Kurt Warner: a transformational leader says goodbye
Kurt Warner speaks during a press conference to announce his retirement from the National Football League. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images North America)
On Friday, January 29, Kurt Warner held a press conference to make it official: the Arizona Cardinal’s quarterback announced he was retiring after 12 seasons in the National Football League.
During that time, Warner put together a very impressive resume: two NFL MVP awards, five Pro Bowls, three Super Bowl appearances, one Super Bowl MVP, and numerous alterations to the NFL record book.
In the past few days, several sports talk personalities have noted that Warner’s greatest football accomplishments are not his eye-popping passing statistics or the numerous awards he has collected. Rather, his greatest achievements have been changing the cultures of two of the NFL’s worst teams, transforming both the St. Louis Rams and the Arizona Cardinals from perennial losers into football powerhouses.
In 1999, Warner came out of nowhere to lead the Rams to a 13-3 record and a Super Bowl win over the Tennessee Titans. Prior to Warner’s ascension to the starting quarterback position, the Rams had been absolutely awful. The team moved to St. Louis in 1995: from 1995-1998, the male sheep posted a 22-42 record. They were the laughingstock of the NFL, the punchline to a joke.
Then Warner took over, and during the next three seasons the Rams went 37-11 and made two Super Bowl appearances, winning one title.
Injuries eventually led to Warner’s exit from the Gateway City. After a short stint with the New York Giants, he resurfaced with another of the NFL’s all-time worst teams: the Arizona Cardinals.
The Cardinals won a championship in 1947, but in the following 51 seasons, the team made the playoffs just four times. During that time they bounced from Chicago to St. Louis to the Southwest, but regardless of where they hung their hat, one thing remained the same: their on-field performance was downright awful.
Kurt Warner gets ready for Super Bowl XLIII against the Pittsburgh Steelers on February 1, 2009. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Then Warner arrived and led the team to two consecutive playoff appearances in 2008-09 and the team’s first Super Bowl appearance at the conclusion of the 2008 season. His final home game with the Cardinals, played just a few weeks ago, was a thrilling 51-45 playoff win over the Green Bay Packers. Warner turned in a nearly flawless performance, completing 29 of 33 passes for five touchdowns.
But what I loved most about this former grocery store stock clerk was his unabashed faith in Jesus Christ and his willingness to publicly proclaim that devotion at every opportunity. That included the moments following his Super Bowl XXXIV triumph, when, on national television, he declared, “First things first, I’ve got to thank my Lord and Savior up above – thank You, Jesus!”
I remember watching that Super Bowl and basking in the glow of the Ram’s amazing win. I also remember that, following Warner’s public profession of thanks to Jesus Christ, player after player followed suit in praising God for their win. My grandfather, a longtime sports fan, commented that the Rams were the most religious professional sports team he had ever seen. It was just another testament to Warner’s influence as a leader on and off the field.
Those who know Warner well say his faith is not just talk. St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz, who covered Warner during the quarterback’s six seasons in the Gateway City, had this to say in his column on the day following Warner’s retirement press conference:
We’ve been exposed to many scandals and scoundrels as of late, and it’s depressing. But even as he left, Kurt Warner stood above the muck. He was the real thing, from the beginning to the end. It was an honor to watch him, and to know him.
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heather on February 1st, 2010
I don’t even like football and i read this entire post. And enjoyed it. Good job, Jonathan!