NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Titans’ divided history worked in Cam Ward’s favor regarding his jersey number.
Warren Moon decided in the last couple of days to say yes to Ward’s request and allow the No. 1 pick to wear his retired No. 1, nudged by Ward’s humility, work ethic, and the fact that it won’t be the same jersey.
“It wasn’t easy,” he said. “Because when you start thinking about your legacy, and the things that you established when you were playing, you want to make sure those things continue. As I looked at it, I’m saying, well, I was a Houston Oiler back then, it was a Houston Oiler jersey that I played in. He’s playing in a Tennessee Titans jersey even though we’re all a part of the same organization.”
Ward had no hesitation about asking Moon. He called him about a month ago in anticipation of the Titans selecting him first.
“I didn’t know this was going on, but I knew this was going to happen,” he said, speaking of his optimism. “I’m excited that Mr. Moon was able to bless me with giving me this number. To me the number will never mean anything; it’s all about the plays you make on the field. So I am ready for this opportunity with my teammates…”
“I didn’t know much about him. 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.”
Mike Borgonzi introduced Ward to the media at Titans' headquarters Friday afternoon, and before Ward got to the podium, Borgonzi said they had a special guest. As Moon emerged from the snack room holding a light blue jersey in his hands, Ward said “Yessir.”
They embraced and Moon unfurled the jersey and posed with the new quarterback and his uniform top while family and team employees applauded.
“A lot of our journey is similar as far as all the things that he was told throughout the journey about not being good enough, nobody wanted to give him that great opportunity,” Moon said. “But he just kept fighting, kept working, kept showing leadership, perseverance.
"And here he is today, the No. 1 overall pick in the National Football League draft. That’s the reason I wanted to be here today, to let him know how proud I am of him.”
Moon wore the number from 1984-1993 and Gary Anderson wore it from 2003-04. The Titans retired it in 2006.
He was still considering whether or not to allow Ward to have it as recently as Tuesday night, when he texted me, “I’m thinking about it."
“It’s not the first time I’ve been called for that number,” Moon said. “I turned it down other times. His phone call was different because he’s a quarterback, for one. For two, I have a history with him, I know who he is because of where he comes from, right down the road in Houston, there are some similarities there.
“He played at Washington State, which is the rival of my university, the University of Washington. So I’ve watched him play over the last three or four years, I just have a lot of respect for him as a player.”
