Kurt Warner: Career retrospective

Kurt Warner attended Regis High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The small-town kid played quarterback his entire high school career and wasn’t heavily recruited out of high school. He committed to the University of Northern Iowa during his senior year.

Warner was a third-stringer on the depth chart for much of his college days. After earning the starting job as a senior, Warner thrived in the role, winning the Gateway Conference’s Player of the Year. Warner graduated from Northern Iowa in 1993.

Warner entered the 1994 NFL Draft with hopes that a team would select him. No one came calling for the unheralded prospect from Iowa. Warner went undrafted and signed with the Green Bay Packers for a training camp tryout. Warner was seen as more of a training camp arm than a player who had a real chance to make the team, especially with Brett Favre and Mark Brunell already on the roster as quarterbacks. Warner didn’t make the team. He left training camp earnestly, longing for the opportunity he knew he deserved.

Upon receiving his walking papers from the Packers, Warner needed to find work so he could feed his family. He accepted a shelf stocker position at a local Hy-Vee grocery store for minimum wage, working the night shift. Warner was living in his wife’s parent’s basement. He took care of his family, worked out, and stocked shelves. Warner knew he had what it took to play in the NFL, but the long hours at Hy-Vee took their toll on his morale. All he needed was a chance.

Warner received a call from the Iowa Barnstormers, a team with the Arena Football League (AFL). While the initial goal was to find an NFL gig, Warner didn’t waste the opportunity and signed with the obscure football league. Warner built his legend with the Barnstormers to the tune of two First-team All-Arena selections in 1996 and '97. The indoor football league’s rules were geared toward the passing game. Warner, a strong-armed quarterback, was well-suited for the fast-paced league. It didn't take long before teams took notice of his AFL highlight tape.

Warner met his wife, Brenda Warner, at a bar during his college days. Brenda was recently divorced and taking care of her two kids, Zach and Jesse. Zach was injured at four months old after being accidentally dropped by Brenda’s ex-husband and was left brain-damaged and blind. Warner and Brenda began dating, living in her parent’s basement before Warner was signed to the Iowa Barnstormers. In 1996, Brenda’s parents were killed when a tornado destroyed their home. Kurt and Brenda were married shortly after the tragedy in 1997. Determined to be a good stepfather, he adopted her kids after the wedding, and they’ve added five more kids to the mix. 

The Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe signed Warner in 1998. He also signed a futures contract with the St. Louis Rams that stated he’d get a tryout with the team once the Admirals' season was over. Warner went overseas and played lights out in Amsterdam. When he returned to America, Warner was signed by the Rams as their backup. He was a 27-year-old rookie. He saw little action but played well in practice as the scout team quarterback.

In the 1999 preseason, starting quarterback Trent Green went down with a torn ACL. Storm clouds loomed over St. Louis. Warner was named the starting quarterback for the rest of the year. Rams head coach Dıck Vermeil stuck with Warner and insisted he was their guy. Warner was officially handed the keys to the Rams' offense. What happened next shocked the world.

Warner launched 4,353 passing yards and a league-leading 41 touchdowns as the Rams explosive offense racked up 526 points. The Rams went 13-3, and Warner won league MVP.

The overlooked high school recruit who only had one year as a college starter under his belt and worked the night shift as a shelf stocker before getting his chance to start in the NFL as a journeyman quarterback was now at the top of the mountain.

Warner’s Rams cruised through the playoffs and beat the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV, 23-16. He threw the Super Bowl-winning touchdown pass to Issac Bruce with two minutes left. In the final frame, Warner logged 414 passing yards (a Super Bowl record at the time) and won Super Bowl MVP. Warner showed poise, toughness, and resiliency throughout the Rams’ unforgettable Super Bowl run.

Dıck Vermeil retired as a champion once the Super Bowl celebration was over. Offensive coordinator Mike Martz was promoted to head coach, calling the shots for a team looking to become a dynasty. Warner broke his hand and missed five games that year. Trent Green filled in for him. The Rams became the first offense in NFL history to gain 7,000 yards. They scored a league-leading 540 points. The Rams finished the year with a 10-6 record and lost in the Wild Card Round.

Warner bounced back from injury by launching 4,830 yards and 36 touchdowns, leading the league in both stats. The Rams battered their way to a 14-2 record and won the NFC title for the second time in three years.

The only obstacle that stood in the Rams' way of winning their second Super Bowl was the Brady-Belichick New England Patriots, who were looking to win their first Super Bowl. The game was a real nail-biter. In the end, the Patriots beat the Rams on an Adam Vinatieri game-winning field goal (the first of many). The heartbreaking loss wasn’t what the Rams intended. Still, going to two Super Bowls in three years is a prestigious accomplishment.

The Rams' offense from 1999-2001 was the best in NFL history. Nicknamed The Greatest Show on Turf, Warner was the ringmaster of the mighty offense. Other key chess pieces were Hall of Famers Marshall Faulk, Issac Bruce, and Orlando Pace, along with star receiver Torry Holt, playoff hero Ricky Proehl, and Az-Zahir Hakim. 

The high-octane offense revolutionized the NFL. They were one of the first teams to consistently bring out four wide receivers and helped usher in the spread offense to football. Their pass-first, big-play mentality made them fun to watch. And they benefited by playing most of their games indoors — the perfect conditions for their offense. Warner’s days in the AFL were great training for his time as the leader of The Greatest Show on Turf.

Warner finished an injury-riddled 2002 season with three touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The following year, Warner was benched for backup Marc Bulger, who received a Pro Bowl nod that year. Warner’s benching signaled the end of an era in St. Louis.

It wasn't long before Warner found work again in the NFL. The New York Giants signed Warner to show first-overall pick Eli Manning how it’s done. Warner took on the role of bridge quarterback with no complaints, exemplifying his lack of ego and goodhearted nature. Warner led the Giants to a 5-4 record, throwing for 2,054 yards and six touchdowns before being benched for Manning. Whatever Warner taught Manning, it worked. Manning won two Super Bowls and became a New York sports legend.

The Giants didn’t re-sign Warner. He found a new home with the Arizona Cardinals. The two were a perfect match. The Cardinals brought him into their building to establish a winning culture. Warner, a journeyman quarterback turned Super Bowl champion, was the ideal guy to turn the woeful Cardinals into a contender.

Warner was immediately named the Cardinals’ starting quarterback. In another injury-riddled year for Warner (in his mid-30s now), he notched 2,713 passing yards and 11 touchdowns, posting a 2-8 record. The following year, in 2006, the Cardinals drafted Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart and wanted Warner to mentor him as he did with Manning. Warner split the starting role with Leinart, who took over the reins of the offense early on. In 2007, Leinart was named the starting quarterback for the foreseeable future. However, an injury to Leinart thrust Warner back into the starting role. Warner rallied late in the season to take his job back. The Cardinals ended the 2007 season on a good note, going 8-8. The foundation for a Super Bowl contender was built that year.

The only thing hotter than the 2008 Cardinals was the Arizona desert surrounding their stadium. 

Warner launched 4,583 yards and 30 touchdowns. He earned the last of four Pro Bowl nods when it was all said and done. The best part of it all? The Cardinals were going to the playoffs.

The Cardinals' 9-7 record in the regular season was above average. But their playoff run was extraordinary. Their mantra heading into the playoffs was “shock the world.” 

The Cardinals soared through the playoffs thanks to the Kurt Warner-Larry Fitzgerald connection. The Cardinals peaked at the right time. They led the Cardinals to their first championship football game in 60 years. The last time the Cards went this far, the Big Game wasn’t even called the Super Bowl! 

Just days before playing in the first Super Bowl in Cardinals’ franchise history, Warner won Walter Payton Man of the Year, which is presented to a player who does good on and off the field. It’s one of the most prestigious awards a player can win. One of the best Cinderella stories in NFL history, Warner loves helping those in need. His giving nature is shown in the work of his First Things First Foundation. All Warner had to do now was win the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl XLIII had a great storyline. A team with no Super Bowls was going up against a team ready to win its sixth in the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was a true David vs. Goliath matchup. Warner played his heart out, showing off his trademark toughness and resiliency. In a neck-and-neck contest, the Cardinals lost to the Steelers on a last-second Santonio Holmes tip-toe catch. The Cardinals may’ve lost, but Cardinals fans will never forget Warner’s heroics in 2008.

With the historic 2008 Cardinals in the past, Warner had the flock back on track with another playoff appearance in 2009. His lethal rapport with star receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin didn’t skip a beat. Warner’s best performance was in the playoffs.

Warner went 29-of-33 passing for 379 yards and five touchdowns in a 51-54 overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers. The same team that cut him was now at his mercy. It went down as one of the best playoff performances by a quarterback in NFL history.

The following week, Warner retired after a 45-14 loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints. He passed for 3,753 yards and 26 touchdowns in his last hoo-rah. Warner knew when to walk away from the game. He left on his terms.

Warner was a hero who came out of nowhere. He went down as the best underdog story in NFL history and the best undrafted player of all time. Warner is the only undrafted player to win league MVP and Super Bowl MVP and lead his team to a Super Bowl victory.

Warner has stayed busy since hanging up the cleats. He’s been an analyst with NFL Network's NFL Total Access since 2010. Warner also gives his expert analysis of quarterback play throughout the league.

There is no questioning the fact that Warner is a family man. As mentioned before, he married Brenda Warner in 1997 and adopted her two kids. Since then, they’ve added five more kids to the mix. Two of his kids have played college football. Kade Warner was a wide receiver with the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Kansas State Wildcats. Elijah Warner is a quarterback at Temple University. It’s safe to say football runs in the family!

American Underdog is a biopic about Warner’s journey to the NFL. The inspiring movie came out on Christmas Day in 2021. In other news, Warner was on Dancing With the Stars for season 11.

Canton came calling for Warner in 2017 when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Warner’s storybook career finally got the ending it deserved. Warner ended his career with 32,344 yards and 208 touchdowns. A two-time MVP, Warner led the Rams to their first Super Bowl victory and the Cardinals to their first Super Bowl appearance.

If there’s one thing we can take home from Kurt Warner’s success story, it’s that anything is possible. His story reads more like a Hollywood script than reality. How he went from stocking shelves at a grocery store to the Super Bowl-winning quarterback of The Greatest Show on Turf is a testament to who he is. Stories like his remind us that there’s hope — that The American Dream is alive and well.