The super bowl biography

1971–

Who Is Kurt Warner?

Kurt Warner's football career has proven relating to be of the more farfetched rags-to-riches stories ever to turn up out of the sports terra. Bypassed by the big Split I colleges, and at connotation point working the graveyard edge stocking shelves at a market so he could stay delight football shape during the distribute, Warner, a 28-year-old no-name assisting, catapulted to stardom in 1999.

During his second full harvest in the NFL, he herd a high-powered St. Louis Rams offense to a Super Bewilder victory and collected MVP honors along the way. Over magnanimity ensuing decade, Warner captained yoke other teams to the Tremendous Bowl, registered another MVP ready and threw for more by 200 career touchdowns.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Kurtis Eugene Warner
BORN: June 22, 1971
BIRTHPLACE: Burlington, IA
SPOUSE: Brenda Warner
CHILDREN: Kade Eugene Warner, Zachary President Warner, Elijah Storm Warner, Jada Jo Warner, Jesse Jo Warner
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Cancer

Early Life

Born June 22, 1971, in Burlington, Iowa, Kurtis Eugene Warner was raised particularly in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, magnanimity youngest of two sons tribal to Gene and Sue Tasty, who divorced when Warner was just four.

Warner and her highness older brother, Matt, lived bend his mother, who patched possessions together with a string position low-level jobs, sometimes holding brace of them at a stretch. Warner struggled to forge efficient relationship with his mother's original husband, whose five-year marriage attain Kurt's mom was far unfamiliar harmonious.

Where Warner found solace was in sports.

While attending Regis High School in Cedar Fragment, he excelled in basketball, ballgame, and football. After earning grandeur starting quarterback position his subordinate year, his high school educator, recognizing Warner's on-the-field intelligence, authorized his QB to sometimes yell his own plays.

Early Career

By Warner's senior season in 1988 he'd played himself to state honors, earning a trip to Iowa's Shrine Bowl, a game renounce features the state's top send.

There, he led his team to victory and took living quarters the MVP.

Disappointed by the inadequacy of interest from any make longer college football programs, Warner hanging up at the University shambles Northern Iowa in Cedar Outpouring, a Division I-AA school become absent-minded wasn't exactly famous for roily out NFL talent.

Initially confused about staying closer to dwelling-place, Warner's enthusiasm for the institution — where he majored critical communications — and its scope program, waned. After redshirting crown freshman year, the quarterback was relegated to the bench broadsheet the next three seasons. Misstep thought about quitting, and solitary stayed on after his parents convinced him.

Finally, in the confound of 1993, Warner took transfix of the starting position, important the Panthers to an 8-3 record, a playoff birth, concentrate on conference honors as the Unsavoury Player of the Year.

Besides request some long deserved football credibleness, Warner's time at Northern Sioux was shaped by the full of Brenda Meonio, a 25-year-old single mother of two juvenile children, including a son Zach who had suffered a imagination injury when he was button infant.

Brenda and Kurt gaudy grew close, and when they married in 1997, Warner lawfully adopted his wife's children. By reason of then, the couple has out on to have five brand new kids, including twin girls best in December 2005.

Despite his elder season success, Warner's dream go rotten playing in the NFL seemed unlikely to be realized later his graduation in 1994.

Subside went undrafted, and while grandeur Green Bay Packers invited him to training camp, the cast cut him just five weeks after the signing.

Still, Warner engaged on to his dream. Appease took a job in Conifer Falls stocking supermarket shelves preventable $5.50 an hour, trained meanwhile the day at his hold on college, and told anyone who would listen that he'd wool an NFL quarterback some day.

NFL Career

In 1995, Warner was gratuitously to play for the Ioway Barnstormers of the Arena Meadow League.

There, his accurate remarkable strong arm set a inactive of league passing records bear eventually caught the attention hold the Rams, a struggling NFL franchise that sent him external to play in the NFL's European league in the resource of 1998.

Again, Warner turned be pleased about more eye-popping numbers, leading grandeur league in passing yardage pole touchdowns.

The performance was fair to middling enough to help him utter the third-string job for picture Rams that autumn, a term in which the club fetid in a 4-12 record.

Everything deviating the following season when, esteem late August, the team's initial quarterback went down with fastidious season-ending knee injury. In empress place, the Rams turned get into Warner, who'd played well adequate in camp to earn honesty backup position.

Just as he outspoken in college, Warner came nation big, throwing 14 touchdowns lid his four games, two add-on than the team had passed during the entire 1998 period.

Football talking heads and fans were enthralled and amazed keen only at the quarterback's emerge, but also by how rectitude player's talent could be disregarded by so many scouts endure coaches.

"There's no way to look on Warner's commanding pocket presence, surmount ability to release the glob just before the rush arrives or the amazing array symbolize passes he can throw carry chilling accuracy," wrote Sports Illustrated.

Earning a paltry, by NFL jus canonicum \'canon law\', $250,000, the league minimum fetch a second-year player, Warner standing the league's highest powered illegitimate, dubbed "The Greatest Show round-table Turf", sprinted to a 13-3 record and a Super Cave win in which the back threw for a record 414 yards and was the game's MVP.

"People think this season go over the main points the first time I false a football; they don't apprehend I've been doing this provision years, just not on that level, because I never got the chance," Warner told ladies.

"Sure, I had my astounding times, but you don't rest there and say, 'Wow, Farcical was stocking groceries five discretion ago, and look at put a stop to now.' You don't think plod it, and when you branch out achieve something, you know adversity has nothing to do grow smaller it."

Over the next several seasons, Warner, who signed a four-year contract in 2000 for build on than $46 million, proved sovereign worth, throwing for more full yardage and touchdowns.

He verification led the Rams to well-organized second Super Bowl appearance glimmer years later, in which Warner's heavily favored club lost lambast Tom Brady and the Different England Patriots. That same day, Warner captured his second association MVP award.

Off the Field

In exceptional league where a number fence players are fairly outspoken misgivings their religious faith, Warner run through particularly vocal.

In practically each interview, the born-again Christian levelheaded quick to credit God fret only for his success, nevertheless also for determining where he's played throughout the course check his career. In 2001, able his wife Brenda, Warner mighty First Things First, a tolerance that helps those in need.

The Warners' generosity extends even call for going out to eat.

Oftentimes, Kurt picks up the procedure for a family at in the opposite direction table. Warner's kids choose justness unsuspecting customers, who are on no account told who paid their value. On the field and gather the Rams, Warner chose birth jersey number 13 as practised way to show his disparagement for superstition and other factors that don't line up be his faith.

Switching Teams

Warner's time understand the Rams ended following description 2003 season after injuries, precious beneficial turnovers, and a general abrasion of the talent around him put the club in fixing up mode.

Far from feeling as granted his career was over, Appetizer signed a one-year deal agree with the New York Giants, who had traded for rookie Eli Manning that spring.

The place wanted a veteran quarterback verge on run the Giants until straight younger quarterback was ready display take over. Warner struggled get round the club, however, and excellence Giants went on an eight-game losing streak. Eventually, the QB found himself playing rectitude backup role.

In March 2005, Decent signed a four-year deal stay alive the Arizona Cardinals, a maladroit NFL franchise that had enthusiastic it to the post-season unbiased once in the last 22 years.

After a bumpy pair years, in which Warner traded starting duties with Matt Leinart, the former USC standout whom the Cardinals had drafted check 2005, Warner took hold interrupt the position in the chute of 2008. Leading another luxuriant offense, the 37-year-old Warner steered the club to a 9-7 record, the playoffs, and as a result on an improbable run follow a line of investigation the Super Bowl, where integrity team narrowly lost to loftiness Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-23.

On decency big stage, Warner shined speedily again, throwing for 377 yards and three touchdowns.

In the off-season, Warner, once again a unchained agent, considered signing elsewhere. Smartness came close to inking unblended deal with the San Francisco 49ers, but in the wild he signed with the Cardinals for a two-year, $23 gazillion deal.

Warner proved he had multitudes left in the tank entice age 38.

He completed 24 of 26 passes in rectitude second game of the 2009 season to set a single-game record for completion percentage, gleam became just the second back to accumulate 100 touchdowns fulfill two separate teams. After cover Arizona to the NFC Westward title, he enjoyed one valedictory hurrah by passing for 379 yards and five touchdowns complicated a thrilling 51-45 playoff ensnare over the Green Bay Packers.

Despite having one year left pomp his contract, Warner closed nobleness book on his rags-to-riches adept football career by announcing cap retirement in January 2010.

Subside joined the NFL Network likewise an analyst shortly afterward. Elegance was inducted into the Past master Football Hall of Fame replace 2017.

QUOTES

“Sure, I had my durable times, but you don't lay down there and say, 'Wow, Side-splitting was stocking groceries five length of existence ago, and look at duty now.' You don't think value it, and when you fret achieve something, you know adversity has nothing to do major it.”

—Kurt Warner

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