Good Deeds: Warren Moon

By Chris Carney

For record setting quarterback legend Warren Moon, it has always been about dreams. He dreamed of playing quarterback in the NFL. He dreamed of one day joining the ranks of the legendary in the Hall of Fame. He dreamed of making something of himself. He dreamed of giving others the helping hand to do the same.

Now, dreams are not uncommon. We all have them. They come in different forms, take varied paths and result in wildly different returns. Some dreams fail due to lack of effort, some fail due to lack of ability, but most tragic are those that fail due to lack of opportunity.

To help bridge the gap and help give a boosting hand of opportunity to those without it, Moon and some of his business partners at Sports 1 Marketing created the Sports Dream Bowl. The annual event benefits the Urban Scholarship Fund that awards higher education scholarships for deserving kids who have demonstrated the character, dedication and ability to pursue their own dreams, but whose financial situation makes a higher education otherwise unlikely.

On June 22nd and 23rd the 12th Annual Sports Dream Bowl, a celebrity bowling tournament that occurs each year in Las Vegas, took over the hardwood at Texas Star Lanes at Texas Station in North Las Vegas and The Cosmopolitan to raise money for the Urban Scholarship Fund and to honor the students who won this year’s awards.

Proving his business acumen as well as a deep understanding of human nature, Moon set his sights on Las Vegas for the annual fundraising event. What better city to attract top name sports starts like rookie sensation quarterback Cam Newton, soon to be Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis, sure handed wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and a host of other current and former NFL, NBA and movie and television actors?

“Las Vegas is an exciting place, with great restaurants, shows and clubs,” Moon stated, and is a natural draw for people at the top of their game.

The event also drew past scholarship winners who have gone on to highly successful careers, as engineers for top companies, highly successful real estate agents and even established a foundation that helps to fund other charitable foundations.

For Moon, the achievements of these past scholarship awardees are the most satisfying gift. For a man whose accomplishments include being one of only two men to have been inducted into both the NFL and Canadian Hall of Fame and who has gone on to a highly successful and influential post football career, these are high words of praise.

This year’s event celebrated the ten deserving kids who have proven their worth both through academic achievement and community involvement. Winners were awarded scholarship money to use at a higher learning institution of their choice.

“This year’s event was one of the most successful we’ve ever had,” said Moon. Moon believes in paying back those communities that give, and this year’s crop of deserving scholarship winners
feature four young people from the Las Vegas area.

The four young women from Las Vegas who were selected this year by Moon and his associates share many common traits. They all excelled at academics, were the recipients of numerous awards for community involvement, refused to let their own dreams be derailed by adversity and, in an application essay, all proved their dedication to improving the lives of those around them.

Ours is a world built on dreams and when people with the ability, drive and courage to pursue those dreams are given the assistance needed to achieve them we are all better off.

“I believe that those who have more than they need should help those in need,” Moon said. “I believe we should all pay it forward.” With the annual Sports Dream Bowl Warren Moon is doing just that.

Originally Published in the July 2012 Issue of Diamond Cake Magazine .