The sports world is full of amazing personal stories, of people who had to work against all odds to get into the profession and fulfill their dreams. This weekend, while most people will be watching the Super Bowl, there is another great story coming to an end -- the career of the now retired National Football League quarterback Kurt Warner.
Warner, who just finished his 12th and final NFL season, has one of the most dramatic and surprising careers in the history of the league. It is a story like his that shows what real greatness is like. Warner was a man who had to overcome even more than most pro players have to reach his dream.
And the struggles didn't end there. One reason why this career was so amazing is the fact that it almost never got started.
Warner played his college career for Northern Iowa and went into the NFL Draft in 1994. Not a single team picked him to play. He was soon working at a grocery store making $5.50 an hour.
In 1997, he was finally signed by the Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena Football League. For two years, he was their starting quarterback and lead them to the championship game both seasons. His time there was so impressive the NFL started to pay attention to him. Teams that overlooked him just a few years earlier were now all trying to sign him.
He chose the St. Louis Rams, leading them to a Super Bowl Championship his rookie year. The previously no-name player won NFL Most Valuable Player that year. Two years later, in 2001, he did it again, getting the MVP and leading the team back to the Super Bowl, where they were defeated by the New England Patriots.
His amazing years with the Rams, however, were not the end of his troubles. He struggled the next few years, being traded from the Rams to the New York Giants and then to the Arizona Cardinals. By the time he entered his 11th season in the league, many people considered Warner a has-been.
Once again, Warner proved everyone wrong when he lead the Cardinals to Super Bowl XLIII. The game was a tough and exciting match between him and the powerful Pittsburgh Steelers. The Cardinals lost, but it was one of the most exciting games in a long time.
The next year -- this year -- he led the team back to the playoffs and gave them one last victory when the Cardinals defeated the Green Bay Packers, 51-45. With the win, Warner had the best home field playoff record in the NFL, 7-0, over his entire career. The next week the Cardinals fell to the New Orleans Saints in the Divisional Championship game. He announced his retirement soon afterward.
This career, which almost didn't even get off the ground at all, can prove a person should never be counted out. When he wasn't drafted into the NFL and was forced to work for minimum wage, Warner continued to work at getting better. That work ethic soon got him into the NFL after all. The no-name quarterback went to the Super Bowl three times in his career, winning one of them.
Those Super Bowls were not all this man was able to achieve. Warner owns the three highest single-game passing yards totals in Super Bowl history. He also has the second highest completion percentage in a career in the history of the NFL with a 65.5 percent career completion. He also has the record for the best completion percentage in a single regular season game with 92.3 percent, which he threw just this season in September 2009.
With his retirement, a great story in the NFL is over. It is a story that should take Warner all the way to the Hall of Fame, despite what some people think. This man achieved more than most players ever have or will, and his did it facing some of the toughest situations that any player has had to face.
No matter what, Warner is a Hall of Fame caliber player who is an inspiration to anyone struggling to reach their dream. That is something we all need sometimes.
Respond to Bryan at thenews@bgnews.com
Warner, who just finished his 12th and final NFL season, has one of the most dramatic and surprising careers in the history of the league. It is a story like his that shows what real greatness is like. Warner was a man who had to overcome even more than most pro players have to reach his dream.
And the struggles didn't end there. One reason why this career was so amazing is the fact that it almost never got started.
Warner played his college career for Northern Iowa and went into the NFL Draft in 1994. Not a single team picked him to play. He was soon working at a grocery store making $5.50 an hour.
In 1997, he was finally signed by the Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena Football League. For two years, he was their starting quarterback and lead them to the championship game both seasons. His time there was so impressive the NFL started to pay attention to him. Teams that overlooked him just a few years earlier were now all trying to sign him.
He chose the St. Louis Rams, leading them to a Super Bowl Championship his rookie year. The previously no-name player won NFL Most Valuable Player that year. Two years later, in 2001, he did it again, getting the MVP and leading the team back to the Super Bowl, where they were defeated by the New England Patriots.
His amazing years with the Rams, however, were not the end of his troubles. He struggled the next few years, being traded from the Rams to the New York Giants and then to the Arizona Cardinals. By the time he entered his 11th season in the league, many people considered Warner a has-been.
Once again, Warner proved everyone wrong when he lead the Cardinals to Super Bowl XLIII. The game was a tough and exciting match between him and the powerful Pittsburgh Steelers. The Cardinals lost, but it was one of the most exciting games in a long time.
The next year -- this year -- he led the team back to the playoffs and gave them one last victory when the Cardinals defeated the Green Bay Packers, 51-45. With the win, Warner had the best home field playoff record in the NFL, 7-0, over his entire career. The next week the Cardinals fell to the New Orleans Saints in the Divisional Championship game. He announced his retirement soon afterward.
This career, which almost didn't even get off the ground at all, can prove a person should never be counted out. When he wasn't drafted into the NFL and was forced to work for minimum wage, Warner continued to work at getting better. That work ethic soon got him into the NFL after all. The no-name quarterback went to the Super Bowl three times in his career, winning one of them.
Those Super Bowls were not all this man was able to achieve. Warner owns the three highest single-game passing yards totals in Super Bowl history. He also has the second highest completion percentage in a career in the history of the NFL with a 65.5 percent career completion. He also has the record for the best completion percentage in a single regular season game with 92.3 percent, which he threw just this season in September 2009.
With his retirement, a great story in the NFL is over. It is a story that should take Warner all the way to the Hall of Fame, despite what some people think. This man achieved more than most players ever have or will, and his did it facing some of the toughest situations that any player has had to face.
No matter what, Warner is a Hall of Fame caliber player who is an inspiration to anyone struggling to reach their dream. That is something we all need sometimes.
Respond to Bryan at thenews@bgnews.com
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