Thunderbird Theme of the Week...Featuring Kurt Warner

Monday April 8, 2024 - 1:40 p.m. | Dylan DeVlieger

Everyone loves an underdog story in sports, entertainment, and in life. One of the most inspiring underdog stories of recent memory is the tale of NFL Hall of Fame quarterback, Kurt Warner. 

Warner is known as the commander of the, "Greatest Show on Turf," which was one of the most dominant and successful offenses in the NFL. From 1999-2001 Warner led the St. Louis Rams to historic numbers on the field while leading them to a Super Bowl XXXIV victory in 2000.

In their three season dominance the Rams racked up over 20,000 yards, while averaging 32.7 points per game which was unheard of in that era of tough nosed defensive led football.

After his time was done in St. Louis Warner bounced from New York to Arizona would resurge his career in the desert leading the Cardinals to a Super Bowl XLIII appearance in 2009.

Through all the success and records one would think Warner was born to play the game of football and was a sought after commodity but that wasn't the case for a while.

In the mid-'90's Warner had his dreams of being an NFL quarterback all but crushed when he went undrafted in the 1994 draft. After not making the Green Bay Packers roster Warner turned to stocking shelves in a grocery store to generate income. 

In 1995 Warner would sign with the Iowa Barnstormers in the Arena Football League, where he would lead his team to two AFL ArenaBowl appearances. After the success in the AFL Warner would turn back to the NFL and rise to success through the aforementioned Rams and Cardinals.

For Warner the dream of being in the NFL was highly in doubt many times during his life given all the obstacles and challenges he faced. However, it was welcoming the challenges of life that gave Warner the opportunity to achieve his dreams.

Click here to view Warner's 2017 NFL Hall of Fame acceptance speech.