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Kurt Warner
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Kurtis Eugene "Kurt" Warner (born June 22, 1971) is an American football quarterback who currently plays for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 1994. He played college football at Northern Iowa.
Warner first reached fame for his highly successful stint with 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 also led the 2008 Arizona Cardinals to Super Bowl XLIII (the franchise's first-ever Super Bowl berth), and owns the 3 biggest single-game passing yardage totals in Super Bowl history.
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Encyclopedia
Kurtis Eugene "Kurt" Warner (born June 22, 1971) is an American football quarterback who currently plays for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 1994. He played college football at Northern Iowa.
Warner first reached fame for his highly successful stint with 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 also led the 2008 Arizona Cardinals to Super Bowl XLIII (the franchise's first-ever Super Bowl berth), and owns the 3 biggest single-game passing yardage totals in Super Bowl history. Behind Steve Young and Peyton Manning, Warner is ranked third all-time in career passer rating with a 93.8 mark. Statistically, he is also the second-most accurate quarterback in NFL history (trailing only Chad Pennington), with a career completion percentage of 65.7%
High school and college
Born in , Warner played football at Regis High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and went on to 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.
Arena Football and NFL Europe
After completing his college career, he attended the Green Bay Packers training camp in 1994, but was released before the regular season began. It was at this time that Warner famously stocked shelves at a Hy-Vee grocery store in Cedar Falls for $5.50 an hour. He also returned to Northern Iowa and worked as a graduate assistant coach with the football team, all the while still hoping to get a 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 All-Arena first team in both 1996 and 1997 as he led the Barnstormers to Arena Bowl appearances in both seasons. He was also named twelfth on a list of the twenty best Arena Football players of all time.
In 1998, Warner was signed by the St. Louis Rams and was allocated to NFL Europe's Amsterdam Admirals. Warner led NFL Europe in touchdowns and passing yards. His backup was Jake Delhomme, now the starting quarterback for the Carolina Panthers.
NFL career
St. Louis Rams
1999 season
Returning from Europe, Warner was named the backup quarterback for the St. Louis Rams during the 1998 regular season and the 1999 preseason. When starting quarterback Trent Green was injured in a preseason game, Warner took over as the Rams' tentative starter. St. Louis coach Dick Vermeil was initially concerned with the team's situation at quarterback after Green's injury, but 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 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 17 of their previous 18 meetings with the 49ers, but Warner proceeded to throw three touchdown passes on the Rams' first three possessions of the game and four in the first half 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 led the Rams to a Super Bowl XXXIV victory against the Tennessee Titans. He threw for two touchdowns and a Super Bowl-record 414 passing yards, including a 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 sixth player to win both the league MVP and Super Bowl MVP awards in the same year. The others are Bart Starr in 1966, Terry Bradshaw in 1978, Joe Montana in 1989, Emmitt Smith in 1993, and Steve Young in 1994.
2000 season
Warner started the 2000 season well, 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 2000 campaign, 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 Marino (5,084 yards). In contrast to his previous season, however, Warner's turnover ratio drastically increased in 2000, throwing an interception in 5.2% of his attempts (compare 2.6% in 1999). Due to a very poor defensive unit, 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. Nine of the Rams' eleven defensive starters would be cut during the offseason, and Trent Green was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs.
2001 season
Warner quickly returned to form in 2001. Although his season lagged behind his 1999 performance, he amassed a league-high 36 touchdown passes and 4,830 passing yards, a total third only to Dan Marino and Drew Brees all-time. Warner lacked the consistency he showed in 1999, however, throwing a career-high 22 interceptions despite completing a career-high 68.7% of his passes. Still, he led "The Greatest Show on Turf" to its third consecutive 6-0 start (becoming the first and only NFL team to do so), 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 (the 3rd-highest total in Super Bowl history) and a passing touchdown along with a rushing touchdown, but he also tossed two interceptions which helped stake the heavy-underdog New England Patriots to a 2-touchdown lead. After falling behind to the Patriots 17-3, though, the Rams tied the game late in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard Warner touchdown run on a quarterback sneak and a 26-yard touchdown pass from Warner to Ricky Proehl. The game ended in a loss for Warner and the Rams, however, 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.
2002–2003 seasons
Still perhaps shell-shocked by the Super Bowl loss to New England, Warner began the 2002 season 0-3 as a starter, throwing seven interceptions against only one touchdown. In their fourth game against the Dallas Cowboys, Warner broke a finger on his throwing hand, and despite attempting to come back later in the season, his injury only allowed him to play 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 opener against the New York Giants. Warner's replacement as the Rams quarterback, Marc Bulger, would be named to two Pro Bowls and is currently third all-time in career completion percentage (trailing only Warner and Chad Pennington).
New York Giants
The Rams released Warner on June 1, 2004. Two days later, he signed a two-year deal with the New York Giants.
Warner started the 2004 season as the starting quarterback, winning five of his first seven games, but following several poor performances and a two-game losing streak, 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).
Arizona Cardinals
In early 2005, Warner signed a one-year, $4-million contract with the Arizona Cardinals, 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 played in two games during Warner's injury, performing well enough that Green named McCown the starter for the remainder of the season.
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 has a base salary of $18 million and, with performance incentives, could be worth as much as $22 million.
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-yards passing milestone in his 76th game, one game more than record holder Dan Marino.
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, quarterback Matt 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. Warner threw for 365 yards (which led the NFL for that week) and a touchdown, however the Chargers were able to hang on for a 27–20 win.
In the third game of the 2007 season against the Baltimore Ravens, Warner came off the bench to relieve an ineffective Matt Leinart during the 2nd and 4th quarters (the Ravens were leading 23-6 at the beginning of the 4th quarter). He led a furious comeback as he completed 15 passes out of 20 attempted for 258 yds and 2 TDs. This brought them to a tie game (23–23), but after a Ravens last second field goal, Arizona lost the game 26–23.
On September 30, 2007, during the week 4 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Warner relieved Matt Leinart following another ineffective start by Leinart. Warner finished with 14/21 for 132 yards with one touchdown pass and no interceptions. Leinert reentered the game in the 4th quarter, and led the Cardinals to their final touchdown. After Leinart was placed on IR Warner was named starter for the remainder of the 2007 season . Warner passed for a career-high 484 yards against the San Francisco 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, as the above-mentioned victory over the Browns brought his team 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. Nonetheless, Warner's 3,417 passing yards, 27 touchdown passes, and 89.8 passer rating were all his best since the 2001 season.
Matt Leinart was named the Cardinals starter going in to the off-season for 2008, but Ken Whisenhunt stated that it would be very possible for Warner to be the starter before Week 1 of the 2008 NFL 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 almost 70%.
On December 7, 2008, Warner led the Cardinals to a 34–10 win over his former team, the St. Louis 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 playoffs
On January 3, 2009, Warner led the Cardinals in their defeat of the Atlanta Falcons 30–24 at home in the first round of 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, 2009, 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 22 for 32, a completion percentage of 65.6%, for 220 yards. He threw 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. This win represented the first time the Cardinals won a game in the 2008-2009 National Football League season and post-season on the East Coast of the United States.
On January 18, 2009, Warner threw for 279 yards, 4 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. He joins 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 (Cardinals and Rams), following Craig Morton and Earl Morrall.
In Warner's third career Super Bowl appearance, on February 1, 2009, the Cardinals lost Super Bowl XLIII 27–23 to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Warner now has a career 1–2 record as a starter in Super Bowls. Despite losing, Kurt 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.
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 agent 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.
Career stats
Passing Stats | Year | Team | G-S | Passing
Att.-Comp. | Yards | Pct. | TD | Int. | Long | Sacks-Lost | Pass
Rating |
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| 1998 | St. Louis | 1-0 | 11-4 | 39 | .364 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0-0 | 47.2 | | 1999 | St. Louis | 16-16 | 499-325 | 4,353 | .651 | 41 | 13 | 75 | 29-201 | 109.2 | | 2000 | St. Louis | 11-11 | 347-235 | 3,429 | .677 | 21 | 18 | 85 | 20-115 | 98.3 | | 2001 | St. Louis | 16-16 | 546-375 | 4,830 | .687 | 36 | 22 | 65 | 38-233 | 101.4 | | 2002 | St. Louis | 7-6 | 220-144 | 1,431 | .655 | 3 | 11 | 43 | 21-130 | 67.4 | | 2003 | St. Louis | 2-1 | 65-38 | 365 | .585 | 1 | 1 | 37 | 6-38 | 82.9 | | 2004 | NYG | 10-9 | 277-174 | 2,054 | .628 | 6 | 4 | 62 | 39-196 | 86.5 | | 2005 | Arizona | 10-10 | 375-242 | 2,713 | .645 | 11 | 9 | 63 | 23-158 | 85.8 | | 2006 | Arizona | 7-5 | 168-108 | 1,377 | .643 | 6 | 5 | 64 | 14-104 | 89.3 | | 2007 | Arizona | 14-11 | 441-281 | 3,417 | .623 | 27 | 17 | 62 | 20-140 | 89.8 | | 2008 | Arizona | 16-16 | 598-401 | 4,583 | .671 | 30 | 14 | 79 | 26-182 | 96.9 | | Totals | 110-101 | 3,557-2,327 | 28,591 | .654 | 182 | 114 | 85 | 236-1,497 | 93.8 |
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| Postseason | 11-11 | 261-403 | 3,361 | .648 | 26 | 13 | n/a | n/a | 98.9 |
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NFL records
- Second Highest Completion Percentage, Career (Min. 1500 attempts) - 65.75%
- Highest Average Passing Yards Per Game, Career (Min. 100 games) - 261.2 yards/game
- Most Yards Passing, Super Bowl (Game) - 414 yards vs. Tennessee Titans (only QB to pass for 400+ yards in the Super Bowl; also owns 2nd and 3rd highest yardage total in Super Bowl with 377 against the Pittsburgh Steelers and 365 against the New England Patriots).
- Most Yards Passing, Super Bowl (Career) - 1,156 yards.
- Most Yards Passing, Playoffs (Single Season) - 1,147 yards (in 2009).
- Most touchdown passes in a single postseason - 11 (in 2009, tied w/Joe Montana, who did it in 1990)
- Highest Rate of Games w/300+ Yards Passing (Min. 100 games played) - 45.2% (47/104)
- Most Consecutive Games w/300+ Yards Passing - 6 (tied w/Steve Young and Rich Gannon)
- Most Games with a perfect Passer Rating, Career (regular season only) - 3 (tied w/Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger)
- Only NFL quarterback to throw 40 touchdowns and win a Super Bowl in the same season (1999).
Personal life
Kurt Warner was born to parents Gene and Sue Warner on June 22, 1971, and has a brother, Matt Warner. Warner's parents divorced when he was 6. His father, Gene Warner remarried a year later. Warner's stepmother, Mimi Post Warner, also had a son named Matt. The three boys formed a close relationship soon thereafter. He graduated in 1990 from Regis High School in Cedar Rapids, where he distinguished himself as a quarterback of the school's Class 3A football team.
During college, Warner met his future wife, the former Brenda Carney Meoni; they married on October 11, 1997. Brenda was a United States Marine Corps veteran and a divorcee with two children when she and Kurt wed. She had also recently lost her parents, Larry and Jenny Carney, when their Arkansas home was destroyed by a 1996 tornado. After Kurt 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. 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.
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Warner officially adopted Brenda's two children, son Zachary and daughter Jesse, after their marriage. The Warners also have 5 children of their own: sons Elijah and Kade, daughter Jada, and twin girls Sierra Rose and Sienna Rae.
Both Kurt and his wife are active charismatic Christians.
Warner has also appeared in several public service announcements for Civitan International, promoting their volunteer efforts and their work with the developmentally disabled.
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 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.
See also
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).
External links
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