NFL

Kurt Warner Should Be A First Ballot Hall of Famer

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By @JordanWevers

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Getty Images

Len Dawson, Terry Bradshaw and Joe Namath. These are just a few of the quarterbacks enshrined in Canton who passed for fewer yards in their careers than did Kurt Warner. Though his playing days took a while to find precedence in the NFL, Warner was one of the premier passers of his time when active. There should be no restrictions placed on him being a first ballot inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The story of Warner and his path to the national spotlight is different than that of any overhyped prima donna or coveted college prospect. His story is filled with humility, hard work and an eventual perfection of his craft — though the craft in particular took more time to mature in contrast to other distinguished quarterbacks.

Warner, a native of Iowa, never started a college game at quarterback until his senior year at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Rapids. After graduating he went undrafted and then endured being cut by the Green Bay Packers in 1994. The QBs he had to compete with in training camp that year were Brett Favre, Mark Brunell and former Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer.

Then came his days of obscurity. When the NFL well dried up, most football fans are familiar with Warner’s time stocking shelves in an Cedar Falls grocery store for $5.50 an hour wage. He then dabbled some in the Arena Football League, finding success. He played three seasons for the Iowa Barnstormers, becoming somewhat prolific. Then Warner chased his dream of playing in the NFL after signing with the St. Louis Rams, which then allocated him to the Amsterdam Admirals of the now defunct NFL Europe in 1998.

Warner played decently for the Admirals and stuck on with the Rams for the beginning of the 1998 NFL regular season. Then in 1999, he got his break at the expense of starting quarterback Trent Green‘s knee injury in the preseason.

The rest is pretty much history. Warner was named the starter, the “Greatest Show on Turf” was born and the Rams made it to Super Bowl XXXIV on the strength of Warner’s 4,353 yards passing and 41 touchdowns in the regular season. St. Louis was crowned world champions after one of the more engaging Super Bowls in the last couple of decades by defeating the Tennessee Titans 23-16. And thus, the legend of Kurt Warner was born.

The accolades continued to pile up. In his first season as an NFL starting quarterback, Warner was named MVP of the league to complement his Super Bowl MVP hardware. His name also appears second and third on the list for most yards gained though the air by a quarterback in a Super Bowl.

A four-time Pro Bowler, two-time First-Team All-Pro and two-time league MVP, Warner is widely regarded as the greatest undrafted NFL player of all time. Even though he did not get his start in the NFL until age 27 and despite fighting through multiple injury plagued seasons, Warner still reached the 30,000 yards passing milestone for his career. His 93.7 career passer rating ranks eighth all-time, ahead of legends like Joe Montana, Dan Marino and Favre.

To top it all off, Warner was a great ambassador for the game during his playing days. He is a recipient of both the Walter Payton Man of the Year and Bart Starr Award, both of which exemplify outstanding character in the home, on the field and around the community.

Warner’s moment arrived later than for most pro athletes, but for his fans and the game of football, it was well worth the wait. Now, the only thing left waiting is Canton, Ohio.

Jordan Wevers is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JordanWevers, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.

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