Kurt Warner

Who is Kurt Warner?

Kurt Warner is a charismatic former American football quarterback. Kurt Warner is widely regarded as one of the best undrafted NFL players of all time, and he is well-known for his leadership qualities.

He has previously played for the St. Louis Rams, the New York Giants, and the Arizona Cardinals in the National Football League (NFL).

Furthermore, Warner is a famous athlete with one of the best NFL storylines.

He is also a two-time NFL MVP, Super Bowl XXXIV MVP, 2008 Walter Payton Man of the Year, and four-time Pro Bowler.

He is also the only individual to have been inducted into both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Arena Football Hall of Fame.

He has also accomplished many milestones along the way, including becoming the only undrafted player in NFL history to win the NFL MVP title.

In addition, he is the only undrafted quarterback to lead his team to a Super Bowl triumph.

Warner currently has the thirteenth-highest career passer rating of all time (93.7).

He also has the fifth-highest career completion percentage (65.5%) in NFL history.

Physical Characteristics

Warner has an athletic body, standing 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall and weighing 214 lb (97 kg).

For example, he has an oval face and fair-complexioned skin tone, which he balances with black hair and light brown eyes.

Furthermore, he keeps his hair short and stylish, and he has a clean-shaven face.

He also has a defined jawline and cheekbones, as well as a shoe size of 12.

Childhood and Education

Warner was born on June 22, 1971, in Los Angeles, California, to Gene and Sue Warner.

His parents split when he was six years old, so he grew up in Burlington, Iowa, with his brother, Matt Warner, and his mother.

Kurt’s father remarried Mimi after a year of divorce.

They had a kid called Matt as well, and the three boys got along great.

Kurt graduated from Regis High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he was the quarterback of the school’s Class 3A football team.

He enrolled in the University of Northern Iowa after graduating from high school in 1989.

Following that, Warner was third on the Panthers’ depth chart until his senior year, and he graduated from the university in 1993 with a degree in communications.

He was also selected Offensive Player of the Year in the Gateway Conference.

Professional Life

Packers of Green Bay

Warner went undrafted in the 1994 NFL Draft and was invited to try out for the Green Bay Packers training camp.

Mike Holmgren, Steve Mariucci, and Andy Reid were the Packers’ coach, quarterback coach, and assistant coach at the time.

Warner was competing for a slot against Brett Favre, Mark Brunell, and former Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer at the time.

Kurt was then released by the Packers before the start of the regular season, and he went on to work at the Hy-Vee grocery store in Cedar Falls for $5.50 an hour.

Following that, Warner worked as a graduate assistant coach for his alma mater’s football club.

Barnstormers from Iowa

He joined the Arena Football League (AFL) in 1995, shortly after leaving the Packers, and signed with the Iowa Barnstormers.

This was done since no one was willing to take a chance on him, thus he had to abandon his plan to get into NFL teams for the time being.

Kurt was chosen to the AFL’s First-team All-Arena team in both 1996 and 1997, after leading the Barnstormers to ArenaBowl participation.

Following that was his ranking as the eleventh best Arena Football player of all time, which reflected his excellent play.

Not to mention how he missed out on a chance to play for the Chicago Bears prior to 1997 due to an elbow injury caused by a spider bite.

Warner’s other achievement came in the NFL in 2000, when the Arena Football League named its first widely distributed video game Kurt Warner’s Arena Football Unleashed after him.

On August 12, 2011, he was inducted into the Arena Football Hall of Fame, a decade later.

Rams of St. Louis

Warner signed with the St. Louis Rams in December 1997 after leading the NFL Europe league in touchdowns and passing yards for the Amsterdam Admirals.

Season 1998

Kurt spent the whole 1998 season as St. Louis’ third-string quarterback behind Tony Banks and Steve Bono.

Warner was backed up for the NFL Europe by future Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme.

Similarly, by the end of the season, Warner had only completed 4 of 11 passes for 39 yards and had a QB rating of 47.2.

Warner was selected as one of the team’s five unprotected players in the 1999 NFL Expansion Draft prior to the 1999 season.

However, the Cleveland Browns selected Scott Milanovich instead.

Season 1999

Banks was traded to the Ravens at the start of the season, and Warner was listed second on the depth chart.

Trent Green was signed as a starter before the preseason opener after Bono left in free agency.

However, because Green struggled with the ACL, coach Dick Vermeil designated Warner as the Rams’ starter.

Warner, along with Marshall Faulk (running back) and Isaac Bruce (wide receiver), Torry Holt (wide receiver), Az-Zahir Hakim (wide receiver), and Rick Proehl (wide receiver), had one of the best seasons by a quarterback in NFL history that season.

Warner had thrown 4,353 yards with 41 touchdowns and a completion rate of 65.1% at the time.

Warner also set an NFL record by tossing three touchdown touchdowns in his first three NFL starts (which was surpassed by Patrick Mahomes in 2018).

Warner faced the San Francisco 49ers (NFC West division champions for 12 of the previous 13 seasons) in their fourth game, which the Rams had lost in the previous 17 encounters.

He scored four touchdowns (all in the first half) in three preseason games, leading the Rams to a 42-20 victory.

Later in Life And MVP

The Rams finished the season with their first postseason spot since 1989 and their first division title since 1985.

That is why Kurt was named NFL MVP in 1999.

Furthermore, he progressed from an ordinary player to the season’s breakout; as a result, Sports Illustrated put him on their October 18 cover with the phrase “Who Is This Guy?”

Similarly, Warner led the Rams to victory in Super Bowl XXXIV against the Tennessee Titans during the regular season.

Warner tied the game in less than two minutes with 414 yards throwing, including a 73-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Bruce.

As a result, Warner was named Super Bowl MVP after completing 45 passes without an interception.

Season 2000

Kurt began the 2000 season with 300 or more passing yards in each of his first six games (matching Steve Young’s record) and 19 touchdown passes.

Not to mention, on July 21, he signed a seven-year, $47 million contract.

Warner was replaced by Green in the middle of the season after breaking his arm.

Following that, Green and Warner teamed up to lead the Rams to the highest team passing yardage total in NFL history, with 5,232 net yards and a combined gross passing yard total of 5,492.

Kurt also improved his turnover rate, throwing an interception in 5.2% of his attempts.

Despite this, the Rams finished with only ten wins, and as a result, they lost nine of their eleven defensive starters when Green was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Season 2001

During the season, Warner recorded a league-high 36 touchdown passes and 4,830 passing yards, as well as a league-high passer rating (101.4).

As a result, he recaptured his MVP form, forcing a career-high 22 interceptions.

Meanwhile, Kurt guided “The Greatest Show on Turf” to its third straight 6-0 start.

They were also the first NFL team to do it, finishing 14-2 and making an appearance in Super Bowl XXXVI.

Kurt had thus passed for 365 yards and a passing touchdown in Super Bowl XXXVI, in addition to a rushing touchdown.

However, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s defensive game plan successfully disrupted Warner’s game rhythm, resulting in a 20-17 loss.

Season 2002

Warner had a slow start to the season, scoring only one touchdown as the club fell 0-3.

Warner broke a finger on his throwing hand during a game against the Dallas Cowboys, limiting him to only two games.

As a result, he received a paltry 67.4 rating for the 2002 season.

Season 2003

Warner was named the starting quarterback for the Rams’ game against the New York Giants.

Warner was replaced by Marc Bulger, who later stated that he couldn’t play effectively since his hand hadn’t healed yet.

Warner was released by the Rams on June 1, 2004.

Despite the fact that he had three years left on his deal.

The New York Giants

Within two days of Warner’s release, the New York Giants signed him to a one-year, $3 million contract with a second-year player option for $6 million.

During his tenure with the New York Giants, he served as the team’s starting quarterback, winning five of his first seven games.

It was followed by a two-game loss, bringing the season total to 6-10.

Warner became a free agent at the end of the season after opting out of his second-year contract.

Season 2005

Warner signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals before the 2005 season began.

Kurt was made the starter by coach Dennis Green at first, and he recorded three very mediocre quality outings.

However, Warner was replaced after the games by former starter Josh McCown, who had hurt his groin.

McCown was performing well with two games during Warner’s absence but finally struggled in the other two straight games.

Kurt returned and took his place in the starting lineup, passing for nearly 700 yards in the two games.

As a result, they celebrated a 38-28 triumph over his previous team, the Rams.

As a result, Kurt finished the season in Week 15 with 285 yards and three touchdowns with a quarterback rating of 115.9.

He also partially tore his MCL in the end (Medial Collateral Ligament).

Season 2006

Warner signed a new three-year extension with the Cardinals on February 14, with a basic salary of $18 million and performance incentives at around $24 million.

Kurt started the season by winning NFC Offensive Player of the Week after throwing 301 yards and three touchdowns in a win over San Francisco in Week 1.

In his 76th game, Warner became the second-fastest player in NFL history (after Dan Marino) to pass the 20,000-yard passing mark.

Following that, in the fourth quarter of Week 4, Warner was replaced by rookie Matt Leinart, who was retained as the backup quarterback for the remainder of the season.

However, when Leinart suffered a shoulder injury in Week 16, Warner came in to fill in.

Following that, Kurt continued to play well, recording 365 yards and a touchdown against the San Diego Chargers; unfortunately, they were defeated 27-20.

Season 2007

Kurt was named the starting quarterback for the 2007 season until the third game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Kurt came off the bench in the fourth quarter, with the Ravens leading 23-6 at the time.

Arizona was tied in the game, and Warner completed 15 of 20 throws for 258 yards and two touchdowns (26–23 loss after Baltimore kicked a last-second field goal).

Kurt replaced Leinart in the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 30, after a shaky start.

Warner had 21 attempts for 132 yards with one touchdown throw and no interceptions until the fourth quarter, when he was replaced by Leinart.

Following that, Warner took over for Leinart for the rest of the season due to an injury.

Warner gained 484 yards against the 49ers in a loss to the Cardinals on November 25.

Following that, Warner led the Cardinals to a victory over the Browns, putting them in contention for the NFC Wild Card playoff spot.

As a result, Kurt finished the season with 27 passing touchdowns and a $1 million bonus.

Season 2008

On August 30, Cardinal appointed Warner the starting quarterback for the 2008 season, and he finished with 4,583 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, and a completion rate of 67.1%.

At the same time, he was named the National Football Conference’s top passer for the third time.

In addition, he was named FedEx Air Player of the Week for his performance in weeks 9 and 11 of the season.

Warner had a score and two picks in Week 3 against the New York Jets, resulting in a touchdown and a field goal; however, the match ended in a 56-35 loss.

Kurt won another 34-10 game against his former squad, the Rams, on December 7.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals won the NFC West Division and their first playoff spot since 1998.

In the end, Warner was named the NFC’s starting quarterback in the 2009 Pro Bowl.

Season 2009

Despite Warner’s ambition to play with the Cardinals, he did not sign a deal with them because the two could not agree on price.

As a result, he became a free agent on February 27 and signed with the San Francisco 49ers.

The 49ers also offered him a bigger and richer contract than the Cardinals; however, Kurt ultimately signed with the Cardinals.

Warner agreed to terms with the Cardinals on a two-year, $23 million contract on March 4.

Their pact also included $4 million in bonuses for the next two years, as well as a $15 million signing bonus and a $19 million guarantee.

Warner had arthroscopic hip surgery on March 17 to repair a torn labrum.

Furthermore, on September 30, Warner established the NFL’s single-game completion % record (92.3 percent).

His record exceeded Vinny Testaverde’s previous NFL record set in 1993.

On November 1, Warner recorded a career-high five interceptions against the Carolina Panthers.

As a result, he became the only quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 14,000 yards while playing for two teams.

Winning Titles and a Later Career

Following that, he recorded a career-high five touchdown passes in a single game against the Chicago Bears, winning 41-21.

As a result, Warner was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week and FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week.

On November 15, he surpassed the 200th touchdown pass in his career during a 31-20 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

As a result, Warner was forced to depart the game against the St. Louis Rams on November 22 due to a concussion.

Warner returned to the squad on December 6, when they defeated the Minnesota Vikings 30-17.

Following this, Warner scored three touchdowns and was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week and FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week.

Warner became only the second quarterback in NFL history to throw 100 touchdown passes with two teams during the game against the St. Louis Rams.

Warner was only named as an alternative quarterback for the NFC team in the 2010 Pro Bowl two days later, on December 29.

2009 Postseason and Final Game

On January 10, 2010, Warner made his debut with a 51-45 victory over the Green Bay Packers, completing 29 of 33 passes for 379 yards.

The game enabled him to become one of only a few quarterbacks in NFL history to throw more touchdowns (5) than interceptions (4) in a postseason game.

As a result, he earned the distinction of having the second-highest quarterback rating in NFL postseason history, with a rating of 154.1.

In addition, he did not lose out on being the second quarterback to throw for five touchdown passes in a playoff game; instead, he did so twice and became the first to do so since the leagues’ merger.

By the end of his career, he had a perfect 7-0 home record and had tied the NFL record for the most consecutive playoff games with at least three touchdown passes (three games).

Warner was injured during the NFC Divisional game against New Orleans on January 16.

He was retained as Matt Leinart’s understudy when he returned for the second half.

Kurt Warner is retiring

Warner announced his retirement from the NFL in 2010, citing that he wanted to devote more time to his family (seven kids and wife).

Kurt was eligible for admission into the Hall of Fame in 2014, which prompted his desire to make a comeback.

When Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton were injured and the club began to lose, WArner revealed that he wanted to play again to help the team win.

Warner served as the Iowa Barnstormers’ broadcaster during the 2011 Arena Football League season, and he is also a member of the league’s Hall of Fame.

Kurt was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2017 in 2017.

He was then inducted into the Arena Football Hall of Fame.

Along the way, Warner worked as a coach at Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale, Arizona, from 2015 to 2018.

Warner has also been the quarterbacks coach at Brophy College Preparatory since 2019.

Highlights and Awards

• NFL (National Football League)
• Champion of the Super Bowl (XXXIV)
• MVP of the Super Bowl (XXXIV)
• 2nd Most Valuable Player in the NFL (1999 & 2001)
• 4 Pro Bowl appearances (1999–2001 & 2008)
• 2 All-Pro first team (1999 & 2001)
• Bert Bell Prize (1999)
• 2nd in NFL passing touchdowns (1999 & 2001)
• NFL completion percentage leader No. 3 (1999–2001)
• 2nd in NFL passer rating (1999, 2001)
• NFL leader in passing yards (2001)
• NEA NFL Player of the Year (2008)
• NFL Man of the Year: Walter Payton (2008)
• Ring of Honor for the Arizona Cardinals
• Bart Starr Prize (2010)

Arena

• 2 All-Arena first-team selections (1996 & 1997)
• Hall of Fame for Iowa Barnstormers
• Hall of Fame for Arena Football
• No. 13 Iowa Barnstormers has retired.

Career Statistics

Arena

Outside of Football

Broadcasting

Warner began working as an NFL commentator in 2010 and has been on NFL Total Access.

He also hosted the Thursday Night Football pregame show on NFL Network and the Thursday Night Kickoff Presented by Sears.

Kurt also handled the NFL Network’s coverage of the 2010 Arena Football League playoffs.

Following that, in August 2010, Warner joined Fox Sports as a color analyst for the network’s NFL coverage.

During that time, he was seen calling regional games alongside announcers Chris Rose or Chris Myers.

He also worked as a substitute analyst for Westwood One radio for Monday Night Football games.

Appearances on television

Kurt made his debut appearance on the NBC reality show The Biggest Loser on January 27, 2009.

He appeared as a guest on Disney’s The Suite Life on Deck on January 18, 2010.

Meanwhile, he appeared as himself in the episode “Any Given Fantasy,” and on February 9, 2010, he was a surprise guest on The Jay Leno Show’s final episode.

In addition, Warner appeared on live television as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars with his professional partner Anna Trebunskaya.

Kurt hosted The Moment, a USA Network reality series, for the entire year of 2013.

Video and film

Warner initially appears for the film in 2003, in GoodTimes Entertainment as the “coach” of a bunch of animated sports balls.

Kurt Warner’s Good Sports Gang was a film that promoted moral ideals and religious faith and was also sponsored by Kurt personally.

Following then, Warner’s First Things First Foundation became public.

It was originally planned as a series, but only two episodes were released: Elliot the Invincible and We’re Better.

American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story, a theatrical film about Kurt’s life, was released on December 25.

The Erwin Brothers wrote the script, Kingdom Story Company produced it, and Lionsgate released it.

Endorsements and charitable contributions

Kurt received his first endorsement for Amway North America on December 3, 2010.

He used to represent the Nutrilite brand for them.

Amyway made a $50,000 payment to Kurt Warner’s First Things First Foundation in exchange for the endorsement.

In terms of charity, he has invested in the Elite Football League of India (South Asian professional football league).

For example, the foundation’s goal is to contribute $50,000 for football training in schools and poor children across India, albeit the exact total amount is unknown.

Salary, Net Worth, and Career Earnings

The retired NFL quarterback has a net worth of $30 million, with earnings of $11 million.

In addition, Warner sold his $US3.1 million property in Paradise Valley, Arizona, in 2019.

His home was 11,300 square feet in size (1,050 m2).

Quotes

• The path to our dreams is fraught with detours.
• I was nervous whether it was preseason, regular season, my first playoff game, or the Super Bowl. All of this meant that it
• was always important to me. It didn’t matter what I was putting myself on the line for; it was okay to feel nervous since it
• was essential to me. It was critical that I accomplish my job well.
• I was always confident that I would be successful no matter where I went.

Social Media and Marriage

Warner and Brenda Carney Meoni have been married since October 11, 1997.

Brenda was a former United States Marine Corps corporal when the two met in college.

She was also a divorced woman with two children.

They stayed in Brenda’s parents’ basement in Cedar Falls when Kurt was released from the Packers’ training camp in 1994.

Brenda’s parents were killed in a tornado in their Mountain View, Arkansas home in 1996.

Brenda’s parents’ last wedding was conducted in the same church where the couple wedded.

Their wedding took place at St. John American Lutheran Church.

Warner adopted her two children and produced five of their own as a result of their marriage.

Warner is not a frequent poster on social media and only posts once in a while.

@kurt13warner on Instagram
@kurt13warner on Twitter

Personal Life of Kurt Warner

Name Nickname

Warner does not have a nickname, although Brett Favre from the program ‘Happy Days’ once gave him the name ‘Chachi.’

According to the account, when Warner showed off his brief tenure with the Green Bay Packers, Favre immediately recognized him.

Furthermore, during his time with the Rams, his squad (power defense) was dubbed “The Greatest Show on Turf.”

Christian faith and witness

Kurt and his wife, Brenda, are both devout evangelical Christians.

Kurt’s faith first manifested itself when he was named MVP during his time with the Rams.

Equally important, Warner believes the Lord healed him after he had a concussion in 2000.

“Everyone will get tired of hearing it, but I never get tired of saying it.”

There’s one reason that I’m standing up on this stage today. That is because of my heavenly Father.

I have to thank Jesus; you knew I was going to do it, but I had to do it.

Second, I have to thank you (motioning to the Arizona fans); when no one else believed in us, when no one else believed in me, you guys did. We’re also heading to the Super Bowl! “

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Government service

Warner is quite active in Civitan International public service announcements, where he promotes his wife Brenda’s volunteer efforts and developmentally impaired work.

Warner is personally invested in the initiative because his adopted son, Zachary (from Brenda’s first marriage), suffered from severe brain damage as a child.

Following the 1999 Super Bowl, Warner established the First Things First Foundation.

The foundation’s main goal is to promote Christian values, share life experiences, and provide opportunities to encourage people to prioritize “first things first.”

Warner is constantly working both on and off the field.

His foundation supports a variety of projects for children’s hospitals, people with developmental disabilities, and single parents.

He received the Muhammad Ali Sports Leadership Award and the Most Caring Athlete Award in 2009.

Not to mention, Sports Illustrated named him the NFL’s best role model on and off the field.

Warner received the annual Bart Starr Award in February 2010, which recognizes outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field, and in the community.