I’m rooting for Eli Manning, because he’s always been in the shadows of his big brother. His big brother is great, there’s no questions about it, but Eli is showing that he’s an elite quarterback as well. So those are two guys I’m rooting for.
PPI: Let’s talk about your charity events off the field. What are some things you like to do to help out?
WM: I’m having a golf tournament after the Pro Bowl next week for St Jude’s Hospital. I’m really involved with them a lot. I had the chance to visit a few hospital facilities in Memphis, Tennessee a few months ago and I am really blown away by all the cancer research that they are doing and helping young kids with cancer and disease, so I put all of my energy into trying to raise money for them.
I also have a foundation of my own called the Crescent Moon Foundation. We fund scholarships for underprivileged high school kids, so a lot of the events that I put on have to do with raising money to send kids to college. That’s the most important to me right now, but I support a lot of things.
Sierra Rodgers contributed to this piece
