Pro Football Hall of Fame Aug. 5

Aikman and Moon, the two quarterbacks from this year's class, are from as opposite ends of the spectrum as any two enshrined in Canton, Ohio. Aikman was the No. 1 overall pick by the Cowboys in 1989, while Moon will be the first undrafted quarterback to make the Hall.
After being warned that he would be picked late in the draft and probably asked to change positions, Moon went to Canada, where he led the Edmonton Eskimos to five straight Grey Cup championships.
``I think the way I did it was just a little bit different because of some of the other things I had to overcome that didn't have to do with football," Moon said Friday. ``I'm very proud of the fact that -- not so much that I was undrafted, because I would have loved to have been drafted -- but the things I was able to do considering I wasn't drafted and wasn't looked highly upon as an NFL-type player."
``NFL-type" player references Moon's skin color, which in 1984, after he finished a standout career at the University of Washington, was considered by some in the league to be a detriment.
Amazing that just 20 years ago there were those who questioned whether a black quarterback could succeed in the NFL. Per current depth charts, a quarter of the league's teams have black starting quarterbacks.
Moon, who passed for nearly 50,000 yards in 17 NFL seasons, is the first black signal-caller to make the Hall of Fame, marking what should be the last major first for black QBs, and hopefully putting the issue to rest. (Of course, if you don't think some of the criticism Young got before the draft was because of his skin color, you're not paying attention.)
``It just continues to legitimize the fact that -- even though I don't think that needs to be anymore -- that black quarterbacks can play this game at a very high level, and we've kind of established or accomplished things at every level of football that there is," Moon said.
``I think we've kind of done it at every particular level. There's nothing that ever can be said about the African-American quarterback and whether he belongs in the NFL, whether he belongs in the Hall of Fame."

CFB NOTES

• Canes buzz: UM said it expects running back Tyrone Moss, back from knee surgery, to be ready for FSU on Sept. 4. . . . UM's Paul Dee said Miami won't play FSU on Labor Day in 2007 because it visits Oklahoma the following Saturday.
• The Hurricanes told Willie Williams he cannot transfer to a school on Miami's schedule in 2007 through 2009. That doesn't preclude West Virginia and Louisville, which have interest. (Williams cannot play this season if he transfers to a Division 1-A school and must apply for a waiver to play in 2009, the NCAA said Friday.)
• UF coach Urban Meyer said highly touted freshman QB Tim Tebow will play but won't be rotated with Chris Leak: ``Leak will be our starter. There is no quarterback controversy. Fundamentally, Chris is stronger than he's ever been.''
• What happens when you mention Daunte Culpepper's fumbles to him? The Dolphins quarterback says, politely, ''Check how many I've lost.'' OK, we did. He has 81 fumbles in 81 games, but has lost 44 percent (36). Bonus Culpepper fact: His 64.4 career completion percentage tops Peyton Manning's (63.9), Tom Brady's (61.9), Brett Favre's (61.5) and Donovan McNabb's (58.4).