Kurt Warner is an American former football quarterback with a genuine personality. Warner is considered one of the best undrafted NFL players of all time who is well-known for his leadership attitude.
Back in his time, he has played for three National Football League (NFL) teams: the St. Louis Rams, the New York Giants, and the Arizona Cardinals.
Furthermore, Warner is a legendary player having one of the greatest stories in NFL history.
Not to mention, he is a two-time NFL MVP, Super Bowl XXXIV MVP, 2008 Walter Payton Man of the Year award winner, and four-time Pro Bowler.
Equally important, he is the only person inducted into both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Arena Football Hall of Fame.
Additionally, he has achieved many milestones throughout his journey, becoming the only undrafted player in NFL history to win the NFL MVP award.
Alongside, the only undrafted quarterback to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory. At present, Warner stands in the thirteenth-highest career passer rating of all-time (93.7).
He also is in the fifth-highest career completion percentage in NFL history with 65.5%.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Kurtis Eugene Warner |
| Date of Birth | June 22, 1971 |
| Birth Place | Burlington, Iowa |
| Nick Name | The Greatest Show on Turf & ‘Chachi’ |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Zodiac Sign | Cancer |
| Age | 51 Years Old |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 214 lb (97 kg) |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Light Brown |
| Build | Athletic |
| Father’s Name | Gene Warner |
| Mother’s Name | Sue Warner |
| Siblings | Brother, Matt Warner |
| Education | Regis High School University of Northern Iowa |
| Jersey Number | 13 |
| Wife | Brenda Warner (m. 1997) |
| Kids | Four Daughter (Jesse Jo Warner, Jada Jo Warner, Sienna Rae Warner, Sierra Rose Warner) Three sons (Zachary Taylor Warner, Kade Eugene Warner, and Elijah Storm Warner) |
| Profession | former football player |
| Position | Quarterback |
| Affiliations | Green Bay Packers (1994)* Iowa Barnstormers (1995–1997) Amsterdam Admirals (1998) St. Louis Rams (1998–2003) New York Giants (2004) Arizona Cardinals (2005–2009) |
| Active Years | 1994-2009 |
| Net Worth | $30 million |
| Social Media | Instagram, Twitter |
| Merch | Books, Jersey, Autographed Items, Rookie Card, Jersey card |
| Last Update | July, 2022 |
Physical Qualities
Warner, who is 214 lb and stands tall at 6 ft 2 inches (1.88 m), maintains an athletic physique (97 kg).
To give an example, he has an oval face, which is enhanced by his fair skin tone, black hair, and light brown eyes.
Additionally, he maintains stylishly short hair and a clean-shaven face. He also has a sharp jawline and noticeable cheekbones, and his shoe size is 12.
Kurt Warner | Education and Early Life
His parents, Gene and Sue Warner, welcomed him into the world on June 22, 1971. He grew up in Burlington, Iowa, with his mother, brother, and sister after his parents split when he was just six years old.
Kurt’s father got remarried to Mimi a year after the divorce. The three sons got along well and had a kid named Matt as well.
Kurt finished his education at Regis High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he played quarterback for the Class 3A football team.
In 1989, he graduated from high school and enrolled at the University of Northern Iowa.
After that, Warner held down third on the Panthers’ depth chart through his senior year before earning a communications degree from the university in 1993. He was also voted the Offensive Player of the Year in the Gateway Conference.
Green Bay Packers Kurt Warner Professional Career
Warner was not selected in the NFL Draft in 1994, but he was given the opportunity to try out for the Green Bay Packers’ training camp.
At that time, the Packers’ head coach, quarterback coach, and assistant coach were, respectively, Mike Holmgren, Steve Mariucci, and Andy Reid.
At the time, Warner was competing for a slot with Ty Detmer, Mark Brunell, and Brett Favre, all of whom had won the Heisman Trophy.
Kurt was then let go by the Packers prior to the start of the regular season; as a result, he continued working for the Hy-Vee supermarket in Cedar Falls for $5.50 per hour.
Warner then served as a graduate assistant coach for his alma mater’s football club.
Barnstormers in Iowa
He signed with the Iowa Barnstormers in the Arena Football League (AFL) in 1995, immediately following his time with the Packers.
No one was willing to take a chance on him, so he had to abandon his plan to sign with NFL teams for the time being.
Kurt was named to the AFL’s First-team All-Arena in both 1996 and 1997, the years after he led the Barnstormers to appearances in the ArenaBowl.
Following it was his ranking as the 12th best arena football player of all time, which was a fitting tribute to his outstanding performance.
Not to add the fact that his elbow damage from the spider bite prevented him from playing for the Chicago Bears before 1997.
Kurt Warner’s Arena Football Unleashed was the name of the AFL’s first publicly accessible video game. Warner’s other major achievement occurred in the NFL in 2000.
He was selected as an inductee into the Arena Football Hall of Fame on August 12, 2011, ten years later.
Los Angeles Rams
Warner signed with the St. Louis Rams in December 1997, and while playing for the Amsterdam Admirals, he led the NFL Europe league in passing yards and touchdowns.
Season of 1998
Kurt served as St. Louis’ backup quarterback in 1998, trailing only Steve Bono and Tony Banks. Jake Delhomme, a future quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, supported Warner at the NFL Europe.
Warner completed only 4 of his 11 pass attempts for 39 yards and a 47.2 quarterback rating by the end of the season.
Warner was selected as one of the team’s five unprotected players in the 1999 NFL Expansion Draft prior to the start of the season. However, only Scott Milanovich was chosen by the Cleveland Browns, not him.
2001 Season
Banks was acquired by the Ravens at the start of the season, and Warner was listed as his backup on the depth chart.
Before the exhibition game, Trent Green was signed in as the starting after Bono left in free agency. Green, however, had difficulty during the ACL, thus head coach Dick Vermeil selected Warner to start for the Rams.
One of the best quarterback seasons in NFL history was put together that season by Warner, Marshall Faulk (running back), Isaac Bruce (wide receiver), Torry Holt (wide receiver), Az-Zahir Hakim (wide receiver), and Ricky Proehl (wide receiver).
At that point, Warner had completed 65.1% of his throws for 4,353 yards and 41 touchdowns.
By completing three touchdown passes in each of his first three NFL starts, Warner also set a record for the league (which was surpassed by Patrick Mahomes in 2018).
Warner’s fourth game was against the San Francisco 49ers, who had won the NFC West division for the previous 12 seasons. The Rams had lost all 17 of their prior encounters with the 49ers.
In the first half of the three preseason games, he scored four touchdowns, helping the Rams win 42-20.
Afterwards and MVP
The Rams won their first division since 1985 and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1989 by the end of the campaign. Kurt was chosen as the 1999 NFL MVP for this reason.
Additionally, he developed into a breakthrough player for the season, leading Sports Illustrated to feature him on their cover on October 18 with the tagline “Who Is This Guy?”
Warner also guided the Rams to victory over the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV during the postseason.
With 414 passing yards, including a 73-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Bruce, Warner knotted the score in only two minutes.
With that, Warner won the Super Bowl MVP award for completing 45 passes without intercepting a single one.
Season 2000
Kurt started the 2000 season with 19 touchdown passes and 300 or more passing yards in each of his first six games, tying Steve Young’s record. Not to mention, on July 21 he traded a seven-year contract worth $47 million.
Warner was replaced by Green during the middle of the season after breaking his arm. Following that, Green and Warner established themselves as the Rams’ dominant duo, guiding them to the highest team passing yardage total in NFL history with 5,232 net yards and a combined gross passing yardage of 5,492.
Additionally, Kurt’s turnover percentage had changed because he intercepted the ball 5.2% of the time.
The Rams removed nine of their eleven defensive starters after Green was dealt to the Kansas City Chiefs, but they still only had ten wins overall.
Season of 2001
Warner finished the season with a league-best 36 touchdown passes, 4,830 passing yards, and a passer rating that was also a league high (101.4).
As a result, he returned to his MVP form, forcing a career-high 22 interceptions. Kurt steered “The Greatest Show on Turf” to its third straight 6-0 start in the interim.
They also made history by being the first NFL team to do so, going 14-2, and making Super Bowl XXXVI.
Kurt had thus thrown for 365 yards, a passing touchdown, and a rushing touchdown in Super Bowl XXXVI.
Warner’s game rhythm was broken by Bill Belichick’s defensive game plan, which resulted in a 20-17 loss for the New England Patriots.
Season 2002
Warner’s club had a 0-3 record at the beginning of the season with only one score.
Warner was only able to attend two games as a result of breaking a finger on his throwing hand during a game against the Dallas Cowboys. With being said, he had a pitiful 67.4 rating for the 2002 season.
Season 2003
In the game against the New York Giants, the Rams once more started Warner at quarterback. Warner was replaced by Marc Bulger after later admitting he couldn’t perform well since his hand hadn’t fully healed.
Warner was released by the Rams on June 1st, 2004. Nevertheless, his contract had three more years to run.
Brooklyn Giants
Within two days following his release, Warner was signed by the New York Giants to a one-year, $3 million contract with a player option for a second year for $6 million.
He played with the New York Giants for two seasons, starting five of the team’s first seven games as quarterback and contributing to victories. The team lost two more games after that to conclude the season at 6-10 overall.
Warner released his second-year contract at the end of the campaign to become a free agent.
Arizona Cardinals Season of 2005
Warner and the Arizona Cardinals agreed to a $4 million, one-year contract prior to the start of the 2005 season. Dennis Green, the coach, first started him, and Kurt turned in three performances of fairly average quality.
Warner, though, had a groin injury during the games, and Josh McCown, a previous starter, took his place.
McCown was performing admirably during Warner’s absence but finally faltered in the following two games.
Kurt then came back and took his place in the starting lineup, recording nearly 700 yards of passing in the ensuing two games. As a result, they celebrated a 38-28 triumph over his old team, the Rams.
Kurt therefore finished the campaign in Week 15 with 285 yards and three touchdowns, good for a passer rating of 115.9. In addition, he eventually partially tore his MCL (Medial Collateral Ligament).
Season of 2006
Warner signed a new three-year pact with the Cardinals on February 14 with a basic salary of $18 million and performance bonuses worth about $24 million.
Kurt won the NFC Offensive Player of the Week honor to start the season after throwing for 301 yards and three touchdowns in Week 1 to help his team defeat San Francisco.
In Week 4, Warner passed the 20,000-yard passing mark in his 76th game, becoming the second-fastest player in NFL history (behind Dan Marino) to do so.
After that, youngster Matt Leinart took over for Warner in the fourth quarter of Week 4 and continued to serve as the backup quarterback for the remainder of the year. However, Warner returned to fill in for Leinart after suffering a shoulder injury in Week 16.
After that, Kurt continued to play well, amassing 365 yards and a touchdown against the San Diego Chargers, but they suffered a heartbreaking 27-20 defeat.
Season of 2007
Kurt served as the starting quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens through the first three games of the 2007 season. In the fourth quarter, with the Ravens ahead 23-6, Kurt was substituted onto the bench.
Warner completed 15 of 20 throws for 258 yards and two touchdowns while Arizona was tied in the game (losing 26-23 after Baltimore made a last-second field goal).
Leinart was replaced by Kurt on September 30 after a shaky start to the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Leinart’s final touchdown was followed by Warner’s remaining 21 attempts for 132 yards and one touchdown throw with no interceptions until the fourth quarter.
After that, Warner took over for the remainder of the season as Leinart was out due to injury. Warner accumulated his career-high 484 yards against the 49ers on November 25, in a loss to the Cardinals.
Warner then guided the Cardinals to victory over the Browns, putting them in position to compete for an NFC Wild Card playoff spot. As a result, Kurt finished the year with 27 passing touchdowns and a $1 million bonus.
Season of 2008
On August 30, Cardinal appointed Warner the team’s starting quarterback for the 2008 campaign. He started the year with 4,583 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, and a season completion percentage of 67.1 percent.
He was the National Football Conference’s top passer for the third consecutive season at the same time.
Not to mention that he was named the FedEx Air Player of the Week for the weeks 9 and 11 of the season.
Warner got a touchdown and two interceptions in the second quarter of Week 3’s game against the New York Jets, which led to a touchdown and a field goal, but the final score was a 56-35 defeat.
On December 7, Kurt defeated his old squad, the Rams, by a score of 34-10. The Cardinals, meanwhile, won the NFC West Division and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1998.
In the end, Warner was selected as the NFC team’s starting quarterback for that year’s Pro Bowl.
Season 2009
Warner wanted to play with the Cardinals, but the two parties were unable to come to terms on a deal because of the issue of compensation.
Thus, he signed with the San Francisco 49ers as a free agent on February 27. Kurt was also given a greater and bigger sum by the 49ers than by the Cardinals, but in the end, Kurt chose to join with the Cardinals.
Warner and the Cardinals agreed to a two-year, $23 million contract on March 4. Along with a $15 million signing bonus and a $19 million guarantee, their pact included $4 million for each of the following two years.
Warner had arthroscopic hip surgery on March 17 to fix a torn labrum. In addition, Warner set a new record for the NFL’s single-game completion % on September 30. (92.3 percent).
His accomplishment eclipsed Vinny Testaverde’s 1993 record for the NFL.
On November 1, Warner made five interceptions, tying a career high, against the Carolina Panthers.
He was therefore recognized as the NFL’s first quarterback to throw for more than 14,000 yards while playing for two different teams.
Later Career & Titles Awarded
Then, in a 41-21 victory over the Chicago Bears, he had a career-high five touchdown passes in a single game. Warner was awarded both the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week and the NFC Offensive Player of the Week.
Importantly, on November 15, he reached a career milestone by throwing his 200th touchdown pass during a 31-20 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
Warner was forced to exit the game against the St. Louis Rams on November 22 because of a concussion. They won 21-13.
Warner rejoined the group on December 6 as they defeated the Minnesota Vikings 30-17.
Warner then went on to win NFC Offensive Player of the Week and FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week awards for his three touchdown outings.
He only became the second quarterback in NFL history to throw 100 touchdown passes with two different clubs during the game against the St. Louis Rams.
Warner was the NFC team’s sole backup quarterback for the 2010 Pro Bowl on December 29, two days later.
Postseason & Final Game of 2009
On January 10, 2010, Warner began his career with a 51-45 victory over the Green Bay Packers, completing 29 of 33 passes for 379 yards.
The contest enabled him to join a select group of quarterbacks in NFL history who threw five more touchdown passes than incomplete passes in a postseason game.
With a rating of 154.1, he went on to enjoy the benefit of having the second-highest quarterback rating in NFL postseason history.
In addition, he not only claimed the record twice but also became the first quarterback since the leagues’ merger to throw for five touchdown passes in a playoff game.
At the end of his career, he tied the NFL record for straight playoff games with at least three touchdown passes and had a perfect 7-0 record in home games (three games).
Warner suffered an injury on January 16 while the New Orleans Saints lost the NFC Divisional game 45-14. He was retained as Matt Leinart’s backup when he came back for the second half.
Retirement for Kurt Warner
Warner publicly announced his retirement from the NFL in 2010 and stated that he did so to spend more time with his family (seven kids and wife).
Kurt wanted to make a comeback and was eligible for the Hall of Fame induction for the 2014 season.
When Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton became hurt and the club started losing, Warner also said that he wanted to play once more to help the team win.
Warner served as the Iowa Barnstormers’ broadcaster for the 2011 Arena Football League season and was a part of the league’s Hall of Fame at the same time.
Kurt was chosen for admission into the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2017. After that, he was also admitted into the Hall of Fame for Arena Football.
Along the way, Warner worked as a coach at Scottsdale, Arizona’s Desert Mountain High School from 2015 to 2018. Warner has been the quarterbacks coach at Brophy College Preparatory since 2019.
Kurt Warner | Highlights and Awards
-
NFL (National Football League)
- Super Bowl champion (XXXIV)
- Super Bowl MVP (XXXIV)
- 2× NFL Most Valuable Player (1999 & 2001)
- 4× Pro Bowl (1999–2001 & 2008)
- 2× First-team All-Pro (1999 & 2001)
- Bert Bell Award (1999)
- 2× NFL passing touchdowns leader (1999 & 2001)
- 3× NFL completion percentage leader (1999–2001)
- 2× NFL passer rating leader (1999, 2001)
- NFL passing yards leader (2001)
- NEA NFL Most Valuable Player (2008)
- Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year (2008)
- Arizona Cardinals Ring of Honor
- Bart Starr Award (2010)
-
Arena
- 2× First-team All-Arena (1996 & 1997)
- Iowa Barnstormers Hall of Fame
- Arena Football Hall of Fame
- Iowa Barnstormers No. 13 retired
Kurt Warner | Career Stats
NFL (National Football League)
| Completion Percentage | TD-INT | Passing Yards | Passer Rating |
| 65.5% | 208-128 | 32,344 | 93.7 |
Arena
| Completion Percentage | TD-INT | Passing Yards | Passer Rating |
| 62.0% | 183-43 | 10,465 | 107.84 |
Learn more about his stats and game log on Pro Football Reference.
Kurt Warner Beyond Football
Broadcasting
Warner first started as an NFL analyst in 2010 and even featured on NFL Total Access. Besides, he also presented in-studio on NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football pregame show and the Thursday Night Kickoff Presented by Sears.
The 2010 Arena Football League playoffs, was also handled by Kurt for the NFL Network’s coverage.
Subsequently, in August 2010, Warner appeared as a color analyst on the network’s NFL coverage for Fox Sports.
During that time, he was seen working along with announcers Chris Rose or Chris Myers to call regional games. Additionally, he was a substitute analyst for the Westwood One radio on Monday Night Football games.
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Television appearances
For the first time, Kurt appeared in the NBC reality show The Biggest Loser on January 27, 2009. On January 18, 2010, he was a guest on Disney’s The Suite Life on Deck.
In the meantime, he appeared as himself in the episode “Any Given Fantasy.” Following it on February 9, 2010, he was a surprise guest on the final episode of The Jay Leno Show.
Besides, Warner made his presence on live television as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars alongside his professional partner Anna Trebunskaya.
For the year 2013, Kurt was the host of the show The Moment, which is a reality series on USA Network.
Film and video
Warner first appeared for the film in 2003, in GoodTimes Entertainment as the “coach” of a group of animated sports balls.
The film was named Kurt Warner’s Good Sports Gang, which portrayed the moral values and religious faith and was also sponsored by Kurt himself.
Moving forward, Warner’s First Things First Foundation came into public. In the beginning, it was decided as a series; however, only two episodes came out Elliot the Invincible and We’re Better.
At present, a theatrical film about Kurt’s life titled American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story is to be released on December 18, 2020.
The film was created by the Erwin Brothers, produced by Kingdom Story Company, and is being distributed by Lionsgate.
Endorsements and Charity
Kurt had his foremost endorsement in the year 2010 on December 3 for Amway North America. Back then, he represented the Nutrilite brand for them.
In exchange for the endorsement, Amyway made a $50,000 donation to Kurt Warner’s First Things First Foundation.
As for his charity works, he has invested in the Elite Football League of India (South Asian professional football league).
To illustrate, the foundation’s target is to donate $50,000 for football training in schools and underprivileged children throughout India, while the exact total amount is unknown.
Net Worth, Salary & Career Earnings
The retired professional football quarterback has a net worth of $30 million, with $11 million in salaries.
Besides that, his total career earnings amount to $62,773,000.
Furthermore, in 2019, Warner sold his $US3.1 million mansion located in Paradise Valley, Arizona. His mansion was 11,300 square feet (1,050 m2).
Quotes
- The road to our dreams has many detours.
- It did not matter whether it was preseason, regular season, my first playoff game, or the Super Bowl, I was nervous. And all that meant was that it always mattered to me. Anytime I was putting myself on a line, it didn’t matter what it was, it was okay to be nervous because it was important to me. It was important to do my job well.
- I always felt like wherever I was, I’d be successful.
Kurt Warner | Marriage and Social Media
Warner is married to Brenda Carney Meoni since October 11, 1997. The duo met each other in college when Brenda was a former United States Marine Corps corporal. Furthermore, she was a divorced lady with two children.
After Kurt was released by the Packers’ training camp in 1994, they lived in Brenda’s parents’ basement in Cedar Falls.
Brenda had lost her parents in a tornado in 1996 in their Mountain View, Arkansas home. The couple married in the same church where Brenda’s parents’ last occasion was held.
Their marriage was at the St. John American Lutheran Church. From their marriage, Warner adopted her two children and also had five of their own.
On his social media, Warner is not a regular poster on the platform and has occasional updates.
| Instagram handle | @kurt13warner |
| Twitter handle | @kurt13warner |
Kurt Warner | Personal Life
Nick Name
Warner does not particularly have a nickname; however, Brett Favre once gave him the name ‘Chachi’ from the show ‘Happy Days.’
The story goes as when Warner showcased his brief stint with the Green Bay Packers, Favre instantly stamped him with a name.
Additionally, during his tenure in the Rams, his team (power defense) was known as “The Greatest Show on Turf.”
Christian faith and testimony
Kurt is a devout evangelical Christian alongside his wife, Brenda. According to Kurt, his faith first emerged when he was named the MVP during his time in the Rams.
Equally important, when Warner suffered a concussion in 2000, he believes the Lord healed him.
“Everybody’s going to be tired of hearing this, but I never get tired of saying it. There’s one reason that I’m standing up on this stage today. That’s because of my Lord up above.
I’ve got to say thanks to Jesus; you knew I was going to do it, but I’ve got to do it. And secondly, I’ve gotta say thanks to you guys (motioning to the Arizona fans); when nobody else believed in us when nobody else believed in me, you guys did. And we’re going to the Super Bowl!“
-Kurt Warner
Public service
Warner is quite active in public service announcements for Civitan International, where he promotes his and Brenda’s volunteer efforts and developmentally disabled work.
The very project is close to Warner’s heart as his adopted son, Zachary (from Brenda’s first marriage), struggled with major brain damage as an infant.
After Super Bowl in 1999, Warner came up with the First Things First Foundation. Basically, the foundation is to promote Christian values, share life experiences, and provide opportunities to encourage people to put ‘first things first.’
Warner is always working both on and off-field. His foundation involves numerous projects for children’s hospitals, people with developmental disabilities, and assisting single parents.
He was awarded the Most Caring Athlete Award for 2009, the Muhammad Ali Sports Leadership Award. Not to mention, Sports Illustrated featured him as the best role model on and off the field in the NFL.
In February 2010, Warner received the annual Bart Starr Award, given outstanding character and leadership in the home, the field, and the community.
Kurt Warner | FAQs
Who was in Lowes’s commercial with Kurt Warner?
Chris Simms was with Kurt Warner in the Lowe’s Black Friday Deals Tv Commercial, ‘Rod Pod: Drill or Driver.’
Is there a documentary based on Kurt Warner’s life?
Yes, you can find a number of good documentaries based on the legendary footballer’s life.
How involved is Kurt Warner in politics?
Although the former NFL player is not directly involved in politics, he has previously raised his voice against political leaders like Donald Trump during his regime.