Moon was chosen alongside Troy Aikman, Reggie White and Harry Carson.
Two seniors candidates, former Dallas offensive tackle Rayfield Wright and former Oakland coach and current broadcaster John Madden, were chosen by a special committee last year and became automatic finalists.
Moon, who played at a time when prejudice still held sway over the quarterback position, becomes the first African-American quarterback to be inducted.
Warren Moon will be inducted into the NFL hall of fame, five years after going into the CFL hall. (CP Photo)
"To be the first African-American quarterback into the Hall of Fame, all African-American QBs who played before me should share in this," Moon said. "I don't want to make this a racial thing, but I think it is significant. It shows that we have arrived at the pinnacle of our sport."
Moon wasn't drafted by any NFL team after his senior year at the University of Washington and he signed with the Edmonton Eskimos in 1978.
He became an integral part of the Eskimos dynasty that won five consecutive CFL Grey Cup titles from 1978-82. In six seasons with Edmonton, Moon threw for over 21,000 yards and 144 touchdowns.
In 1984, he left Canada for the NFL, joining the Houston Oilers.
In his 17 NFL seasons, Moon threw for 49,325 yards and 291 touchdowns. He added another 1,736 yards and 22 touchdowns on the ground in a career that ended in 2000 and included stops in Minnesota, Seattle and Kansas City.
Moon was elected into the CFL Hall of Fame in 2001.
Aikman played 12 seasons with Dallas, leading the team to three Super Bowls. He was the most valuable player of the championship game in 1993.
"When I think of all the great players who have played the game over the history of it, to be considered one of the great players ... that helped define the game itself, it is a humbling experience," Aikman said.
White was a dominant defensive end who played for 15 seasons with Philadelphia, Green Bay and Carolina. At the time of his retirement, his 198 sacks were an NFL record.
A member of the Packers Super Bowl team in 1997, White died at the age of 43 in late 2004.
It was concluded that a combination of respiratory ailments contributed to the fatal cardiac arrhythmia.
"I wish he was here, that is the only regret I have," said his wife, Sara. "But you know what, he is here. He is."
Carson waited much longer than his fellow inductees, who all made it in their first year of eligibility.
The former linebacker played with the New York Giants from 1976 to 1988, making the Pro Bowl nine times. He was the defensive captain for 10 of those seasons, including on the club's 1986 Super Bowl championship team.
Carson was on a flight to Hawaii, but his former coach was glad he finally made it in.
"I'm just elated by Harry's election," said Dallas coach Bill Parcells, who coached Carson with the Giants. "He was a tremendous player and an integral part of one of the NFL's best two or three defenses for several years."
Wright played 13 seasons for Dallas before retiring in 1979, playing at tight end and defensive end before coach Tom Landry moved him to right tackle, where he excelled.
"I told him I had never played the position and he said, "You'll make a great tackle. Now you just have to gain some weight,"' Wright recalled.
He was named to the Pro Bowl six consecutive times (1971-1976) and played on two Super Bowl winners.
Before embarking on perhaps the most successful broadcasting career of a former player or coach, Madden compiled a whopping regular season record of 103-32-7 in ten years as head coach of the Oakland Raiders (1969-1978).
Madden teams made the playoffs eight times during that span, with the Raiders winning the Super Bowl in 1977.
"I was coming over here and saying, `They can't take this away, can they?"' he said.
"People always ask are you a coach or a broadcaster or a video game guy?" he added. "I'm a coach, always been a coach."
The other finalists were running back Thurman Thomas, linebacker Derrick Thomas, defensive ends L.C. Greenwood and Claude Humphrey; offensive linemen Russ Grimm, Bob Kuechenberg and Gary Zimmerman; and wide receivers Michael Irvin and Art Monk.
Earlier this week, former teammate and Hall member Emmitt Smith campaigned for Irvin, hoping that his problems off the field, which have included a recent arrest for drug possession, would be overlooked.
"Any level of disappointment I have is undermined by my joy for Troy," said Irvin, who was sitting in the audience for the announcement. "Last year this time, I was in my room crying. I couldn't move. Now, I'm out here and I'm going to laugh and enjoy this moment for Troy.
"It's not about me, it's about Troy."
Candidates must receive 80 per cent of the vote to be elected to the Hall of Fame. A minimum of three and a maximum of six players are enshrined each year.
The class of 2006 and will be inducted in Canton, Ohio, on the weekend of Aug. 5-6.
with files from Associated Press
