As a former Seattle Seahawk \u2014 and ardent seafood lover \u2014 Warren Moon is as excited to come to Juneau as the Rotary Club is to have him speak at their Pillars of America luncheon May 4 at Centennial Hall.<\/p>\n
The NFL Hall of Famer has been to Alaska twice before: once for a fishing trip, and last year on Princess Cruises\u2019 Seattle Seahawks Fan Cruise. Moon looks forward to the opportunity to impart a lasting message at his Pillars speech, but also expressed eagerness to see Southeast again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was really impressed by the natural beauty of the place. I just didn\u2019t realize how beautiful it was up there, and the people were so friendly, and great seafood, which I love. … There was no question I would come back,\u201d Moon said.<\/p>\n
Moon is one of only two players in NFL history to be inducted into both the NFL and Canadian Football League Halls of Fame. He passed for 49,325 yards and 291 touchdowns in his NFL career, making the Pro Bowl nine times in 17 seasons.<\/p>\n
Selected in 2006, Moon became the first African-American quarterback inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. Despite his ability under center, many four-year college programs overlooked Moon or asked him to switch positions, but he believed in his ability, and rose through the community college ranks to lead the University of Washington to the 1978 Rose Bowl.<\/p>\n
Moon remembers doors being closed due to his race on his way to the pros.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t like I didn\u2019t have the credentials. I was an All-City quarterback, I was an All-State quarterback in junior college, I was a player of the year in the Pac Eight conference in college,\u201d Moon said. \u201cI did all the things at all these different levels but all the doors were still being closed in my face. I knew it wasn\u2019t all because of my ability. I just had to keep pushing forward and keep trying to prove that I was good enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
During his playing career the Hall of Famer started a philanthropic effort, the Crescent Moon Foundation, which he established when he was voted NFL Man of the Year in 1989. The foundation provides scholarships to underprivileged high school students to go to college and works with children\u2019s hospitals around the country to raise money for childhood cancer.<\/p>\n
\u201cEducation has always been very important to me. Not all kids can be athletes, they can\u2019t all be entertainers,\u201d Moon said. \u201cBut all kids can learn if they put their minds to it, and if you\u2019re educated, you have a greater opportunity to be successful in life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moon is currently a color commentator for Seahawks games on KIRO-TV in Seattle.<\/p>\n
Tickets for all Pillars speeches are available at Hearthside Books.<\/p>\n
Former Globetrotter Melvin Adams is short in stature, but big in personality. The 5\u20198\u201d two-time NCAA III All-American and former Mr. Globetrotter joins the Pillars of America schedule this year for an April 20 speaking engagement.<\/p>\n
Adams grew up with an abusive father and hard-working mother in Houston. He looked to basketball to earn the validation he didn\u2019t get at home, running three miles everyday and shooting 3,000 jump shots from a young age.<\/p>\n
\u201cMe being 5\u20198\u201d, I just thought, if I could score more points, make more money, my mom would love me,\u201d Adams said. \u201cEverything I ever did was just to get my mother to say \u2018I\u2019m proud of you, I love you.\u2019 I would say \u2018Hey I got All-American, I scored 28,\u2019 \u2018Well you should have scored 30,\u2019 (she would say). It was never ending.\u201d<\/p>\n
Unlike many pro athletes who preach about dedication and hard work, Adams believes he missed out on too much in life for a dream that wasn\u2019t ever going to fill the hole in his heart. Adams said he was so single-mindedly devoted to basketball that he didn\u2019t develop a social life until his junior year in college.<\/p>\n
Instead of \u201cworkahaulism,\u201d as he puts it, Adams preaches playing the game of life with balance.<\/p>\n
\u201cI looked in the mirror and said, \u2018What is this all for? I am just killing myself.\u2019 You buy this house, they say it\u2019s too little. We become these workaholics, and we\u2019re hurting. … We\u2019re all either workaholics, or we don\u2019t work at all. What we need is balance,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Speaking April 27 at Centennial Hall, Tiana Tozer has the most varied resume of this year\u2019s Pillars speakers: Tozer is a two-time Paralympic medalist with the USA Women\u2019s Wheelchair Basketball Team, a humanitarian aid worker, consultant and author.<\/p>\n
Tozer was tragically injured by a drunk driver when she was only 20 years old; her legs were irrevocably damaged when the driver ran a stop sign. Tozer wouldn\u2019t learn to walk again for a long time, and deals with her injuries to this day.<\/p>\n
She has volunteered for Mothers Against Drunk Driving for 10 years, advocating for .08 laws in Idaho, Nevada and Illinois, and lobbied for the Americans with Disabilities Act. Tozer\u2019s work has been featured on \u201cNBC Nightly News\u201d, in the American Journal of Nursing and even on Starbucks\u2019 coffee cups.<\/p>\n
As a speaker, Tozer seeks to inspire through sharing her story of exceeding limitations as a disabled person, and to help young people make responsible decisions.<\/p>\n
After playing six years for the USA Women\u2019s Wheelchair Basketball Team, Tozer became a humanitarian aid worker in Iraq, where she ran a program which helped teach 10,000 women to read and write; she also ran a program which helped people with disabilities advocate for themselves.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Contact Sports Editor Kevin Gullufsen at 523-2228 or kevin.gullufsen@juneauempire.com.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
KNOW & GO<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
What: Pillars of America speaker series<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Where: Centennial Hall<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Date: April 20, Melvin Adams; April 27, Tiana Tozer; May 4, Warren Moon<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
When: Doors open 11:15 a.m., lunch at 11:30<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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