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Warren Moon is coming back to where it all began.
Professionally, at least.
He took the Edmonton Eskimos out of this world with five consecutive Grey Cups when he began a prolific 23-year career in 1979, and is coming back to the place he helped name the City of Champions.
Moon is in town for an alumni golf tournament Monday to raise money for the Jackie Parker Foundation and will also be signing copies of his newly released autobiography, Never Give Up on Your Dream: My Journey, at Indigo North Town from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
"There's no question it's a chapter in my life, but it's an important chapter because that's where it all started for me professionally," said Moon.
"I owe it to Hugh Campbell, the Eskimos organization and also the people there in Edmonton for giving me the opportunity to play pro ball and also welcoming me and my family and making us feel at home there."
It was the opportunity to play at his position that brought the quarterback north of the border in the first place. NFL scouts decided he would have to switch to another position to find any success.
But Moon proved them wrong.
"One of the reasons I came up there is I just wasn't getting the opportunity to play that position.
"They gave me the chance to do it up there and I tried to make the most of it."
In doing so, Moon and crew raised the bar not only for the club but the entire CFL before turning his attention to the NFL, where he went on to set records over 17 more seasons before being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
"Not in a million years did I think I would play as long as I did. I was blessed and took care of myself and stayed away from any major injuries," said Moon, who was involved in the book Third and a Mile, a chronology of African American quarterbacks.
But this is his first solo effort.
"This is my first book that I've really been 100% part of," said Moon.
"A lot of people have told me throughout the years that they thought I had a pretty interesting story to tell and that it was a story that a lot of people could maybe find some guidance out of as far as people who might be struggling with trying to reach their dreams.
"This book just kind of shows that you can reach your dream even if you have to go through a lot of adversity, even if you have to go through some obstacles, you can still get it done.
"Eventually I accomplished a dream I had as a young kid and that was to play in the National Football League."
He never gave up on his dream, which became both the theme for his life and his choice for the book's title.
"It all started as a dream, so it was easy to come up with that title," said Moon.
"As a kid, I used to dream about being Roman Gabriel, the quarterback of the Rams, or Roger Staubach or O.J. Simpson as a running back as I was emulating different players in my front yard.
"I used to put myself in their situations as a pro football player.
"Of course, as I got into high school, those dreams became more goals and then I started setting goals to try and get where I wanted to get to.
"That's basically what I did, I achieved my dream."