Warner calls it a career

[Scott M]

Associated Press

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Kurt Warner thanked God, hugged his children and wife and said goodbye to an NFL career that seems the stuff of sports fiction.

The 38-year-old quarterback announced his retirement Friday after a dozen years in a league that at first rejected him, then revered him as he came from nowhere to lead the lowly St. Louis Rams to two Super Bowls.

Then, as if going from stocking groceries to winning NFL MVP awards wasn't improbable enough, Warner was written off as a has-been and rose again to lead the long-suffering Arizona Cardinals to the Super Bowl.

A man of deep faith who carried a Bible to each post-game news conference, Warner walked away with a year left on a two-year, $23 million contract, knowing he still had the skills to play at the highest level.

Hall of Fame worthy?

Is Kurt Warner worthy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame? Warner's postseason numbers are amongst the best ever but his regular-season career has had its peaks and valleys. A look at his career in three different eras, plus his regular and postseason totals:

Years W-L Comp % Yds. Rat.

'98-01 35-8 66.9 12,651 103.0

'02-06 8-23 63.9 7,940 82.1

'07-09 24-18 65.4 11,753 93.6

Total 67-49 65.5 32,344 93.7

Post 9-4 62.8 3,952 102.8

• Complete career statistics

"It's been an amazing ride," Warner said. "I don't think I could have dreamt it would have played out like it has, but I've been humbled every day that I woke up the last 12 years and amazed that God would choose to use me to do what he's given me the opportunity to do."

Warner had one of the greatest postseason performances ever in Arizona's 51-45 overtime wild card victory over Green Bay on Jan. 10, but sustained a brutal hit in the Cardinals' 45-14 divisional round loss at New Orleans six days later.

"He has had a dominant career," Cardinals defensive tackle Darnell Dockett said. "He's got to do what's best for his family. He played long enough. He took us to the Super Bowl last year.

"If you're going to go out, go out on top."

The Cardinals signed Warner to a one-year contract in 2005 largely because no other team would give him a chance to be a starter. His opportunities over the next two years were scattered and even when coach Ken Whisenhunt took over in 2007, Warner was the backup to Matt Leinart.

But when Leinart went down with an injury five games into the season, Warner got his chance. He started 48 of the remaining 49 games of his career.

"I've played 12 years, I'm a 38 years old and I believe I was playing at as high a level now and over the last two years as I was playing when I first got into the league," he said. "That's something I'm proud of."

Blessed with an uncanny throwing accuracy and a knack for reading defenses, Warner leaves the game with a legacy that could land him in the Hall of Fame even though he didn't get his first start until he was 28.

In a comparison with the 14 quarterbacks to make the Hall of Fame in the last 25 years, Warner has a better career completion percentage, yards per pass attempt and yards per game. Only Dan Marino had more career 300-yard passing games.

In 124 regular-season games, Warner completed 65.5 percent of his passes for 32,344 yards and 208 touchdowns. He and Fran Tarkenton are the only NFL quarterbacks to throw for 100 touchdowns and 14,000 yards for two teams.

The Warner file

• Born June 22, 1971 in Burlington, Iowa

• Attended Regis High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

• Attended Northern Iowa University

• Originally signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent on April 28, 1994 but was released on Aug. 17, 1994

• Played in Arena Football League with Iowa Barnstormers (1995-97)

• Signed with St. Louis Rams on Dec. 26, 1997 as a free agent

• Played for Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe during 1998 season

• Played six seasons with Rams (1998-2003)

• Signed with New York Giants on June 3, 2004 as an unrestricted free agent

• Signed a 1-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals on March 6, 2005

• Signed a 3-year contract with Arizona on Feb. 14, 2006

• Signed a 2-year contract with Arizona on March 4, 2009

Accomplishments

• Four-time Pro Bowl selection (1999, 2000, 2001, 2008)

• Owns Arizona Cardinals regular season records for attempts, completions, completion percentage, passer rating, TD passes and consecutive games with a TD pass

• Two-time NFL MVP (1999 and 2001)

• Super Bowl XXXIV MVP

• Second QB in NFL history to start a Super Bowl for two different teams

• Career passer rating of 93.7 ranks 3rd in NFL history behind only Steve Young (96.8) and Peyton Manning (94.7)

• Became the fastest player in NFL history to reach 10,000 passing yards (36th career game)

• 2008 NFL Man of the Year award winner

For more than 40 minutes, Warner thanked everyone who had helped him along the way, singling out Whisenhunt, for "his willingness to give me an opportunity that I don't know if anyone else would."

Cardinals general manager Rod Graves called it an emotional day "because I realize once again how extraordinary he was."

"I've only had the privilege of being around one other person that I can say was close to him and that was Walter Payton," Graves said. "I think when you have an extraordinary player and one who is just as extraordinary off the field, then you realize you were in the presence of someone special."

Whisenhunt said Warner ranked "at the top" of players he had coached.

"He's one of the best quarterbacks in this league," he said, "and I think it's well noted that he's one of the best people I've been around."

Warner brought his wife, Brenda, and their seven children to the podium, hugging each one of them. He choked up as he thanked them.

"Every day I come home and it doesn't matter if you won or lost or have thrown touchdowns or interceptions, the one thing that I always knew is that when I entered that door, when I stepped in our house, that none of that mattered to these guys," he said. "I can't tell you how much of a blessing that is."

Warner, who grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and played at the University of Northern Iowa, ranks among the career leaders in a variety of passing statistics.

No player in NFL history reached 10,000 yards passing in less games and he tied Marino as fastest to reach 30,000.

He has the top three passing performances in Super Bowl history. His 1,156 yards passing in the 2008 playoffs broke the NFL record of 1,063 he set with St. Louis in 1999.

Cut by Green Bay in training camp, Warner played three seasons in the Arena Football League and one in NFL Europe, mixed in with a stint stocking grocery shelves back in Iowa.

Warner made the Rams as a backup in 1998, then was thrust into the starting role in 1999 when Trent Green was injured.

What followed was a masterful and wholly unexpected season, when he led the Rams to a 13-3 regular-season record, then a Super Bowl triumph over Tennessee. He was the league and Super Bowl MVP.

Warner had the Rams back in the big game in 2001, where "The Greatest Show on Turf" lost a squeaker to New England. That season he earned his second MVP.

But after an injury-plagued 2002 season, he was sacked six times and suffered a concussion in a 2003 season-opening loss to the New York Giants. He never started for St. Louis again.

He signed a free agent contract with the Giants for 2004, but was replaced by rookie Eli Manning after nine games. Warner came to the Cardinals in 2005 and was an off-and-on starter before replacing the injured Leinart part way through the 2007 season.

Warner had to beat out Leinart the following year, then led the Cardinals to the NFC West crown and three playoff victories before the narrow loss to Pittsburgh in last year's Super Bowl, where he threw for 377 yards.

He called that season the crowning achievement of his career.

Warner and his wife operate the First Things First Christian charitable foundation. Last year, he was named the NFL's Man of the Year for his off-field and on-field accomplishments.

"We all learned great lessons from Kurt's humility, dignity and grace. We will forever be thankful for the success he brought us and the unparalleled generosity he has shown the St. Louis community and beyond," Rams owner Chip Rosenbloom said in a statement.

Warner's departure leaves Leinart the presumed replacement. The former Heisman Trophy winner has started 17 games for Arizona but only one in the last two years.

Warner said he plans to spend time watching his children grow up, do some preaching and perhaps get into football broadcasting.

He knows what he wants his legacy to be.

"It's not the way I threw the football, it's not particular games that I won, but that they remember that here's a guy that believed, that worked hard," he said. "Although things didn't always go in his favor, he continued to press through, and with his faith in himself and his faith in God, he was able to accomplish great things.

********************************************

What a career. We talk about athletes not doing the right things or not being role models...look at what this guy did. Never quit and had faith in more than one sense of the word.

[SneakAttack]

Possibly the greastest story of any athlete in pro sports, one of my favorite athletes of all-time and a pro athlete that actually had his "stuff" together, which is very rare

Should be a first ballot hall-of-famer but won't get in until a few years after he is eligible

[zepman]

Possibly the greastest story of any athlete in pro sports, one of my favorite athletes of all-time and a pro athlete that actually had his "stuff" together, which is very rare

Should be a first ballot hall-of-famer but won't get in until a few years after he is eligible

Easy HOF'er IMO.

[lawdog]

Easy HOF choice for sure, and what's more important is he seems to be a genuine "good guy". Total class act, I've never heard anyone say a bad word about the guy, how many NFL players can you say that about? Not that many anymore.

I have a lot of respect for Kurt Warner and wish him absolutely the best in his retirement.

[SledNeck]

easy hofer?

hes had alot of bad seasons, lost his starting job to

bulger

Manning

Leinart

[rayguy]

#4 WILL BE NEXT.

[Steve Foss]

Easy HOF choice for sure, and what's more important is he seems to be a genuine "good guy". Total class act, I've never heard anyone say a bad word about the guy, how many NFL players can you say that about? Not that many anymore.

I have a lot of respect for Kurt Warner and wish him absolutely the best in his retirement.

+1

[jeffreyd]

We will miss him here in AZ, i wonder if the cards will try and get farve to come in to fill the gap. our backup is a great QB but has not done to well in the last few years. Warner proved his weight when he came in and took over for Matt. Warner is a great asset to the community also to the community in St Louis. It will be hard to replace him.

[zamboni]

Just when Brenda got hot, too. Too bad they used to show her every ten seconds in the stands when she was hideous, but hardly at all after she had a little work done.

[LMITOUT]

[BlueLundFishrman]

a "little work"???!!!!

That's like saying Tarvaris Jackson needs a "little work" on his quarterbacking skills.

[croixflats]

Man I thought we had enough of her pictures back when he played for the rams. They couldn't go to a break with out showing her mug on the screen. I think she got more air time than the opposing team

[BlueLundFishrman]

Should be a first ballot hall-of-famer but won't get in until a few years after he is eligible

So what are you saying here? Are you just trying to have it both ways. Wouldn't a first ballot hof'er mean he makes it his first year of eligibility, not a few years after he is eligible?

[LMITOUT]

a "little work"???!!!!

That's like saying Tarvaris Jackson needs a "little work" on his quarterbacking skills.

[zamboni]

Alright, shes had a little more than a little work, but not as much as Heidi Montag!!! She has gotten to be a hottie now.

[SneakAttack]

Originally Posted By: SneakAttack

Should be a first ballot hall-of-famer but won't get in until a few years after he is eligible

So what are you saying here? Are you just trying to have it both ways. Wouldn't a first ballot hof'er mean he makes it his first year of eligibility, not a few years after he is eligible?

I see Kurt Warner being kinda like Roberto Alomar in the HOF process, I think Robbie should have been a first ballot in baseball as Kurt Warner should be in football but it will take a year or two for them to get in.

Kurt's career is kinda like Jim Kelly's in there QB stats, except Kurt won a Super Bowl

Read my line again, i think Kurt is a first ballot HOFer but i think the voters will find that his numbers are not sexy enough to get that, but will vote him in at a later date

[DTro]

From his book, "All Things Possible"

"Some of the fondest memories I have are of the summer vacations my brother and I took with my dad and Mimi up to Lake Vermilion in Northern Minnesota. We'd spend two weeks of every summer at a resort up there"

Just by chance I happened to have worked at that resort and got to know him and his family. My opinion is that the NFL needs more Kurt Warners.

Congrats to him on a great career, but more importantly being a great husband and father.

I think the HOF is a lock for him.

[greebs]

kurt is truly a class act. he didn't let his success go to his head. too bad that more professional athletes don't have kurt's attitude.

[MarkAlm]

As someone that watches from afar as pro sports go in general, Any time his highlights were on any channel I would stop and watch, as I also did with his retirement announcment. The man should be a 1st ballot HOF , but some yahoooo will keeep him from it. If more players were like him, humble and thankful to do what they do I myself might actually enjoy watching more.

GOOD LUCK in your retirement Kurt Warner !!!

[lawdog]

He's a two time league MVP, a Super Bowl champion and MVP and he has the three statistically biggest superbowl performances by a QB in history. Plus, he's one of the great stories the league has produced in decades. There is no way this guy isn't a one and in HOF guy. I'd darn near bet my pinky finger on it...

[Jim Uran]

From his book, "All Things Possible"

"Some of the fondest memories I have are of the summer vacations my brother and I took with my dad and Mimi up to Lake Vermilion in Northern Minnesota. We'd spend two weeks of every summer at a resort up there"

Just by chance I happened to have worked at that resort and got to know him and his family. My opinion is that the NFL needs more Kurt Warners.

Congrats to him on a great career, but more importantly being a great husband and father.

I think the HOF is a lock for him.

Cool stuff Darren!!

[zamboni]

There's no doubt Kurt is a great human being, I think we have all heard the story about him dating Brenda and taking her disabled son along with them when they went out. I totally agree, the NFL could use more Kurt Warners

[bassNspear]

i agree as well, i think hes one of the best in the game, and i hope he stays involed in the NFL.

[greebs]

if he could have wore the purple and white for the last ten years, maybe, just maybe.......