Like every first-round draft pick does, quarterback Cam Ward held up the jersey No. 1 when introduced on stage by Roger Goodell after being selected by the Tennessee Titans with the first overall pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night.

Given that the No. 1 jersey is retired by the Titans organization (formerly the Houston Oilers) in honor of NFL Hall of Famer Warren Moon, however, it was up for debate whether Ward would be allowed to keep the digs that he wore in college at Miami when he joined Tennessee.

Turns out, Moon is more than okay with the Heisman finalist wearing his digit. In fact, the 68-year-old showed up in Nashville on Friday to give Ward his blessing.

"I came here because I have a lot of respect for this young man right here," Moon told the media after surprising Ward with his new jersey. "A lot of our journey is similar as far as all the things he was told throughout the journey. About not being good enough, nobody wanted to give him that great opportunity. But he just kept fighting. He kept working. He kept showing leadership, perseverance, and here he is today. The No. 1 overall pick in the National Football League draft."

"As far as the number and everything is concerned," he continued. "I wore the No. 1 for a lot of different reasons and I wore it for a long time ... my Houston Oilers jersey will never be worn again, I hope it won't, but the Tennessee Titans jersey is gonna be worn by Cam, and Cam will be starting a new ... freshness in this organization to kind of revitalize it and get it back to where it was a number of years ago [as] one of the more successful organizations in the league."

Funny enough, Ward shared that he had called Moon several weeks ago to see if he'd allow him to wear the number once he was inevitably selected by the Titans.

"I didn't know this was going on," he said about the surprise. "But I knew this was gonna happen. I'm excited that Mr. Moon was able to bless me with giving me this number. But to me, the number will never mean anything. It's all about the plays you make on the field ... the person doesn't make the number. The player makes the number."

Ward enters a Tennessee organization with a second-year coach at the helm in Brian Callahan and a first-year general manager in Mike Borgonzi. Together, they'll look to improve the team's 3-14 record from a season ago.


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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Cam Ward Got an Awesome Welcome to the Titans From Franchise Legend Warren Moon.