By: Matthew Lippe
Kurt Warner was not a household name in the NFL in 1998. Actually he was barely even a NFL player in 1998. Kurt Warner attended the University of Northern Iowa from 1989 to 1993. Over these four years, Warner played quarterback, but would not start until his senior season. Even though he would be named the Gateway Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year, it was not enough for him to be drafted. The Packers gave Warner a tryout, but he did make it onto the regular season roster. After this Warner still did not want to give up on his dream of playing in the NFL, so he began stocking shelves at a grocery store in Iowa and worked as a graduate assistant at UNI. However he would be given a great opportunity to gain valuable playing experience in the Arena Football League (AFL).
Ever since the NFL was established, there have been many “copy cat” leagues trying to gain a stake in football. While these Leagues cannot compete with the NFL’s popularity, they are a great place for younger players to prove themselves, something Kurt Warner needed to do. Warner stated later that “I got a chance to experience and see so many different scenarios on the football field”. Warner played with the Iowa Barnstormers from 1995-1997, being named to the First-Team in 96 and 97. His performance over these 3 years helped him sign a contract with the St. Louis Rams in 1997.
Before the 1998 regular season, Warner was sent to play in NFL Europe, where he played for the Amsterdam Admirals. Warner dominated leading the league in touchdowns and passing yards. After this stint, Warner would come back to the Rams but as the third string QB, behind Tony Banks and Steve Bono. For a while it looked as though Warner would not get the opportunity to play a single snap, but he was able to play in the final game of the season, going 4 for 11 for 39 yards*.
The 1999 season was an amazing one to say the least for Kurt Warner. The Rams would let Bono leave in the off-season and Banks be traded to the Ravens. The Rams then signed a 30 year old Trent Green to be the new starter. However, Green would tear his ACL during the preseason, causing Warner to be named the new starter. Many had their doubts, but Warner would quickly cease all of them. In his first game as a starter, he threw for 309 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 27-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens. And his next two games would not disappoint as well, throwing for 6 more touchdowns, totaling 9 touchdowns (the most by a quarterback in his first three starts, until Patrick Mahomes broke it in 2018).
The rest of the season was legendary. With Marshall Faulk in the backfield “The Greatest Show on Turf” destroyed opposing teams, scoring on almost 40% of all offensive drives*. The Rams finished the season 13-3 and would move on to playoffs. In his first playoff start, Warner threw for 5 touchdowns and 391 yards in a 49-37 win over the Vikings. Warner would struggle in the next game, but the Rams would still beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 11-6. Finally came the Super Bowl, where Warner would not dissapoint, throwing for
Warner would have a great career (4x Pro-Bowl, 2x MVP, 1x Champ) and would be named to the Hall of Fame in 2017, but one can’t ignore the improbable journey Warner took to become a champion.
*All stats via Football Reference