Kurt Warner: Biography, Facts, and Stats
Born Kurtis Eugene Warner on June 22, 1971, in Burlington, Iowa, Kurt Warner is considered by many sports analysts to be one of the best undrafted football players of all time. The two-time NFL MVP award winner retired from professional football on January 29, 2010.
The Early Career of Kurt Warner
Kurt Warner began his football career at Regis High School in Iowa. Though he initially had his sights set on being a wide receiver, the coach of the high school team positioned him at quarterback. A wise decision, as Kurt Warner eventually fell in love with the position and broke every school record for passing. He was named to All-State.
Despite the obvious talent Warner possessed on the field, Kurt Warner didn’t receive any scholarship offers to continue his football career in Division I colleges. However, he did accept a partial scholarship to University of Northern Iowa (UNI), one of the top AA football programs in the country.
At UNI, Warner spent the first three years on the bench as a backup quarterback. He finally started as quarterback his senior year, despite a rocky beginning. By the end of the season, Warner had thrown for 2,747 yards and 17 touchdowns, earning him the title of Conference Player of the Year.
Kurt Warner’s Professional Football Career
Kurt Warner has one of the most varied professional football careers of any player in NFL history. After he graduated from college, he went undrafted to the NFL. However, the Green Bay Packers did offer Warner a chance to compete for a spot on their team. Competing against the now legendary Brett Favre, Warner was released before the start of the season.
At his point in time, with his professional football career on hold, Warner took a job a local HyVee grocery store as a shelf stocker. Now a famous job for Warner, he took the job at the time to support his family and make ends meet. It was during his time at HyVee that he was offered a position in the Arena Football League (AFL).
Warner excelled playing in the Arena league, leading the Iowa Barnstormers to the Arena Bowl in both of the 1996 and 1997 seasons that he played. In fact, his career in the AFL was so impressive that Warner easily secured a top spot in the list of the top 20 best arena football players of all time.
1998 brought more change for Warner, who was signed to the St. Louis Rams in the NFL. He was then allocated to their European team, where he lead the league in touchdowns and passing yards. Eventually he was brought back to the States, where he served as the third-string backup quarterback on the Rams roster.
In 1999, the Rams released their top quarterbacks and signed rookie Trent Green to their team. Warner had been elevated to the second-string position. When Green injured his ACL in a game, Warner was called up to lead the Rams. He answered that call by putting together one of the best seasons by an NFL quarterback in history. He threw for 4,353 yards with 41 touchdown passes and a completion rate of 65.1%.
Later that year, Warner led the Rams to a win in the Super Bowl by passing an NFL-record 414 yards and scoring two touchdowns over the Tennessee Titans. He also set a record for attempting 45 passes without a single interception. Kurt Warner continued to play for the Rams through the 2003 season, but a poor performance that year led the Rams to replace Warner with a new face on the field Marc Bulger.
Warner was released by the Rams in 2004, and went to play for the New York Giants. Then, in 2005, Kurt Warner moved on to play for the Arizona Cardinals, the last team for which he would play in the NFL. Warner’s career continued to have standout performances, but it was inconsistent and spotty. Marred with injuries, Warner often shared starting quarterback duties with Matt Leinart, a promising rookie.
By 2007, Leinart was the starting quarterback, but Warner was soon back in starting position, having posted his best season since 2001. In 2008, Leinart was again awarded the starting position during training camp, but the coach for the Cardinals, Ken Wisenhut eventually reversed that decision, awarding Warner the role. Warner then led the team to their first playoff berth since 1998, and was later named the starting quarterback in the Pro Bowl later that year.
The Cardinals made it all the way to the Super Bowl in 2008. Though they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 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 announced in early 2009 that he had a desire to return to play for the Cardinals and after some negotiation, a two-year deal was reached. Warner went on to shatter records all around the NFL in his final year, including making it to the playoffs. But he suffered an injury in a playoff game against the New Orleans Saints, requiring Warner to let Leinart take on the quarterback role for the rest of the game.
Kurt Warner announced his retirement from the NFL on January 29, 2010. He is still actively involved with football, doing the commentary for the NFL, as well as for the Iowa Barnstormers arena team which is largely responsible for giving him his start as a pro football player.
Interesting Facts and Trivia About Kurt Warner
Kurt Warner and his wife Brenda have seven kids, two of whom were his wife’s from a previous relationship. Warner officially adopted those children.
Kurt Warner was the first player to be inducted into the Arena Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
Often interviewed by sportscasters who knew what was coming, Kurt Warner would thank God first at the start of each interview. Warner and his family belong to the Evangelical Christian faith.
Kurt Warner is one of only two quarterbacks in NFL history to have thrown 100 touchdowns with two different teams. Fran Tarkenton is the other.
Kurt Warner holds the records for the most touchdown passes in a single postseason(2009), with 11. This is tied with Joe Montana, who did the same in 1990.
Kurt Warner NFL Stats
Though Kurt Warner’s professional career spans the arena leagues and the European league in the NFL, the following statistics represent his time playing only in the National Football League, as documented by the NFL.
Kurt Warner attempted 4,070 passes with 2,666 completions over his NFL career for a total of 32,344 passing yards. He also scored 208 passing touchdowns and 3 rushing touchdowns. Kurt Warner was sacked 208 times and intercepted 128 times. He played for a total of 12 seasons in the NFL and went to the Super Bowl three times.
Resources About Kurt Warner
Kurt Warner’s Stats from the NFL
Official Kurt Warner Website
Annalise Kaylor is a freelance writer, editor, and consultant specializing in search engine optimized content for the web. As a writer, her work has appeared across the United States in print ads for Whirlpool, Maytag, Home Depot, and Lowe's, among others. As a consultant, she has worked primarily in the education sector, helping universities increase their web visibility and construct and implement social media strategy. Annalise is an avid reader, knitter, organic gardener and baker, as well as the author of the popular baking blog, Knead To Be Loaved. Annalise enjoys fly fishing, camping, and hiking.
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