NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- It's not often that a Hall of Famer makes a guest appearance at an introductory press conference, but that's exactly what Warren Moon did before the Tennessee Titans introduced Cam Ward to the local media.
Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi revealed the surprise Friday as he kicked off the press conference.
Ward stood at the podium as Moon emerged from a side snack room on the third floor press conference area with a No.1 Titans jersey in his hand. Moon once wore the No.1 jersey for the Houston Oilers before the organization moved to Nashville in 1997 and retired the number during a halftime ceremony in 2006.
"I just came here because I got a lot of respect for this young man right here," Moon said. "I wore the number one for a lot of different reasons and for a long time starting back in 1976. Now I'm part of the Titans family and my Oiler jersey will probably never be worn again. But the Tennessee Titans jersey is going to be worn by Cam to kind of revitalize it."
Ward elected to wear No.1 when he transferred to Washington State after wearing No.7 at Incarnate Word. Ward also wore No.1 at Miami last year, when he became a Heisman Trophy finalist and won the Davey O'Brien Award for being named the best collegiate quarterback.
Having grown up an hour outside of Houston in West Columbia, Texas, Ward is too young to have seen Moon play quarterback for the Oilers. The 22-year-old Ward said he first got familiar with Moon during the draft process in February.
"I didn't know much about him," Ward said. "Before I reached out to him, I watched his film to make sure he's legit -- and yeah, he was legit!
"I'm trying to get up to his level one day. He's a Hall of Famer and for me to be in that same number is an honor."
Moon's 33,685 passing yards and 196 touchdowns over his career with the organization are the most in Titans/Oilers history. Those are lofty numbers to strive for, but Ward set single-season passing records in yards (4,313) and touchdowns (39) during his only year at Miami. He also set the record for career combined passing touchdowns with 158.
Moon said he was taken aback about a month ago when he received a call from Ward, who asked about the jersey number. Moon said it wasn't the first time he got a call from a Titans player asking for approval to wear No.1. After mulling it over for some time, Moon gave Ward his blessing, but for special reasons.
"You start thinking about your legacy and the things that you established when you were playing," Moon said. "You want to make sure those things continue. He has a chance to create a great legacy for that number with this organization, where I did mine with the Houston organization, even though we're all part of the same thing."
Moon also pointed to similarities, like Ward growing up in the Houston area and playing for Washington State, the primary rival for Moon's alma mater of Washington.
Like the Oilers once required of Moon, Ward will be asked to shoulder the franchise's success early on in his career.
Having found success amid the intense pressure over his career, Moon had some words of wisdom for Ward.
"Just to come here and be humble," Moon said. "You got to be able to give a little bit of yourself to each position on the football team. Keep getting better every day and improve the confidence teammates will have in him so every time he goes out on the field they say, 'We have a chance to win with this guy.'"
