Don Moorhead

Don Moorhead (born October 11, 1948) is a former Canadian Football League (CFL) quarterback. He was the starting quarterback for the BC Lions from 1971 to 1975 and for the Michigan Wolverines football team in 1969 and 1970. He set 24 football records at the University of Michigan, including most yards of total offense and most yards passing.

Biography

Early life Moorhead grew up in South Haven, Michigan where he was an All-State high school football player.

University of Michigan

Accomplishments and records After graduating from high school, Moorhead enrolled at the University of Michigan. He was the starting quarterback for Bo Schembechler's Michigan Wolverines in all 21 games of the 1969 and 1970 seasons; he led the Wolverines to an overall record of 17–4 in his two seasons as quarterback. He also led the 1969 Wolverines in total offense with 1,699 yards, 565 yards rushing and 1,134 yards passing. He completed 50 percent of his 178 passing attempts in 1969, threw five touchdown passes and had six passes intercepted. After the 1969 season, Schembechler called Moorhead "a very cool customer." Moorhead led the Wolverines in the Rose Bowl against a USC Trojans team that included a defensive front five known as the "Wild Bunch." Charlie Weaver made a key play in the second quarter batting down a Moorhead pass to Jim Mandich who was open in the end zone. In all, the Wild Bunch knocked down four of Moorhead's passes. Coach Schembechler lavished praise on Moorhead, calling him "a great football player" who knows the game and "can think out there." Ranked #4 in the country, the Wolverines faced Ohio State in the final game of the season at Columbus. Ohio State defeated Michigan, 20–9, in Moorhead's final game in a Wolverines uniform. Determined to play quarterback, Moorhead elected instead to sign with the BC Lions in the Canadian Football League. In his first season, Moorhead split time behind incumbent starter Paul Brothers and backup Tom Wilkinson. After Brothers was traded to Ottawa and Wilkinson was released, he became the Lions' starting quarterback from 1972 to 1975 and led the team to the Grey Cup playoffs in 1973 and 1974. He lost is starting job to Peter Liske in 1975, after the Lions obtained Liske from Calgary in a trade. He announced his retirement from football in July 1976 after undergoing three knee operations in two years and tearing the biceps on his left arm. At the time of his retirement, Moorhead said, "Football was good to me. It gave me lots of things, but I may pay for it in later years with my injuries. I didn't set the world on fire, but I did have good years at British Columbia."

Career passing statistics Season AttCompIntComp %YdsYds/CompTD 1971182981353.8130213.89 19723261591748.7260616.310 19732781601257.8200512.54 19743061601352.8247815.517 19754225359.329811.92

After football When he retired from football, Moorhead became a physical education teacher at Paw Paw High School in Paw Paw, Michigan, retiring in 2010.