Byline: Sam Adams Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer
When Seahawks quarterback Warren Moon walked off the field at Mile High Stadium on Sunday, he shook hands with former FBI agent Bill Malone, who works for NFL security in Denver.
The two met in 1975, when Moon nearly chose to play for coach Bill Mallory at the University of Colorado. Malone showed Moon around the local FBI office during Moon's visit to CU's campus.
``CU wanted to show me during my visit that they had a good criminal justice department,'' Moon said Sunday. ``There was a chance I could possibly do an internship at the FBI office. That was a good part of my visit.'' Moon chose the University of Washington over CU because he didn't want to redshirt his freshman year.
On the day Broncos quarterback John Elway surpassed Fran Tarkenton for second place all-time in passing yards and cracked the 50,000-yard barrier in total offense, Moon - who played his first six years of pro football in the Canadian Football League - reflected on what might have been had he started his career in the NFL.
Moon signed to play in the CFL before the 1978 NFL draft. ``I didn't feel teams were coming at me with a lot of interest to play quarterback,'' he said. Moon's CFL / NFL statistics combined include 5,077 completions for 67,287 yards and 412 touchdowns.
``I enjoyed my experiences in the CFL and wouldn't trade them,'' he said. ``But in hindsight when you look at all the records I probably could be ahead in if I just had maybe three more years - not the whole six - in the NFL . . . I'm satisfied with my career on both sides of the border.''
Tough landing - Saturday's pregame activities for the CU-Missouri football game at Folsom Field included parachute landings from the Air Force Academy's Wings of Blue team. The windy conditions led to a scary landing for Cadet First Class Phillip L. Mallory III. He hit hard off the Astroturf, leaving a mark near midfield that remained throughout the game.
``He's fine,'' Senior Airman Jason A. Wajticzko said. ``As a matter of fact he was at Mile High Stadium (Sunday) and jumped before the Broncos game.'' The group that jumped at the Buffs and Broncos games is training for a jump at the Dec. 31 Fiesta Bowl.
Fast breaks - Actor Stuart Margolin (he played ex-con Angel Martin on The Rockford Files) was seated in the visiting owner's box at Mile High on Sunday. Turns out Margolin is a huge Seahawks fan who often travels to the team's road games . . . Fox Sports Rocky Mountain's 22x10 moving ``good luck'' billboard will be on display for public signing today (11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.) at Writer's Square on the 16th Street Mall. The billboard will be presented to the Nuggets tonight before their game against Washington at McNichols Sports Arena . . . Who said women don't get physical on the basketball court? During the Lasers' win over the Xplosion at the Coliseum on Saturday night, Jennifer Azzi got so frustrated by the antics of pesky Xplosion point guard Debbie Black that she decked Black with a forearm . . . Elway's 50,000th yard of total offense came on a pass to tight end Shannon Sharpe. Elway's 1,000th came Dec. 4, 1983, on a 12-yard pass to tight end Ron Egloff in the first quarter. And wouldn't you know, that day the Broncos were playing Elway's favorite team - the Cleveland Browns.
On the inside - A bat used by Rockies All-Star Larry Walker during the 1997 season will on display at the baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.
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Could a woman from the American Basketball League play some minutes in the NBA without embarrassing herself? San Jose Lasers guard Jennifer Azzi believes at least one could do it: ``I'd have to go with (Atlanta Glory player / coach) Teresa Edwards.'' Azzi and Edwards played together on the 1996 U.S. Olympic team. ``Teresa's tough. She's physical and doesn't take anything off anyone. She's probably the one.'' Earlier this year Edwards beat KOA-AM (850) Sports Zoo host Dave Logan in a one-on-one game. Logan said a rematch is in the works.
