I have been a Rams fan for about 30 years now. My long obsession started after watching the old Warren Beatty film Heaven Can Wait. I was hooked on the Los Angles Rams. It was something that continued through ups 
and downs and moves. Through three Super Bowls and last place finishes.
However, I have never really been excited about just one player. I liked Dickerson, I liked Willie “Flipper” Anderson and even Chris Everett (Mr. Brittle) barely registered beyond a do well front. Then along comes Kurt Warner. The guy who like so many of us just had a dream and some ability and just wants to play.
Kurt began his post college career as a walk on with Green Bay who did not stick. Then in the 1990s he played in Arena Football with the Iowa Barnstormers. There he seemed to do all the things a normal person does. Fall in love, work at a grocery store and live life while trying desperately to hang on to a dream.
Then finally in 1998 he was brought on board with an NFL team. The St. Louis Rams needed a backup, a cheap one, and Kurt fit the bill. He would be asked to go on a stint over to Europe for the Amsterdam Admirals. In all these teams he lead at his position. So the Rams may not have known what they had but it was already obvious the boy could play.
In 1999 as most NFL fans know he went from bag boy to NFL starter thanks to an unfortunate injury to Trent Green, the starter for the Rams that season. Dick Vermiel, head coach, had a tearful press conference in which he stated they would rally around their new starter Kurt Warner. That as they say is history.
Warner blasted NFL teams that year. He shocked the world winning the NFL MVP on his rookie season, coming at the late age of 28.
My first introduction to Mr. Warner came through a fantasy draft right at the start of the season. My sister-in-law needed a starting quarterback so I picked him up for her. Ha ha burned by my own generosity. Her team won both the regular season and pummeled me in the final of our playoffs.
Live and learn.
The Rams went on to win it all that year clinching the Superbowl during a period where I was in the UK and without a TV. Saddest day of my life was to know they won without me watching. And this guy Kurt was awesome.
The Superbowl game came down to the last second as the Tennessee Titans came within a yard from winning the game themselves. Kurt did not have a bad game in yards but this was not the high flying offense everyone expected.
However, Kurt was now without a doubt my favourite player. He did everything a fan could want. He was clean, honourable and won championships. In the NFL that can be something hard to come by. The Rams still did well for two more years as he once again won the MVP and in his third season brought the Rams back to the Superbowl in 2002. This time to play the “underdog” New England Patriots.
During the game Warner is hit, he takes a pounding because he is not mobile and so he injures his thumb and cannot hang on to the football. Even still he leads the Rams into the lead with less than two minutes left but his own defense collapses, Patriots become a “dynasty” Warner goes quickly from the Rams after another two seasons of injury and problems with holding on to the football.
Still in all this most of the problems appeared to be from the Rams end. I saw them giving up on a solid player because of injury and not allowing him to properly get back to his position. So they allow him to go the New York Giants. I am left with a decision I have never had before.
Do I follow the player or do I follow the team? Remember the Rams really had been only a somewhat middle of the road team before Warner. Without him they return to that position and worse yet fall flat into oblivion because they cannot replace him. So my loyalties were conflicted.
In the end the Warner to the NYG is a failure because they only wanted a place keeper not a leader. So off he goes to the Arizona Cardinals where he is also expected to be a place holder. In the mean time his thumb is healed finally, and importantly he changes how he delivers the ball by wearing gloves.
Yet considered a mentor and not a leader he is not allowed to develop even when he is obviously the best quarterback 
in Arizona. Still he does not complain, he preservers and pulls on eventually justifying my belief in him by becoming a starter once again.
Last year was for me a rebirth with the NFL finally my favourite found a home and he showed that he was big enough to win there. He took an even sadder franchise to almost the promise-land. Once again the defense could not make the stop after he had taken the lead.
Yet as he retires today I am sad for me and the Cardinals but not for him. I think he will have a great life. He will remain a model for people outside of sports and someone who people can point to and say “hero” about.
Kurt Warner was a good player but is a great person. He should be in the Hall of Fame and while I will miss him I am grateful for what he did for my team. His story is one of my favourites.
#13 have a nice life.
Tags: Arizona Cardinals, Kurt Warner, NFL, St. Louis Rams
