Kurt Warner
Encyclopedia
Kurtis Eugene "Kurt" Warner (born June 22, 1971) is a retired American football
player. He played quarterback
for three National Football League
(NFL) teams: the St. Louis Rams
, the New York Giants
, and the Arizona Cardinals
. He was originally signed by the Green Bay Packers
as an undrafted free agent in 1994 after playing college football
at Northern Iowa
. Warner would go on to be considered one of the best undrafted players of all time, following a 12-year career regarded as one of the greatest stories
in NFL history.
Warner first attained stardom while playing for the St. Louis Rams
from 1998–2003, where he won two NFL MVP awards in 1999 and 2001 as well as the Super Bowl MVP
award in Super Bowl XXXIV
. He led the 2008 Arizona Cardinals
to Super Bowl XLIII
(the franchise's first-ever Super Bowl
berth), and owns the three highest single-game passing yardage totals in Super Bowl history. Warner currently holds the seventh-highest career passer rating
of all-time (93.7), and the fourth-highest career completion percentage in NFL history with 65.5%.
In 13 career playoff games, Warner ranks first all-time in completion percentage (66.5%), yards per attempt (8.55), and second in passer rating (102.8). He also holds the highest completion percentage for a single game during the regular season, at 92.3 percent (24/26), on September 20, 2009, against the Jacksonville Jaguars
. He announced his retirement on January 29, 2010.
, Warner played football
at Regis High School
in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
, and later went on to attend the University of Northern Iowa
. At UNI, Warner was third on the Panthers' depth chart until his senior year. When Warner was finally given the chance to start, he was named the Gateway Conference's Offensive Player of the Year.
, Warner went undrafted in the 1994 NFL Draft
. He was invited to try out for the Green Bay Packers
' training camp in 1994, but was released before the regular season began; Warner was competing for a spot against Brett Favre
, Mark Brunell
and former Heisman Trophy
winner Ty Detmer
. While Warner was with the Packers, the head coach was Mike Holmgren
and the quarterback coach was Steve Mariucci
. After Warner was released, Mariucci had told him that he knew Warner had enormous potential
but was not ready to be an NFL quarterback yet.
It was at this time that Warner stocked shelves at a Hy-Vee
grocery store
in Cedar Falls
for $5.50 an hour. This story was often used as the starting point when telling of his rise to NFL stardom in 1999. A religious conversion around 1997 is also mentioned by him. Warner also returned to Northern Iowa and worked as a graduate assistant coach with the football team, all the while still hoping to get another tryout with an NFL team.
With no NFL teams willing to give him a chance, Warner turned to the Arena Football League in 1995 and signed with the Iowa Barnstormers
. Warner was named to the AFL's First-team All-Arena in both 1996 and 1997 after he led the Barnstormers to Arena Bowl appearances in both seasons. Warner's performance was so impressive that he would be named twelfth out of the twenty Best Arena Football players of all time.
Before the 1997 Arena season, he requested and got a tryout with the Chicago Bears
, but an injury to his throwing elbow caused by a spider bite sustained during his honeymoon prevented him from attending.
On August 12, 2011, Kurt Warner was named as an inductee into the AFL Hall of Fame.
, and was allocated to NFL Europe's Amsterdam Admirals
, where he would lead the league in touchdowns and passing yards. Incidentally, his backup at the time was future Carolina Panthers
quarterback Jake Delhomme
, another famous rags-to-riches quarterback story. Returning to the United States for the season, Warner spent the 1998 campaign as St. Louis' third-string quarterback behind Tony Banks and Steve Bono
. He ended his season completing only 4 of 11 pass attempts for 39 yards and a 47.2 QB rating.
to be their starting QB, and Warner was promoted to second string. When Green tore his ACL
in a preseason game, Warner took over as the Rams' starter. St. Louis coach Dick Vermeil
famously stated in a press conference, "We'll rally around Kurt Warner and we will play good football" before even seeing Warner work with the Rams' starting offense. With the support of running back Marshall Faulk
and wide receivers Isaac Bruce
, Torry Holt
, Az-Zahir Hakim
, and Ricky Proehl
, Warner put together one of the top seasons by a quarterback in NFL history, throwing for 4,353 yards with 41 touchdown passes and a completion rate of 65.1%. The Rams' high-powered offense, run by offensive coordinator Mike Martz
, was nicknamed "The Greatest Show on Turf
" and registered the first in a string of three consecutive 500-point seasons, an NFL record.
Warner threw three touchdown passes in each of the first three NFL starts; he is the only NFL quarterback in history to accomplish that feat. Warner drew more attention in the Rams' fourth game of the season, a home game against the San Francisco 49ers
(who had been NFC West division champions for 12 of the previous 13 seasons). The Rams had lost their last 17 meetings with the 49ers, but Warner proceeded to throw a touchdown pass on each of the Rams' first three possessions of the game, and four TDs in the first half alone, to propel the Rams to a 28–10 halftime lead on the way to a 42–20 victory. Warner finished the game with five touchdown passes, giving him 14 in four games and the Rams a 4–0 record. Warner's breakout season from a career in anonymity was so unexpected that Sports Illustrated
featured him on their October 18 cover with the caption "Who Is This Guy?" He was named the 1999 NFL MVP at the season's end.
In the NFL playoffs, Warner ultimately led the Rams to a Super Bowl XXXIV
victory against the Tennessee Titans
. In the game, he threw for two touchdowns and a Super Bowl-record 414 passing yards, including a critical 73-yard touchdown to Isaac Bruce when the game was tied with just over two minutes to play. Warner also set a Super Bowl record by attempting 45 passes without a single interception. For his performance, Warner was awarded the Super Bowl MVP
, becoming the seventh player to win both the league MVP and Super Bowl MVP awards in the same year.
(5,084 yards). In contrast to his previous season, however, Warner's turnover rate drastically increased in 2000, as he threw an interception in 5.2% of his attempts (compared to just 2.6% in 1999). The Rams were eliminated from the playoffs in the wild card round by the New Orleans Saints despite one of the most productive offensive years by an NFL team. In response to the disappointing season, nine of the Rams' eleven defensive starters would be cut during the offseason, and Trent Green was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs
.
), an NFL-best 14–2 record, and an appearance in Super Bowl XXXVI
. Warner was also named the NFL MVP for the second time in three seasons, giving the Rams their third winner in as many years (running back Marshall Faulk won in 2000).
In Super Bowl XXXVI, Warner threw for 365 yards (then the second-highest, now the third-highest total in Super Bowl history) and a passing touchdown along with a rushing touchdown, but his rhythm was largely disrupted by New England Patriots
coach Bill Belichick
's defensive game plan, and he tossed two costly interceptions which helped stake the heavy-underdog Patriots to a two-touchdown lead. After falling behind to the Patriots 17–3, though, the Rams rallied to tie the game late in the fourth quarter on a one-yard Warner QB sneak touchdown run and a 26-yard touchdown pass from Warner to Ricky Proehl. The game ended in a loss for Warner and the Rams when Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri
booted a game-winning field goal as time expired, giving the Patriots the first of three Super Bowl wins in four years.
, Warner broke a finger on his throwing hand. Warner attempted to come back later in the season, but his injury allowed him to play only two more games (both losses). In contrast to his 103.4 career passer rating entering the season, Warner posted a minuscule 67.4 rating in 2002.
The following season, Warner was replaced as the Rams' starting quarterback for good after fumbling six times in the team's opening-day game against the New York Giants. Warner later revealed that he had previously broken his hand and that it had not fully healed, making it more difficult to grip the football. His successor as the Rams' starting quarterback, Marc Bulger
(another relatively unheralded quarterback coming out of college), stepped into the breach and played well upon replacing Warner.
. Warner started the 2004 season as the Giants' starting quarterback, winning five of his first seven games, but following a two-game losing streak, highly-touted rookie quarterback Eli Manning
was given the starting job. The Giants had a 5–4 win-loss record at the time of Warner's benching, finishing at 6–10 overall (going only 1–6 under Manning).
, and was quickly named the starter by coach Dennis Green
. Warner posted three relatively mediocre performances before injuring his groin and being replaced by former starter Josh McCown
. McCown performed well enough in the two games Warner missed that Green named McCown the starter for the remainder of the season.
But after McCown struggled in two straight games, Green re-inserted Warner into the starting line-up. After playing fairly well in two consecutive losses (passing for a total of nearly 700 yards), Warner defeated his former team, the Rams, by a score of 38–28. He passed for 285 yards and three touchdowns while posting a quarterback rating of 115.9. Warner's season ended in Week 15 when he partially tore his MCL
.
Warner signed a new three-year deal with the Cardinals on February 14, 2006. The deal had a base salary of $18 million and, with performance incentives, could have been worth as much as $22 million.
After three subpar games in Weeks 2–4, Warner was replaced at quarterback by rookie Matt Leinart
in the fourth quarter of Week 4. Then-coach Dennis Green stated that Warner would be the backup quarterback for the remainder of the season. In Week 16, Leinart went down with a shoulder injury against the 49ers, forcing Warner to see his first action since Week 4. Warner filled in nicely, as he was able to hang on for the Cardinals win. In Week 17 against the San Diego Chargers
, Warner started again in place of the injured Leinart, throwing for 365 yards (which led the NFL for that week) and a touchdown, though the Chargers were able to hang on for a 27–20 win.
, Warner came off the bench to relieve an ineffective Leinart during the 4th quarter with the Ravens leading 23–6 at the beginning of the period. He would lead a furious comeback, as he completed 15 of 20 passes for 258 yds and 2 TDs. This brought Arizona to a tie game (23–23), though Arizona would go on to lose the game 26–23 after Baltimore kicked a last-second field goal.
On September 30, 2007, during the week 4 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers
, Warner relieved Leinart again, following another ineffective start by Leinart. Warner finished with 14/21 for 132 yards with one touchdown pass and no interceptions, while Leinart re-entered the game in the 4th quarter and led the Cardinals to their final touchdown. After Leinart was placed on injured reserve, Warner was named starter for the remainder of the 2007 season.
Warner passed for a career-high 484 yards against the 49ers in a 37–31 loss on November 25, but had a fumble in the end zone in overtime that was recovered by Tully Banta-Cain
to lose the game. However, the following week showed an improvement for Warner and the Cardinals, earning a victory over the Browns that brought the Cardinals to 6–6 and kept them in the chase for the NFC Wild Card playoff spot. Warner finished the 2007 season with 27 passing touchdowns, just one shy of the Cardinals franchise record. Warner's performance earned him a $1 million dollar bonus for the year, and he fell just short of attaining a 90.0+ passer rating, which would have given him an extra $500,000.
stated that it would be very possible for Warner to be the starter before Week 1 of the regular season
. Indeed, Warner was named the starter on August 30, 2008. That season, Warner had 4,583 passing yards, 30 touchdowns and a completion percentage of 67.1%. Warner also received FedEx Air Player of the Week
honors for his performance during weeks 9 and 11 of the season.
On December 7, 2008, Warner led the Cardinals to a 34–10 win over his former team, the Rams, securing for the Cardinals the NFC West Division title and their first playoff berth since 1998. It was the Cardinals' first division title since 1975 and third of the post-merger era. As a result, the Cardinals would play only their second home playoff game ever, as they had never played a home playoff game in St. Louis despite winning two division titles. On December 16, 2008 Warner was named the starting quarterback for the NFC team in the 2009 Pro Bowl
.
in the first round the playoffs. During the game Warner went 19 for 32, a completion percentage of 59.4%, for 271 yards. He threw two touchdowns and one interception. This win represented the first time the Cardinals had won a post-season home game since the 1947 NFL Championship Game.
On January 10, Warner led the Cardinals in their 20-point defeat of the Carolina Panthers 33–13 in Charlotte, North Carolina in the second round of the playoffs. During the game Warner went 21 for 32, a completion percentage of 65.6%, for 220 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception. This win represented the first time the Cardinals won a game on the East Coast that entire season.
On January 18, Warner threw for 279 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions against the Philadelphia Eagles
to help lead the Cardinals to their first Super Bowl appearance in history. Warner is the second quarterback to make Super Bowl starts with two different teams joining Craig Morton
(1970 Dallas Cowboys and 1977 Denver Broncos). He also became the third quarterback in NFL history to win a conference championship with two different teams, following Craig Morton and Earl Morrall
.
In Warner's third career Super Bowl appearance on February 1, the Cardinals lost Super Bowl XLIII
27–23 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, leaving him with a career 1–2 record in Super Bowls. Despite losing, Warner still managed to throw for 377 yards (the 2nd-highest total in Super Bowl history), completed 72% of his passes, and had a quarterback rating of 112.3. Warner has now recorded the three highest single-game passing yardage totals in the history of the Super Bowl, and joined Joe Montana
, John Elway
, Terry Bradshaw
, and Tom Brady
as the only quarterbacks to throw a touchdown pass in three different Super Bowls. Warner has taken his team to the Super Bowl every year that he has played as the starting quarterback during all regular and post season games.
and went on to have talks with the San Francisco 49ers
. The 49ers
offered Warner a contract worth more than that offered by the Cardinals. On March 4, Warner re-signed with the Cardinals to a two-year deal worth $23 million total, $4 million for each of the next two years, with a $15 million signing bonus. Warner underwent arthroscopic hip surgery to repair a torn labrum
on March 17, 2009. On September 20, 2009, Warner broke the NFL’s single-game record for completion percentage in the regular season, completing 24 of 26 passing for 243 yards and two touchdowns. Warner's 92.3 percent completion rate broke the previous NFL record set by Vinny Testaverde
in 1993.
On November 1, 2009, Warner threw a career-high equaling 5 interceptions during a 34–21 loss to the Carolina Panthers. During the same game Warner became the first quarterback in the NFL to throw for over 14,000 yards with two different teams. On November 8, 2009, Warner equaled his career-high of 5 touchdown passes in a single game during a 41–21 victory over the Chicago Bears. This performance led to Warner being named both the NFC Offensive Player of the Week and the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week.
On November 15, 2009, Warner reached a career milestone with his 200th touchdown pass during a 31–20 win against the Seattle Seahawks.
On November 22, 2009, during a 21–13 victory over the St. Louis Rams, Warner left the game after suffering a concussion. Warner continued to suffer from post-concussion symptoms and on November 29, 2009, he was deactivated against the Tennessee Titans, breaking his consecutive starts streak at 41 straight games.
On December 6, 2009, Warner returned to action as the Cardinals defeated the Minnesota Vikings 30–17. Warner registered his fourth consecutive game with a passer rating of 120 or better, making him only the second quarterback in NFL history to accomplish the feat. After his three-touchdown performance, Warner was named both the NFC Offensive Player of the Week and the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week.
On December 27, 2009, Warner became only the second quarterback in NFL history to throw 100 touchdown passes with two different teams (Hall of Famer
Fran Tarkenton
is the other), in the Cardinals' 31–10 win over the St. Louis Rams.
On December 29, 2009, Warner was named an alternate quarterback for the NFC team in the 2010 Pro Bowl
.
lost his first home playoff game that same week.
On January 16, Warner was injured in the first half trying to tackle the ball carrier after an interception on the way to a 45–14 loss at New Orleans in the NFC Divisional round. He returned for the second half, but yielded to understudy Matt Leinart midway through the fourth quarter.
Warner is now an Iowa Barnstormers broadcaster. On May 22, 2010 he was inducted into the Arena Football Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the Iowa Barnstormers Hall of Fame.
Warner is represented by Priority Sports and Entertainment
for all aspects of his career.
Warner shares several records:
Warner also ranks second in several categories:
as an analyst. He can be seen regularly on NFL Total Access
, as well as in-studio on NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football pregame show, Thursday Night Kickoff Presented by Sears. Warner also served as an analyst for the NFL Network
's coverage of the 2010 Arena Football League playoffs.
On January 27, 2009, Warner made a special appearance on the NBC
reality show The Biggest Loser.
Warner made a guest appearance on Disney's The Suite Life on Deck
as himself in the episode "Any Given Fantasy" which aired on the Disney Channel January 18, 2010.
On February 9, 2010, Warner was a surprise guest on the final episode of The Jay Leno Show
.
In August 2010, Fox Sports
announced that Warner would be serving as a color analyst on the network's NFL coverage
in the 2010 season
. He will team with play-by-play announcers Chris Rose
or Chris Myers
to call regional games.
On August 30, 2010, it was announced on live television that Warner would be appearing as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars. His professional dance partner was Anna Trebunskaya
; the couple were eliminated in week 8, the Instant Choreography Week.
announced that it had signed Warner to a multi-year endorsement agreement to represent the Nutrilite
brand. Amway reportedly agreed to make a $50,000 donation Kurt Warner's First Things First Foundation
.
Kurt Warner was born to Gene and Sue Warner; he has a brother, Matt. Warner's parents divorced when he was 6. His father, Gene Warner remarried a year later. Warner's stepmother, Mimi Warner, also had a son named Matt (Post). The three boys formed a close relationship soon thereafter. He graduated in 1989 from Regis High School, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
, where he was quarterback of the school's Class 3A football team.
During college, Warner met his future wife, Brenda Carney Meoni; they married on October 11, 1997. Meoni is a United States Marine Corps
veteran. She was divorced with two children – one of whom had been left brain-damaged and blind after being dropped by Brenda's ex-husband – when she and Kurt wed. After Warner was cut from the Packers' training camp in 1994, he got a job working the night shift
as a stock boy at a local Hy-Vee
grocery store, in addition to his work as an assistant-coach at Northern Iowa. While Warner was working as an assistant-coach, he and Brenda were living in Brenda's parent's basement in Cedar Falls. Warner was still hoping to get an NFL tryout, but with that possibility appearing dim and the long hours at the Hy-Vee for minimum wage taking their toll, Warner began his Arena League career.
After getting married, Warner officially adopted Brenda's two children from her first marriage and have since added 5 children of their own:
Kurt and Brenda Warner are devout evangelical Christians. His faith first emerged on the international scene following the Rams' Super Bowl victory, where he was named the game's MVP:
Nine years later, upon leading the Cardinals to the franchise's first ever Super Bowl, Warner's response was similar:
Warner has usually attended charismatic churches
, and believes that God healed him from a concussion he suffered in 2000. However, he himself eschews the term. In 2001, he told Charisma
, "I'm just a Christian."
Warner has also appeared in several public service announcement
s for Civitan International, promoting their volunteer efforts and their work with the developmentally disabled. This issue is personally close to Warner, as Zachary, his adopted son from Brenda's first marriage, suffered major brain damage as an infant when his biological father accidentally dropped him.
On October 24, 2006, he was featured in a political advertisement opposing a bill supporting embryonic stem cell research
in Missouri
. The advertisement was in response to a pro-embryonic research ad featuring Michael J. Fox
. He appeared in the advertisement with James Caviezel
, Patricia Heaton
, Jeff Suppan
, and Mike Sweeney
. The advertisement aired during Game 4 of the 2006 World Series
.
Warner has devoted time and money to his First Things First Foundation
, the name of which was derived from his interview after winning the Super Bowl in 1999. The foundation is dedicated to impacting lives by promoting Christian values, sharing experiences and providing opportunities to encourage everyone that all things are possible when people seek to put ‘first things first.’ The foundation has been involved with numerous projects for causes such as children's hospitals, people with developmental disabilities and assisting single parents. Warner's work both on and off the field resulted in him being awarded the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award
2008. In March 2009, Warner was honored with the Muhammad Ali
Sports Leadership Award. Warner was selected by USA Weekend
as the winner of its annual Most Caring Athlete Award for 2009. In December 2009, Warner topped a Sports Illustrated
poll of NFL players to name the best role model on and off the field in the NFL.
In February 2010, Warner received the annual Bart Starr Award
, given for outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field and in the community. At the award presentation, Bart Starr
said of Warner: "We have never given this award to anyone who is more deserving".
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player. He played quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for three National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) teams: the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
, the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He was originally signed by the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
as an undrafted free agent in 1994 after playing college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Northern Iowa
University of Northern Iowa
The University of Northern Iowa is a college located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. UNI offers more than 120 majors across the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities and Fine Arts, Natural Sciences, and Social and Behavioral sciences, and graduate college.UNI has...
. Warner would go on to be considered one of the best undrafted players of all time, following a 12-year career regarded as one of the greatest stories
Cinderella (sports)
In American and Canadian sports, a Cinderella or "Cinderella Story" refers to a team or player who advances much further in a tournament or career than originally anticipated. Cinderellas tend to gain much media and fan attention as they move closer to the championship game at the end of the...
in NFL history.
Warner first attained stardom while playing for the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
from 1998–2003, where he won two NFL MVP awards in 1999 and 2001 as well as the Super Bowl MVP
Super Bowl MVP
The Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award, or Super Bowl MVP, is an award presented annually to the most valuable player of the Super Bowl, the National Football League's championship game. The winner is chosen by a fan vote during the game and by a panel of 16 American football writers and...
award in Super Bowl XXXIV
Super Bowl XXXIV
Super Bowl XXXIV featured the National Football Conference champion St. Louis Rams and the American Football Conference champion Tennessee Titans in an American football game to decide the National Football League champion for the 1999 regular season...
. He led the 2008 Arizona Cardinals
2008 Arizona Cardinals season
The 2008 Arizona Cardinals season was the 89th season for the team in the National Football League and their 21st season in Arizona. The season marked the Cardinals' first-ever Super Bowl appearance, coming as a result of their victory against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship.The...
to Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League champion for the 2008 season. The game was played on February 1, 2009,...
(the franchise's first-ever Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
berth), and owns the three highest single-game passing yardage totals in Super Bowl history. Warner currently holds the seventh-highest career passer rating
Passer rating
Passer rating is a measure of the performance of quarterbacks or any other passers in American football and Canadian football. There are at least two formulae currently in use: one officially used by the National Football League and the Canadian Football League, and one used in college football...
of all-time (93.7), and the fourth-highest career completion percentage in NFL history with 65.5%.
In 13 career playoff games, Warner ranks first all-time in completion percentage (66.5%), yards per attempt (8.55), and second in passer rating (102.8). He also holds the highest completion percentage for a single game during the regular season, at 92.3 percent (24/26), on September 20, 2009, against the Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He announced his retirement on January 29, 2010.
Early life
Born in Burlington, IowaBurlington, Iowa
Burlington is a city in, and the county seat of Des Moines County, Iowa, United States. The population was 25,663 in the 2010 census, a decline from the 26,839 population in the 2000 census. Burlington is the center of a micropolitan area including West Burlington, Iowa and Middletown, Iowa and...
, Warner played football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
at Regis High School
Regis High School (Cedar Rapids)
Regis Catholic High School was a Catholic high school in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, located at 735 Prairie Drive NE. Opened in 1958 as a successor to Immaculate Conception High School, it drew students from the parishes of All Saints, Immaculate Conception, St. Joseph , St. Matthew, St. Pius X, and St....
in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in Iowa and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and east of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city...
, and later went on to attend the University of Northern Iowa
University of Northern Iowa
The University of Northern Iowa is a college located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. UNI offers more than 120 majors across the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities and Fine Arts, Natural Sciences, and Social and Behavioral sciences, and graduate college.UNI has...
. At UNI, Warner was third on the Panthers' depth chart until his senior year. When Warner was finally given the chance to start, he was named the Gateway Conference's Offensive Player of the Year.
Arena Football
Following his college careerCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
, Warner went undrafted in the 1994 NFL Draft
1994 NFL Draft
The 1994 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24-25, 1994. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and...
. He was invited to try out for the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
' training camp in 1994, but was released before the regular season began; Warner was competing for a spot against Brett Favre
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
, Mark Brunell
Mark Brunell
Mark Allen Brunell is an American football quarterback who currently plays for the New York Jets. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Washington....
and former Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner Ty Detmer
Ty Detmer
Ty Hubert Detmer is a former National Football League and NCAA quarterback. He starred at Brigham Young University, where he set many records and won the Heisman Trophy in 1990...
. While Warner was with the Packers, the head coach was Mike Holmgren
Mike Holmgren
Michael George Holmgren is a former professional football coach and current President of the Cleveland Browns. He served as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1992 to 1998, and the Seattle Seahawks from 1999 to 2008...
and the quarterback coach was Steve Mariucci
Steve Mariucci
Stephen Ray "Steve" Mariucci is a former National Football League coach. He coached for the San Francisco 49ers and most recently for the Detroit Lions.-Early career:...
. After Warner was released, Mariucci had told him that he knew Warner had enormous potential
Potential
*In linguistics, the potential mood*The mathematical study of potentials is known as potential theory; it is the study of harmonic functions on manifolds...
but was not ready to be an NFL quarterback yet.
It was at this time that Warner stocked shelves at a Hy-Vee
Hy-Vee
Hy-Vee is an employee-owned chain of supermarkets located in the Midwestern United States. Over 100 of its supermarkets are located in Iowa, with additional stores in Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and now Madison, Wisconsin...
grocery store
Grocery store
A grocery store is a store that retails food. A grocer, the owner of a grocery store, stocks different kinds of foods from assorted places and cultures, and sells these "groceries" to customers. Large grocery stores that stock products other than food, such as clothing or household items, are...
in Cedar Falls
Cedar Falls, Iowa
Cedar Falls is a city in Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States, and it is home to one of Iowa's three public universities, the University of Northern Iowa. The population was 39,260 in the 2010 census, an increase from the 36,145 population in the 2000 census...
for $5.50 an hour. This story was often used as the starting point when telling of his rise to NFL stardom in 1999. A religious conversion around 1997 is also mentioned by him. Warner also returned to Northern Iowa and worked as a graduate assistant coach with the football team, all the while still hoping to get another tryout with an NFL team.
With no NFL teams willing to give him a chance, Warner turned to the Arena Football League in 1995 and signed with the Iowa Barnstormers
New York Dragons
The New York Dragons were an Arena Football League team based in the New York metropolitan area. The team was founded in as the original incarnation of the Iowa Barnstormers, and relocated to New York in . They played in New York until 2008, when the league folded...
. Warner was named to the AFL's First-team All-Arena in both 1996 and 1997 after he led the Barnstormers to Arena Bowl appearances in both seasons. Warner's performance was so impressive that he would be named twelfth out of the twenty Best Arena Football players of all time.
Before the 1997 Arena season, he requested and got a tryout with the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, but an injury to his throwing elbow caused by a spider bite sustained during his honeymoon prevented him from attending.
On August 12, 2011, Kurt Warner was named as an inductee into the AFL Hall of Fame.
St. Louis Rams
In 1998, Warner was finally signed by an NFL franchise, the St. Louis RamsSt. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
, and was allocated to NFL Europe's Amsterdam Admirals
Amsterdam Admirals
The Amsterdam Admirals were a professional American football team in NFL Europe based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.-History:The Admirals were formed in 1995 as part of the NFL's plan to restart the World League of American Football, to be based entirely in Europe...
, where he would lead the league in touchdowns and passing yards. Incidentally, his backup at the time was future Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
quarterback Jake Delhomme
Jake Delhomme
Jake Christopher Delhomme is an American football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. Delhomme played college football at Louisiana-Lafayette before being signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 1997...
, another famous rags-to-riches quarterback story. Returning to the United States for the season, Warner spent the 1998 campaign as St. Louis' third-string quarterback behind Tony Banks and Steve Bono
Steve Bono
Steven Christopher Bono is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League.-Collegiate career:Bono attended the University of California at Los Angeles, where he received a degree in sociology. As a Bruins quarterback, Bono posted collegiate career numbers of 177...
. He ended his season completing only 4 of 11 pass attempts for 39 yards and a 47.2 QB rating.
1999 season
After releasing Banks and Bono following the 1998 season, the Rams signed free agent Trent GreenTrent Green
Trent Jason Green is a retired professional American football quarterback. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Indiana University....
to be their starting QB, and Warner was promoted to second string. When Green tore his ACL
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
in a preseason game, Warner took over as the Rams' starter. St. Louis coach Dick Vermeil
Dick Vermeil
Richard Albert "Dick" Vermeil is a former American head coach for the National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles , St. Louis Rams and Kansas City Chiefs...
famously stated in a press conference, "We'll rally around Kurt Warner and we will play good football" before even seeing Warner work with the Rams' starting offense. With the support of running back Marshall Faulk
Marshall Faulk
Marshall William Faulk is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League. He is currently an analyst for NFL Total Access, Thursday Night Football, and NFL GameDay Morning on the NFL Network...
and wide receivers Isaac Bruce
Isaac Bruce
Isaac Isidore Bruce is a retired American football wide receiver. He was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the second round of the 1994 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Memphis....
, Torry Holt
Torry Holt
After injuring his knee at the Senior Bowl, Holt, at 192 pounds, ran a 4.44 second 40-yard dash and had a vertical jump of 37 inches at the 1999 NFL Combine-St. Louis Rams:...
, Az-Zahir Hakim
Az-Zahir Hakim
Az-Zahir Ali Hakim is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the fourth round of the 1998 NFL Draft...
, and Ricky Proehl
Ricky Proehl
Richard Scott Proehl is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. Proehl played 17 seasons with the Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, St. Louis Rams, Carolina Panthers, and Indianapolis Colts...
, Warner put together one of the top seasons by a quarterback in NFL history, throwing for 4,353 yards with 41 touchdown passes and a completion rate of 65.1%. The Rams' high-powered offense, run by offensive coordinator Mike Martz
Mike Martz
Michael Martz is a former NFL head coach and currently the offensive coordinator for the National Football League's Chicago Bears....
, was nicknamed "The Greatest Show on Turf
The Greatest Show on Turf
"The Greatest Show on Turf" was the nickname for the St. Louis Rams' considerably talented and famous record-breaking offense during the 1999, 2000, and 2001 National Football League seasons. The offense was designed by attack oriented offensive coordinator Mike Martz who advocated an unrelenting...
" and registered the first in a string of three consecutive 500-point seasons, an NFL record.
Warner threw three touchdown passes in each of the first three NFL starts; he is the only NFL quarterback in history to accomplish that feat. Warner drew more attention in the Rams' fourth game of the season, a home game against the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
(who had been NFC West division champions for 12 of the previous 13 seasons). The Rams had lost their last 17 meetings with the 49ers, but Warner proceeded to throw a touchdown pass on each of the Rams' first three possessions of the game, and four TDs in the first half alone, to propel the Rams to a 28–10 halftime lead on the way to a 42–20 victory. Warner finished the game with five touchdown passes, giving him 14 in four games and the Rams a 4–0 record. Warner's breakout season from a career in anonymity was so unexpected that Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
featured him on their October 18 cover with the caption "Who Is This Guy?" He was named the 1999 NFL MVP at the season's end.
In the NFL playoffs, Warner ultimately led the Rams to a Super Bowl XXXIV
Super Bowl XXXIV
Super Bowl XXXIV featured the National Football Conference champion St. Louis Rams and the American Football Conference champion Tennessee Titans in an American football game to decide the National Football League champion for the 1999 regular season...
victory against the Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
. In the game, he threw for two touchdowns and a Super Bowl-record 414 passing yards, including a critical 73-yard touchdown to Isaac Bruce when the game was tied with just over two minutes to play. Warner also set a Super Bowl record by attempting 45 passes without a single interception. For his performance, Warner was awarded the Super Bowl MVP
Super Bowl MVP
The Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award, or Super Bowl MVP, is an award presented annually to the most valuable player of the Super Bowl, the National Football League's championship game. The winner is chosen by a fan vote during the game and by a panel of 16 American football writers and...
, becoming the seventh player to win both the league MVP and Super Bowl MVP awards in the same year.
2000 season
Warner started the 2000 season where he had left off in his record-setting '99 campaign, racking up 300 or more passing yards in each of his first 6 games (tying Steve Young's record) and posting 19 touchdown passes in that stretch. Warner broke his hand and missed the middle of the season, but Trent Green filled in ably and the Warner/Green duo led the Rams to the highest team passing yard total in NFL history, with 5,232 net yards. Warner and Green's combined gross passing yard total was 5,492, which, if held by just one player, would surpass the single-season record set by Dan MarinoDan Marino
Daniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
(5,084 yards). In contrast to his previous season, however, Warner's turnover rate drastically increased in 2000, as he threw an interception in 5.2% of his attempts (compared to just 2.6% in 1999). The Rams were eliminated from the playoffs in the wild card round by the New Orleans Saints despite one of the most productive offensive years by an NFL team. In response to the disappointing season, nine of the Rams' eleven defensive starters would be cut during the offseason, and Trent Green was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
.
2001 season
Warner quickly returned to MVP form in 2001. Although his performance lagged behind his 1999 performance, he amassed a league-high 36 touchdown passes and 4,830 passing yards, third all-time behind only Dan Marino and Drew Brees. Warner's penchant for turnovers carried over from 2000, as he tossed a career-high 22 interceptions (despite completing a career-high 68.7% of his passes), but he still led "The Greatest Show on Turf" to its third consecutive 6–0 start (becoming the first NFL team to do so, later equalled by the 2005–2007 Indianapolis ColtsIndianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
), an NFL-best 14–2 record, and an appearance in Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game played on February 3, 2002 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 2001 regular season. The American Football Conference champion New England Patriots won their first Super...
. Warner was also named the NFL MVP for the second time in three seasons, giving the Rams their third winner in as many years (running back Marshall Faulk won in 2000).
In Super Bowl XXXVI, Warner threw for 365 yards (then the second-highest, now the third-highest total in Super Bowl history) and a passing touchdown along with a rushing touchdown, but his rhythm was largely disrupted by New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
coach Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick
William Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991...
's defensive game plan, and he tossed two costly interceptions which helped stake the heavy-underdog Patriots to a two-touchdown lead. After falling behind to the Patriots 17–3, though, the Rams rallied to tie the game late in the fourth quarter on a one-yard Warner QB sneak touchdown run and a 26-yard touchdown pass from Warner to Ricky Proehl. The game ended in a loss for Warner and the Rams when Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri
Adam Vinatieri
Adam Matthew Vinatieri is an American football placekicker currently playing for the Indianapolis Colts. He has played in six Super Bowls, four with the New England Patriots and two with the Colts, winning four. Vinatieri won a Super Bowl in 2006 with Indianapolis and won Super Bowls in 2001,...
booted a game-winning field goal as time expired, giving the Patriots the first of three Super Bowl wins in four years.
2002–03 seasons
Warner began the 2002 season as the Rams' starter, but he played poorly, throwing seven interceptions against only one touchdown as the team went 0–3. In the Rams' fourth game, this one against the Dallas CowboysDallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
, Warner broke a finger on his throwing hand. Warner attempted to come back later in the season, but his injury allowed him to play only two more games (both losses). In contrast to his 103.4 career passer rating entering the season, Warner posted a minuscule 67.4 rating in 2002.
The following season, Warner was replaced as the Rams' starting quarterback for good after fumbling six times in the team's opening-day game against the New York Giants. Warner later revealed that he had previously broken his hand and that it had not fully healed, making it more difficult to grip the football. His successor as the Rams' starting quarterback, Marc Bulger
Marc Bulger
Marc Robert Bulger [] is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at West Virginia....
(another relatively unheralded quarterback coming out of college), stepped into the breach and played well upon replacing Warner.
2004 season
The Rams released Warner on June 1, 2004, and two days later, he signed a two-year deal with the New York GiantsNew York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Warner started the 2004 season as the Giants' starting quarterback, winning five of his first seven games, but following a two-game losing streak, highly-touted rookie quarterback Eli Manning
Eli Manning
Eli Nelson Manning is an American football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He is the younger brother of NFL quarterback Peyton Manning and the son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning...
was given the starting job. The Giants had a 5–4 win-loss record at the time of Warner's benching, finishing at 6–10 overall (going only 1–6 under Manning).
2005 season
In early 2005, Warner signed a one-year, $4-million contract with the Arizona CardinalsArizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and was quickly named the starter by coach Dennis Green
Dennis Green
Dennis "Denny" Green is an American football head coach for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League...
. Warner posted three relatively mediocre performances before injuring his groin and being replaced by former starter Josh McCown
Josh McCown
Joshua Treadwell McCown is an American football quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Sam Houston State.McCown has played for the Detroit Lions, Oakland...
. McCown performed well enough in the two games Warner missed that Green named McCown the starter for the remainder of the season.
But after McCown struggled in two straight games, Green re-inserted Warner into the starting line-up. After playing fairly well in two consecutive losses (passing for a total of nearly 700 yards), Warner defeated his former team, the Rams, by a score of 38–28. He passed for 285 yards and three touchdowns while posting a quarterback rating of 115.9. Warner's season ended in Week 15 when he partially tore his MCL
Medial collateral ligament
The medial collateral ligament of the knee is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial side of the knee joint in humans and other primates. It is also known as the tibial collateral ligament, or abbreviated as the MCL.- Structure :It is a broad, flat, membranous band,...
.
Warner signed a new three-year deal with the Cardinals on February 14, 2006. The deal had a base salary of $18 million and, with performance incentives, could have been worth as much as $22 million.
2006 season
In Week One of the 2006 NFL season, Warner won the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award, throwing for 301 yards and three touchdowns in a win over San Francisco. Two weeks later, Warner passed the 20,000-yard passing milestone in his 76th game, the second-quickest of any player in NFL history (Warner accomplished the feat in one game more than it took record-holder Dan Marino).After three subpar games in Weeks 2–4, Warner was replaced at quarterback by rookie Matt Leinart
Matt Leinart
Matthew Stephen Leinart , is an American professional football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League...
in the fourth quarter of Week 4. Then-coach Dennis Green stated that Warner would be the backup quarterback for the remainder of the season. In Week 16, Leinart went down with a shoulder injury against the 49ers, forcing Warner to see his first action since Week 4. Warner filled in nicely, as he was able to hang on for the Cardinals win. In Week 17 against the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Warner started again in place of the injured Leinart, throwing for 365 yards (which led the NFL for that week) and a touchdown, though the Chargers were able to hang on for a 27–20 win.
2007 season
Leinart was given the starting quarterback job at the start of the 2007 season. But in the third game of the season, against the Baltimore RavensBaltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
, Warner came off the bench to relieve an ineffective Leinart during the 4th quarter with the Ravens leading 23–6 at the beginning of the period. He would lead a furious comeback, as he completed 15 of 20 passes for 258 yds and 2 TDs. This brought Arizona to a tie game (23–23), though Arizona would go on to lose the game 26–23 after Baltimore kicked a last-second field goal.
On September 30, 2007, during the week 4 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
, Warner relieved Leinart again, following another ineffective start by Leinart. Warner finished with 14/21 for 132 yards with one touchdown pass and no interceptions, while Leinart re-entered the game in the 4th quarter and led the Cardinals to their final touchdown. After Leinart was placed on injured reserve, Warner was named starter for the remainder of the 2007 season.
Warner passed for a career-high 484 yards against the 49ers in a 37–31 loss on November 25, but had a fumble in the end zone in overtime that was recovered by Tully Banta-Cain
Tully Banta-Cain
Tully Banta-Cain is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at California.Banta-Cain earned two Super Bowl rings during his first stint with the Patriots...
to lose the game. However, the following week showed an improvement for Warner and the Cardinals, earning a victory over the Browns that brought the Cardinals to 6–6 and kept them in the chase for the NFC Wild Card playoff spot. Warner finished the 2007 season with 27 passing touchdowns, just one shy of the Cardinals franchise record. Warner's performance earned him a $1 million dollar bonus for the year, and he fell just short of attaining a 90.0+ passer rating, which would have given him an extra $500,000.
2008 season
Leinart was named the Cardinals' starting QB going into the 2008 off-season, but Ken WhisenhuntKen Whisenhunt
Kenneth "Ken" Moore Whisenhunt is the current head coach of the Arizona Cardinals NFL football team, leading them to the first Super Bowl in franchise history during the 2008 season...
stated that it would be very possible for Warner to be the starter before Week 1 of the regular season
2008 NFL season
The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now."Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009, with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out victorious over the...
. Indeed, Warner was named the starter on August 30, 2008. That season, Warner had 4,583 passing yards, 30 touchdowns and a completion percentage of 67.1%. Warner also received FedEx Air Player of the Week
FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week
Every week during the NFL season, six finalists are chosen for the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week award, 3 nominated as the FedEx Air player and 3 nominated as the FedEx Ground player , online at...
honors for his performance during weeks 9 and 11 of the season.
On December 7, 2008, Warner led the Cardinals to a 34–10 win over his former team, the Rams, securing for the Cardinals the NFC West Division title and their first playoff berth since 1998. It was the Cardinals' first division title since 1975 and third of the post-merger era. As a result, the Cardinals would play only their second home playoff game ever, as they had never played a home playoff game in St. Louis despite winning two division titles. On December 16, 2008 Warner was named the starting quarterback for the NFC team in the 2009 Pro Bowl
2009 Pro Bowl
The 2009 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was the NFL's all-star game for the 2008 season. It was played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on February 8, 2009. This was the last time that a Pro Bowl game was held after the NFL Super Bowl game...
.
2008 post-season
On January 3, 2009, Warner led the Cardinals in their victory over the Atlanta Falcons 30–24 at homeUniversity of Phoenix Stadium
University of Phoenix Stadium, opened August 1, 2006, is a multipurpose football stadium located in Glendale, Arizona. It is the home of the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League and the annual Fiesta Bowl...
in the first round the playoffs. During the game Warner went 19 for 32, a completion percentage of 59.4%, for 271 yards. He threw two touchdowns and one interception. This win represented the first time the Cardinals had won a post-season home game since the 1947 NFL Championship Game.
On January 10, Warner led the Cardinals in their 20-point defeat of the Carolina Panthers 33–13 in Charlotte, North Carolina in the second round of the playoffs. During the game Warner went 21 for 32, a completion percentage of 65.6%, for 220 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception. This win represented the first time the Cardinals won a game on the East Coast that entire season.
On January 18, Warner threw for 279 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions against the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
to help lead the Cardinals to their first Super Bowl appearance in history. Warner is the second quarterback to make Super Bowl starts with two different teams joining Craig Morton
Craig Morton
Larry Craig Morton is a former professional football player. He played quarterback in the National Football League for 18 seasons, 1965-82...
(1970 Dallas Cowboys and 1977 Denver Broncos). He also became the third quarterback in NFL history to win a conference championship with two different teams, following Craig Morton and Earl Morrall
Earl Morrall
Earl Edwin Morrall is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. Morrall, who also occasionally punted, played 21 seasons in the National Football League as both a starter and reserve. In the latter capacity, he became known as the greatest backup quarterback in NFL...
.
In Warner's third career Super Bowl appearance on February 1, the Cardinals lost Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League champion for the 2008 season. The game was played on February 1, 2009,...
27–23 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, leaving him with a career 1–2 record in Super Bowls. Despite losing, Warner still managed to throw for 377 yards (the 2nd-highest total in Super Bowl history), completed 72% of his passes, and had a quarterback rating of 112.3. Warner has now recorded the three highest single-game passing yardage totals in the history of the Super Bowl, and joined Joe Montana
Joe Montana
Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. , nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe, The Golden Great and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played quarterback for the next 14 seasons...
, John Elway
John Elway
John Albert Elway, Jr. is a former American football quarterback and currently is the executive vice president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He played college football at Stanford and his entire professional career with the Denver Broncos...
, Terry Bradshaw
Terry Bradshaw
Terry Paxton Bradshaw is a former American football quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League . He played 14 seasons. He is a football analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday...
, and Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
as the only quarterbacks to throw a touchdown pass in three different Super Bowls. Warner has taken his team to the Super Bowl every year that he has played as the starting quarterback during all regular and post season games.
2009 season
Warner announced his desire to return to the Cardinals for the 2009 season. The Cardinals offered him a two-year contract worth around $20 million but Warner was looking for a contract that would pay him about $14 million a year and the two sides could not come to an agreement. On February 27, 2009 Warner became a free agentFree agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
and went on to have talks with the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
. The 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
offered Warner a contract worth more than that offered by the Cardinals. On March 4, Warner re-signed with the Cardinals to a two-year deal worth $23 million total, $4 million for each of the next two years, with a $15 million signing bonus. Warner underwent arthroscopic hip surgery to repair a torn labrum
Acetabular labrum
The acetabular labrum is a ring of cartilage that surrounds the acetabulum ....
on March 17, 2009. On September 20, 2009, Warner broke the NFL’s single-game record for completion percentage in the regular season, completing 24 of 26 passing for 243 yards and two touchdowns. Warner's 92.3 percent completion rate broke the previous NFL record set by Vinny Testaverde
Vinny Testaverde
Vincent Frank Testaverde is a former NFL quarterback. Testaverde last played for the Carolina Panthers and had previously played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots. Testaverde holds the NFL record for having...
in 1993.
On November 1, 2009, Warner threw a career-high equaling 5 interceptions during a 34–21 loss to the Carolina Panthers. During the same game Warner became the first quarterback in the NFL to throw for over 14,000 yards with two different teams. On November 8, 2009, Warner equaled his career-high of 5 touchdown passes in a single game during a 41–21 victory over the Chicago Bears. This performance led to Warner being named both the NFC Offensive Player of the Week and the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week.
On November 15, 2009, Warner reached a career milestone with his 200th touchdown pass during a 31–20 win against the Seattle Seahawks.
On November 22, 2009, during a 21–13 victory over the St. Louis Rams, Warner left the game after suffering a concussion. Warner continued to suffer from post-concussion symptoms and on November 29, 2009, he was deactivated against the Tennessee Titans, breaking his consecutive starts streak at 41 straight games.
On December 6, 2009, Warner returned to action as the Cardinals defeated the Minnesota Vikings 30–17. Warner registered his fourth consecutive game with a passer rating of 120 or better, making him only the second quarterback in NFL history to accomplish the feat. After his three-touchdown performance, Warner was named both the NFC Offensive Player of the Week and the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week.
On December 27, 2009, Warner became only the second quarterback in NFL history to throw 100 touchdown passes with two different teams (Hall of Famer
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
Fran Tarkenton
Fran Tarkenton
Francis Asbury "Fran" Tarkenton is a former professional football player, TV personality, and computer software executive....
is the other), in the Cardinals' 31–10 win over the St. Louis Rams.
On December 29, 2009, Warner was named an alternate quarterback for the NFC team in the 2010 Pro Bowl
2010 Pro Bowl
The 2010 AFC–NFC Pro Bowl was the NFL's all-star game for the 2009 season. It took place at 8:00 PM EST on Sunday, January 31, 2010, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins and host site of Super Bowl XLIV...
.
2009 post season
On January 10, 2010, Warner threw 5 touchdowns and completed 29 of 33 passes for 379 yards in a 51–45 victory over the Green Bay Packers. The game had the highest combined total score in NFL playoff history. Warner became one of the very few quarterbacks in NFL history to throw more touchdowns (5) than incompletions (4) in a playoff game. Warner finished the game with the second highest quarterback rating in NFL playoff history with a rating of 154.1. He also became the second quarterback to throw for 5 touchdown passes in a playoff game twice, and the first to do so since the merger. He is also the oldest player to throw that many touchdown passes in a playoff game (38 years, 202 days). Warner now has the highest game winning percentage for home games in the playoffs: 1.000 (7–0) after Tom BradyTom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
lost his first home playoff game that same week.
On January 16, Warner was injured in the first half trying to tackle the ball carrier after an interception on the way to a 45–14 loss at New Orleans in the NFC Divisional round. He returned for the second half, but yielded to understudy Matt Leinart midway through the fourth quarter.
Retirement
On January 29, 2010 Warner officially announced his retirement from the National Football League. He said he was looking forward to finally being a true father to his seven kids, and that he wanted to spend time with his wife. He spoke on the impact and influence of his family, former teammates, and God. He will be eligible for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame following the 2014 season.Warner is now an Iowa Barnstormers broadcaster. On May 22, 2010 he was inducted into the Arena Football Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the Iowa Barnstormers Hall of Fame.
Warner is represented by Priority Sports and Entertainment
Priority Sports and Entertainment
Priority Sports and Entertainment is a full service sports management firm, representing NFL and NBA athletes, based in Chicago, Illinois and Sherman Oaks, California....
for all aspects of his career.
Career stats
| Year | Team | G-S | Passing Att.-Comp. |
Yards | Pct. | TDs | Int. | Long | Sacks-Lost | Pass Rating | Starting Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | UNI Panthers | 13–8 | 141 | .615 | 2 | ||||||
| 1991 | UNI Panthers | 25–15 | 25 | .600 | 0 | ||||||
| 1992 | UNI Panthers | 18–5 | 69 | .278 | 0 | ||||||
| 1993 | UNI Panthers 1993 Northern Iowa Panthers football team The 1193 Northern Iowa Panthers football team represented the University of Northern Iowa in the college football season of the 1993 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Panthers offense scored 350 points while the defense allowed 238 points... |
12-12 | 296–173 | 2,747 | .584 | 17 | 8-4 | ||||
| 1995 | Iowa Barnstormers Iowa Barnstormers The Iowa Barnstormers are an arena football team based in Des Moines, Iowa. They are currently members of the Arena Football League , which they joined in 2010 following the organization's restructuring... |
14–14 | 400–237 | 2,980 | .593 | 43 | 14 | 0–0 | 94.70 | 7–5 | |
| 1996 | Iowa Barnstormers Iowa Barnstormers The Iowa Barnstormers are an arena football team based in Des Moines, Iowa. They are currently members of the Arena Football League , which they joined in 2010 following the organization's restructuring... |
14–14 | 422–259 | 3,336 | .614 | 61 | 15 | 0–0 | 107.49 | 12–2 | |
| 1997 | Iowa Barnstormers Iowa Barnstormers The Iowa Barnstormers are an arena football team based in Des Moines, Iowa. They are currently members of the Arena Football League , which they joined in 2010 following the organization's restructuring... |
14–14 | 498–322 | 4,149 | .647 | 79 | 14 | 0–0 | 118.55 | 11–3 | |
| 1998 | Amsterdam Admirals 1998 Amsterdam Admirals season The 1998 Amsterdam Admirals season was the fourth season for the team in the NFL Europe League.-Staff:-Roster:... |
10–10 | 326–165 | 2,101 | .506 | 15 | 6 | 0–0 | 78.8 | 7–3 | |
| 1998 1998 NFL season The 1998 NFL season was the 79th regular season of the National Football League.The Tennessee Oilers moved their home games from Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis to Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, still awaiting construction on a new stadium in Nashville.This was the first season that CBS... |
St. Louis 1998 St. Louis Rams season The 1998 St. Louis Rams season was the team's 61st year with the National Football League and the fourth season in St. Louis.-Schedule:... |
1–0 | 11–4 | 39 | .364 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0–0 | 47.7 | 0–0 |
| 1999 1999 NFL season The 1999 NFL season was the 80th regular season of the National Football League. The Cleveland Browns returned to the field for the first time since the 1995 season... |
St. Louis 1999 St. Louis Rams season The 1999 St. Louis Rams season was the team's 62nd year with the National Football League and the fifth season in St. Louis, Missouri. The Rams finished the regular-season with a record of 13-3, and the NFC West Championship. The Rams were undefeated at home for the first time since 1973. On the... |
16–16 | 499–325 | 4,353 | .651 | 41 | 13 | 75 | 29–201 | 109.2 | 13–3 |
| 2000 2000 NFL season The 2000 NFL season was the 81st regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXXV when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants.Week 1 of the season reverted to Labor Day weekend in 2000... |
St. Louis 2000 St. Louis Rams season The 2000 St. Louis Rams season was the team's 63rd year with the National Football League and the sixth season in St. Louis. The Rams finished the regular-season with a record of 10-6 but would go on to lose to the New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. They led the NFL in... |
11–11 | 347–235 | 3,429 | .677 | 21 | 18 | 85 | 20–115 | 98.3 | 8–3 |
| 2001 2001 NFL season The 2001 NFL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Football League.Following a pattern set in 1999, the first week of the season was permanently moved to the weekend following Labor Day... |
St. Louis 2001 St. Louis Rams season The 2001 St. Louis Rams season was the 64th season for the team in the National Football League and seventh season in St. Louis. The Rams set a franchise record for wins in a season , while also going a perfect 8-0 on the road. Quarterback Kurt Warner would go on to win his second league M.V.P.... |
16–16 | 546–375 | 4,830 | .687 | 36 | 22 | 65 | 38–233 | 101.4 | 14–2 |
| 2002 2002 NFL season The 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League.The league went back to an even number of teams, expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans. The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each... |
St. Louis 2002 St. Louis Rams season The 2002 St. Louis Rams season was the team's 65th year with the National Football League and the eighth season in St. Louis.-Schedule:This season marked the decline of Kurt Warner and The Greatest Show On Turf-Standings:... |
7–6 | 220–144 | 1,431 | .655 | 3 | 11 | 43 | 21–130 | 67.4 | 0–6 |
| 2003 2003 NFL season -Milestones:The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:-Team:-Individual:-Awards:-External Links:**-References:*NFL Record and Fact Book *... |
St. Louis 2003 St. Louis Rams season The 2003 St. Louis Rams season was the team's 66th year with the National Football League and the ninth season in St. Louis. The Rams were coming off a disappointing 7-9 season and former MVP Kurt Warner was demoted to backup quarterback; Marc Bulger earned the starting job after replacing Warner... |
2–1 | 65–38 | 365 | .585 | 1 | 1 | 37 | 6–38 | 72.9 | 0–1 |
| 2004 2004 NFL season The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005... |
N.Y. Giants 2004 New York Giants season The 2004 NFL season was the 80th season for the New York Giants. After starting the season 5–2, the Giants finished 6–10, 2nd in the NFC East.-Offseason:... |
10–9 | 277–174 | 2,054 | .628 | 6 | 4 | 62 | 39–196 | 86.5 | 5–4 |
| 2005 2005 NFL season The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006... |
Arizona 2005 Arizona Cardinals season The 2005 Arizona Cardinals season was the team's 86th in the NFL. The team was unable to improve upon their previous season's output of 6-10, and failed to make the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season.... |
10–10 | 375–242 | 2,713 | .645 | 11 | 9 | 63 | 23–158 | 85.8 | 2–8 |
| 2006 2006 NFL season The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006... |
Arizona 2006 Arizona Cardinals season The 2006 Arizona Cardinals season began with the team trying to improve on their 5-11 record in 2005. They also moved into the Cardinals Stadium in Glendale, Arizona . The stadium was christened University of Phoenix Stadium on September 26... |
6–5 | 168–108 | 1,377 | .643 | 6 | 5 | 64 | 14–104 | 89.3 | 1–4 |
| 2007 2007 NFL season The 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30.... |
Arizona 2007 Arizona Cardinals season The 2007 Arizona Cardinals season was the 88th season for the team in the National Football League, and their 20th season in Arizona. They improved upon their 5–11 record in 2006 after finishing last place in the NFC West, by finishing 8–8, but the failure of the Cardinals to qualify for the Super... |
14–11 | 441–281 | 3,417 | .623 | 27 | 17 | 62 | 20–140 | 89.8 | 5–6 |
| 2008 2008 NFL season The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now."Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009, with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out victorious over the... |
Arizona 2008 Arizona Cardinals season The 2008 Arizona Cardinals season was the 89th season for the team in the National Football League and their 21st season in Arizona. The season marked the Cardinals' first-ever Super Bowl appearance, coming as a result of their victory against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship.The... |
16–16 | 598–401 | 4,583 | .671 | 30 | 14 | 79 | 26–182 | 96.9 | 9–7 |
| 2009 2009 NFL season The 2009 NFL season was the 90th regular season of the National Football League.The preseason started with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 9, 2009, and the regular season began September 10. The season ended with Super Bowl XLIV, the league's championship game, on February 7, 2010 at... |
Arizona 2009 Arizona Cardinals season The 2009 Arizona Cardinals season is the 90th season for the team in the National Football League and the 22nd season in Arizona. The Cardinals finished the season with a 10–6 record, an improvement from their 9–7 previous season record and the first time the team has won ten games since 1976 The... |
15–15 | 513–339 | 3,753 | .661 | 26 | 14 | 45 | 24–172 | 93.2 | 10–5 |
| Totals (NFL) | 124–116 | 4,070–2,666 | 32,344 | .655 | 208 | 128 | 85 | 260–1,669 | 93.7 | 67–50 | |
| Totals (NFL/AFL/NFL Europe) | 176–168 | 5,716–3,649 | 44,910 | .638 | 406 | 177 | 85 | 260–1,669 | 98.7 | 104–63 | |
| Postseason | 13–13 | 462–307 | 3,952 | .665 | 31 | 14 | 92 | 19–96 | 102.8 | 9–4 | |
NFL records
- Most career yards passing in Super BowlSuper BowlThe Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
history – 1,156 yards - Most yards passing in a Super Bowl game – 414 yards (against Tennessee Titans)
- Most yards passing with no interceptions in a postseason game – 414 yards (Super Bowl XXXIV)
- Three highest passing yardage totals in Super Bowl history: Warner also owns the 2nd highest (377 yards against PittsburghPittsburgh SteelersThe Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
in Super Bowl XLIIISuper Bowl XLIIISuper Bowl XLIII was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League champion for the 2008 season. The game was played on February 1, 2009,...
) and 3rd highest (365 yards against New EnglandNew England PatriotsThe New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
in Super Bowl XXXVISuper Bowl XXXVISuper Bowl XXXVI was an American football game played on February 3, 2002 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 2001 regular season. The American Football Conference champion New England Patriots won their first Super...
) passing yardage totals in Super Bowl history. - Only quarterback to throw 400+ yards in a Super Bowl game
- Most touchdown passes in a single postseason – 11 touchdowns (in 2009, tied with Joe MontanaJoe MontanaJoseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. , nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe, The Golden Great and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played quarterback for the next 14 seasons...
in 1990) - Most yards passing in a single postseason – 1,147 yards (in 2009)
- Most yards passing in a single postseason, 3 games played – 1,063 yards (in 1999)
- Highest completion percentage in a single game (regular season) – 92.3% (24/26) (9/20/09) (Highest single game completion percentage – Tom BradyTom BradyThomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
92.9% (26/28) (1/12/08)) - Highest rate of games with 300+ yards passing (min. 100 games played) – 41.9% (52/124)
- Most consecutive games with 300+ yards passing – 6 games (tied with Steve YoungSteve YoungSteve Young is an American football quarterback.Steve Young may also refer to:*Steve Young , country music singer, songwriter and guitarist*Steve Young , industrial rock music songwriter and guitarist...
and Rich GannonRich GannonRichard Joseph Gannon is a former football quarterback, who achieved most of his success late in his career with the Oakland Raiders in the National Football League...
) - Most career games with a perfect passer rating (regular season) – 3 games (tied with Peyton ManningPeyton ManningPeyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...
and Ben RoethlisbergerBen RoethlisbergerBenjamin Todd "Ben" Roethlisberger , nicknamed Big Ben, is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round in the 2004 NFL Draft...
) - Fastest player to pass for 30,000 yards – 114 games (tied with Dan MarinoDan MarinoDaniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
) - Fastest player to pass for 10,000 yards
- Only quarterback to throw for over 14,000 yards with two different teams (St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals)
- Only quarterback to throw 40 touchdowns and win a Super Bowl in the same season (in 1999)
- Most yards passing in the first three games of a season – 1221 yards (2000)
- Most yards passing in the first four games of a season – 1557 yards (2000)
- Most yards passing in the first five games of a season – 1947 yards (2000)
- Most yards passing in the first six games of a season – 2260 yards (2000)
- Most yards passing in the first seven games of a season – 2445 yards (2000)(Injured during game, missed the next 5 games)
- Highest average passing yards per game on Monday Night FootballMonday Night FootballMonday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
– 329.4 yards (min 7 games)
Warner shares several records:
- One of 2 quarterbacks to make Super Bowl starts with two different teams – (following Craig MortonCraig MortonLarry Craig Morton is a former professional football player. He played quarterback in the National Football League for 18 seasons, 1965-82...
– Dallas Cowboys (in 1970) and Denver Broncos (in 1977)) - One of 2 quarterbacks to throw 100 touchdown passes with two different teams (following Fran TarkentonFran TarkentonFrancis Asbury "Fran" Tarkenton is a former professional football player, TV personality, and computer software executive....
) - One of 2 quarterbacks Tied to throw 5 touchdown passes in two different playoff games – (following Daryle LamonicaDaryle LamonicaDaryle Pat Lamonica is a former American collegiate and professional football quarterback who played in the American Football League, and later in the NFL....
) - One of 2 quarterbacks to complete 80% of his passes in two playoff games (tied with Tom Brady)
- One of 2 quarterbacks with 4 consecutive games with a passer rating over 120 (in 2009, tied with Johnny UnitasJohnny UnitasJohn Constantine Unitas , known as Johnny Unitas or "Johnny U", and nicknamed "The Golden Arm", was a professional American football player in the 1950s through the 1970s, spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Colts. He was a record-setting quarterback, and the National Football...
) - One of 3 quarterbacks to win a Conference championship with two different teams (following Craig Morton and Earl MorrallEarl MorrallEarl Edwin Morrall is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. Morrall, who also occasionally punted, played 21 seasons in the National Football League as both a starter and reserve. In the latter capacity, he became known as the greatest backup quarterback in NFL...
)
Warner also ranks second in several categories:
- 2nd highest career completion percentage (Min. 1500 attempts) – 65.5 (Chad PenningtonChad PenningtonJames Chadwick "Chad" Pennington is an American football quarterback who played in the National Football League for ten years. He is currently a football analyst with FOX Sports though he plans to return to playing after recovering from an injury...
, 66.0) - 2nd highest career passing yards per game (Min. 100 games) – 260.4 yards/game (Peyton ManningPeyton ManningPeyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...
is first) - 2nd highest career completion percentage, playoffs – 66.5 (Drew BreesDrew BreesDrew Christopher Brees is a quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue....
, 66.7) - 2nd oldest quarterback to throw for 30 touchdowns in a season – aged 37 (in 2008) (Brett FavreBrett FavreBrett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
, aged 40 (in 2009))
Broadcasting and television
In 2010, Warner joined NFL NetworkNFL Network
NFL Network is an American television specialty channel owned and operated by the National Football League . It was launched November 4, 2003, only eight months after the league's 32 team owners voted unanimously to approve its formation...
as an analyst. He can be seen regularly on NFL Total Access
NFL Total Access
NFL Total Access is a television news program on the NFL Network.The network treats it as the league's "show of record" and bills it as the only year-round show dedicated to the National Football League, despite the ESPN show NFL Live running year round as well.NFL Total Access is primarily hosted...
, as well as in-studio on NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football pregame show, Thursday Night Kickoff Presented by Sears. Warner also served as an analyst for the NFL Network
NFL Network
NFL Network is an American television specialty channel owned and operated by the National Football League . It was launched November 4, 2003, only eight months after the league's 32 team owners voted unanimously to approve its formation...
's coverage of the 2010 Arena Football League playoffs.
On January 27, 2009, Warner made a special appearance on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
reality show The Biggest Loser.
Warner made a guest appearance on Disney's The Suite Life on Deck
The Suite Life on Deck
The Suite Life on Deck is an American sitcom that aired on Disney Channel from September 26, 2008 to May 6, 2011. It is a sequel/spin-off of the Disney Channel Original Series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody...
as himself in the episode "Any Given Fantasy" which aired on the Disney Channel January 18, 2010.
On February 9, 2010, Warner was a surprise guest on the final episode of The Jay Leno Show
The Jay Leno Show
The Jay Leno Show is an American comedy show created by and starring Jay Leno, that aired from September 14, 2009 to February 9, 2010 on NBC following the May 29, 2009 conclusion of Leno's first tenure as host of The Tonight Show...
.
In August 2010, Fox Sports
Fox Sports (USA)
Fox Sports is a division of the Fox Broadcasting Company . It was formed in 1994 with Fox's acquisition of broadcast rights to National Football League games...
announced that Warner would be serving as a color analyst on the network's NFL coverage
NFL on FOX
NFL on Fox is the brand name of the Fox Broadcasting Company's coverage of the National Football League's National Football Conference games, produced by Fox Sports...
in the 2010 season
2010 NFL season
The 2010 NFL season was the 91st regular season of the National Football League.The regular season began with the NFL Kickoff game on NBC on Thursday, September 9, at the Louisiana Superdome as the New Orleans Saints, Super Bowl XLIV champions, defeated the Minnesota Vikings 14–9.Tom Brady,...
. He will team with play-by-play announcers Chris Rose
Chris Rose
Christopher Rose is an American sportscaster.-Early life and career:Rose attended University School in Hunting Valley during high school. Rose attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and graduated in 1993...
or Chris Myers
Chris Myers
Christopher Patrick "Chris" Myers ) is an American sportscaster.-Biography:With more than 20 years in broadcasting, Chris Myers has covered premiere events, including the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, NCAA Final Four, The Masters and U.S...
to call regional games.
On August 30, 2010, it was announced on live television that Warner would be appearing as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars. His professional dance partner was Anna Trebunskaya
Anna Trebunskaya
Anna Trebunskaya is a Russian professional ballroom and Latin dancer, known for her appearances on Dancing with the Stars . She now lives in Los Angeles, California and dances in the International Latin style.-Biography:Anna Trebunskaya was born December 28, 1980 in Chelyabinsk, Russia...
; the couple were eliminated in week 8, the Instant Choreography Week.
| Television guest appearances | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Episode(s) |
| 2009 | The Biggest Loser | Himself | Season 7, Episode 4 |
| 2010 | The Suite Life on Deck The Suite Life on Deck The Suite Life on Deck is an American sitcom that aired on Disney Channel from September 26, 2008 to May 6, 2011. It is a sequel/spin-off of the Disney Channel Original Series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody... |
Himself | Season 2, Episode 16 "Any Given Fantasy" |
| The Jay Leno Show The Jay Leno Show The Jay Leno Show is an American comedy show created by and starring Jay Leno, that aired from September 14, 2009 to February 9, 2010 on NBC following the May 29, 2009 conclusion of Leno's first tenure as host of The Tonight Show... |
Himself | Season 1, Episode 95 | |
| Dancing With the Stars | Himself | Season 11 Dancing with the Stars (U.S. season 11) Dancing with the Stars returned for an 11th season on September 20, 2010. The cast was announced during the August 30 episode of Bachelor Pad during a live press conference that included a Q&A session with host Tom Bergeron and co-host Brooke Burke and the new cast. There are twelve celebrity cast... |
|
Endorsements
On December 3, 2010, Warner's first multi-year post-retirement endorsement agreement was announced. Amway North AmericaAmway
Amway is a direct selling company and manufacturer that uses network marketing to sell a variety of products, primarily in the health, beauty, and home care markets. Amway was founded in 1959 by Jay Van Andel and Richard DeVos...
announced that it had signed Warner to a multi-year endorsement agreement to represent the Nutrilite
Nutrilite
Nutrilite is a brand of mineral, vitamin, and dietary supplements created in 1934 by Dr. Carl F. Rehnborg. Nutrilite products are currently manufactured by Access Business Group, a subsidiary of Alticor whose products are sold via the Amway and Amway Global Corporations worldwide...
brand. Amway reportedly agreed to make a $50,000 donation Kurt Warner's First Things First Foundation
First Things First Foundation
The First Things First Foundation is a Christian organization founded by NFL quarterback Kurt Warner and his wife Brenda in May 2001. The name of the organization was inspired by the following dialogue between Kurt Warner and the media in the postgame interview after the Saint Louis Rams won the...
.
Personal life
Regis High School (Cedar Rapids)
Regis Catholic High School was a Catholic high school in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, located at 735 Prairie Drive NE. Opened in 1958 as a successor to Immaculate Conception High School, it drew students from the parishes of All Saints, Immaculate Conception, St. Joseph , St. Matthew, St. Pius X, and St....
, where he was quarterback of the school's Class 3A football team.
During college, Warner met his future wife, Brenda Carney Meoni; they married on October 11, 1997. Meoni is a United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
veteran. She was divorced with two children – one of whom had been left brain-damaged and blind after being dropped by Brenda's ex-husband – when she and Kurt wed. After Warner was cut from the Packers' training camp in 1994, he got a job working the night shift
Night Shift
A night shift is either a group of workers who work during the night, or the period in which they work. See shift work.Night Shift may also refer to:* Night Shift , a fictional team of supervillains in the Marvel Universe...
as a stock boy at a local Hy-Vee
Hy-Vee
Hy-Vee is an employee-owned chain of supermarkets located in the Midwestern United States. Over 100 of its supermarkets are located in Iowa, with additional stores in Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and now Madison, Wisconsin...
grocery store, in addition to his work as an assistant-coach at Northern Iowa. While Warner was working as an assistant-coach, he and Brenda were living in Brenda's parent's basement in Cedar Falls. Warner was still hoping to get an NFL tryout, but with that possibility appearing dim and the long hours at the Hy-Vee for minimum wage taking their toll, Warner began his Arena League career.
- Zachary Taylor Warner (b. 1989), son of Brenda, adopted by Kurt
- Jesse Jo Warner (b. 1992), daughter of Brenda, adopted by Kurt
- Kade Eugene Warner (b. 1998)
- Jada Jo Warner (b. 2001)
- Elijah Storm Warner (b. 2003)
- Sierra Rose Warner (b. 2005), twin to Sienna
- Sienna Rae Warner (b. 2005), twin to Sierra
Kurt and Brenda Warner are devout evangelical Christians. His faith first emerged on the international scene following the Rams' Super Bowl victory, where he was named the game's MVP:
Nine years later, upon leading the Cardinals to the franchise's first ever Super Bowl, Warner's response was similar:
Warner has usually attended charismatic churches
Charismatic movement
The term charismatic movement is used in varying senses to describe 20th century developments in various Christian denominations. It describes an ongoing international, cross-denominational/non-denominational Christian movement in which individual, historically mainstream congregations adopt...
, and believes that God healed him from a concussion he suffered in 2000. However, he himself eschews the term. In 2001, he told Charisma
Charisma (magazine)
Charisma is a monthly Christian magazine based in Lake Mary, Florida, aimed at Pentecostals and charismatics...
, "I'm just a Christian."
Warner has also appeared in several public service announcement
Public service announcement
A public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...
s for Civitan International, promoting their volunteer efforts and their work with the developmentally disabled. This issue is personally close to Warner, as Zachary, his adopted son from Brenda's first marriage, suffered major brain damage as an infant when his biological father accidentally dropped him.
On October 24, 2006, he was featured in a political advertisement opposing a bill supporting embryonic stem cell research
Embryonic stem cell
Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst, an early-stage embryo. Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 4–5 days post fertilization, at which time they consist of 50–150 cells...
in Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. The advertisement was in response to a pro-embryonic research ad featuring Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox, OC is a Canadian American actor, author, producer, activist and voice-over artist. With a film and television career spanning from the late 1970s, Fox's roles have included Marty McFly from the Back to the Future trilogy ; Alex P...
. He appeared in the advertisement with James Caviezel
James Caviezel
James Patrick Caviezel, Jr. is an American film actor, usually credited as Jim Caviezel. He is known for the roles of Jesus Christ in the 2004 film The Passion of the Christ, Bobby Jones in Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius, Detective John Sullivan in Frequency, Edmond Dantès in The Count of Monte...
, Patricia Heaton
Patricia Heaton
Patricia Helen Heaton is an American actress, comedienne, producer and model, best known for portraying Debra Barone on the CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond from 1996 to 2005, for which she won two Emmy Awards....
, Jeff Suppan
Jeff Suppan
Jeffrey Scot Suppan , is a Major League Baseball pitcher, who is currently a free agent.-Baseball career:Suppan was drafted out of high school by the Boston Red Sox in the second round of the 1993 amateur draft, and rapidly ascended to the Majors making his debut at the age of 20...
, and Mike Sweeney
Mike Sweeney
Michael John "Mike" Sweeney is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. Sweeney played his first 13 seasons in the majors with the Kansas City Royals, originally as a catcher and then moving to first base. Sweeney has also played for the Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, and Philadelphia...
. The advertisement aired during Game 4 of the 2006 World Series
2006 World Series
The 2006 World Series, the 102nd edition of Major League Baseball's championship series, began on October 21 and ended on October 27, and matched the American League champion Detroit Tigers against the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals won the Series in five games, taking...
.
Warner has devoted time and money to his First Things First Foundation
First Things First Foundation
The First Things First Foundation is a Christian organization founded by NFL quarterback Kurt Warner and his wife Brenda in May 2001. The name of the organization was inspired by the following dialogue between Kurt Warner and the media in the postgame interview after the Saint Louis Rams won the...
, the name of which was derived from his interview after winning the Super Bowl in 1999. The foundation is dedicated to impacting lives by promoting Christian values, sharing experiences and providing opportunities to encourage everyone that all things are possible when people seek to put ‘first things first.’ The foundation has been involved with numerous projects for causes such as children's hospitals, people with developmental disabilities and assisting single parents. Warner's work both on and off the field resulted in him being awarded the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award
Walter Payton Man of the Year Award
The Walter Payton Man of the Year award is given annually by the National Football League honoring a player's volunteer and charity work, as well as his excellence on the field. Prior to 1999, it was called simply the NFL Man of the Year Award...
2008. In March 2009, Warner was honored with the Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
Sports Leadership Award. Warner was selected by USA Weekend
USA Weekend
USA Weekend is a national publication distributed through more than 800+ newspapers in the United States. It reaches 47 million readers in 22.6 million households every weekend. Awarded for its journalism and design, USA WEEKEND focuses on social issues, entertainment, health, food and travel....
as the winner of its annual Most Caring Athlete Award for 2009. In December 2009, Warner topped a Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
poll of NFL players to name the best role model on and off the field in the NFL.
In February 2010, Warner received the annual Bart Starr Award
Athletes in Action/Bart Starr Award
The Athletes in Action/Bart Starr Award is given annually to an NFL player who best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field and in the community. Nominees are gathered from the Public Relations Directors of each NFL team, the past winners of the Bart Starr Award,...
, given for outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field and in the community. At the award presentation, Bart Starr
Bart Starr
Bryan Bartlett "Bart" Starr is a former professional American football player and coach. Wearing #15, he was the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers from 1956 to 1971 and head coach from 1975 to 1983, compiling a record of 52–76–3 ....
said of Warner: "We have never given this award to anyone who is more deserving".
See also
- List of NFL quarterbacks who have passed for 400 or more yards in a game
- List of NFL quarterbacks who have posted a perfect passer rating
- List of 300-yard passing games by NFL quarterbacks
- List of Arena Football League and National Football League players
- NFL QB Playoff records as startersNFL QB Playoff records as startersThe first NFL playoff game was the 1933 NFL Championship Game between the Chicago Bears and New York Giants. Since then there have been a total of 471 NFL playoff games including games from the AFL, but not the AAFC...
Further reading
- Warner, Kurt & Silver, Michael, (2000). All Things Possible. San Francisco: HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-251717-1 (cloth) ISBN 0-06-251718-X (paper back).
- Warner, Kurt & Brenda, (2009). First Things First. Carol Stream, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers Inc. ISBN 1414334060 (Hardcover)