Biography of Kurt Warner[Age, Height, Wife, Kids, Family, Salary, Award & Net worth ]

Kurt Warner is an American former football quarterback with a genuine personality. Warner is considered one of the best undrafted NFL players of all time who is well-known for his leadership attitude.

Back in his time, he has played for three National Football League (NFL) teams: the St. Louis Rams, the New York Giants, and the Arizona Cardinals.

Furthermore, Warner is a legendary player having one of the greatest stories in NFL history.

Not to mention, he is a two-time NFL MVP, Super Bowl XXXIV MVP, 2008 Walter Payton Man of the Year award winner, and four-time Pro Bowler.

Equally important, he is the only person inducted into both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Arena Football Hall of Fame.

Additionally, he has achieved many milestones throughout his journey, becoming the only undrafted player in NFL history to win the NFL MVP award.

Alongside, the only undrafted quarterback to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory. At present, Warner stands in the thirteenth-highest career passer rating of all-time (93.7).

He also is in the fifth-highest career completion percentage in NFL history with 65.5%.

Quick Facts

Full Name	Kurtis Eugene Warner
Date of Birth	June 22, 1971
Birth Place	Burlington, Iowa
Nick Name	The Greatest Show on Turf & ‘Chachi’
Religion	Christianity
Nationality	American
Ethnicity	White
Zodiac Sign	Cancer
Age	51 Years Old
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight	214 lb (97 kg)
Hair Color	Black
Eye Color	Light Brown
Build	Athletic
Father’s Name	Gene Warner
Mother’s Name	Sue Warner
Siblings	Brother, Matt Warner
Education	Regis High School University of Northern Iowa
Jersey Number	13
Wife	Brenda Warner (m. 1997)
Kids	Four Daughter (Jesse Jo Warner, Jada Jo Warner, Sienna Rae Warner, Sierra Rose Warner) Three sons (Zachary Taylor Warner, Kade Eugene Warner, and Elijah Storm Warner)
Profession	former football player
Position	Quarterback
Affiliations	Green Bay Packers (1994)* Iowa Barnstormers (1995–1997) Amsterdam Admirals (1998) St. Louis Rams (1998–2003) New York Giants (2004) Arizona Cardinals (2005–2009)
Active Years	1994-2009
Net Worth	$30 million
Social Media	Instagram, Twitter
Merch	Books, Jersey, Autographed Items, Rookie Card, Jersey card
Last Update	August, 2022

Physical Attributes

Warner maintains an athletic body standing tall at 6 ft 2 inches (1.88 m) while weighing 214 lb (97 kg).

To illustrate, he has an oval face and fair-complexioned skin tone and complements it; he has black hair with light brown eyes.

Besides, he keeps his hair short and chic and has a clean-shaven face. Additionally, he has a cut jawline with distinct cheekbones, and his shoe size measures 12.

Kurt Warner | Early Life and Education

Warner was born on June 22, 1971, to his parents, Gene Warner, and Sue Warner. However, when he was just six years old, his parents divorced; hence, he grew up along with his brother, Matt Warner, and his mother in Burlington, Iowa.

After a year of the divorce, Kurt’s father remarried Mimi. They also had a son named Matt, and the three boys got along well.

As for his academics, Kurt completed school at Regis High School, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he was the quarterback of the school’s Class 3A football team.

After his high school graduation in 1989, he enrolled in the University of Northern Iowa.

Afterward, Warner positioned third on the Panthers’ depth chart until his senior year and later graduated from the uni in 1993 with a degree in communications.

Additionally, he was also named the Gateway Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year.

Kurt Warner | Professional Career

Green Bay Packers

In the 1994 NFL Draft, Warner went undrafted and was invited to try out for the Green Bay Packers training camp.

During that time, Mike Holmgren, Steve Mariucci, and Andy Reid were the coach, the quarterback coach, and the Packers’ assistant coach, respectively.

Right then, Warner was fighting for a spot against Brett Favre, Mark Brunell, and former Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer.

Afterward, Packers released Kurt before the regular season began, and thus, he moved forward to work for the Hy-Vee grocery store in Cedar Falls for $5.50 an hour.

Following it, Warner worked as a graduate assistant coach for the football team at his alma mater.

Iowa Barnstormers

Right after his Packer’s day, he joined the Arena Football League (AFL) in 1995 and signed with the Iowa Barnstormers.

This was done as no one was ready to take a risk with him; hence, he had to drop his plan for the time being to get into NFL teams.

Following years when Kurt led the Barnstormers to ArenaBowl appearances, in 1996 and 1997, he was named to the AFL’s First-team All-Arena, and in both the years.

Following it was his title for the twelfth position out of the 20 Best Arena Football Players of all time, doing justice for his impressive gameplay.

Not to mention how he missed his chance for the Chicago Bears before 1997 due to his elbow injury from the spider bite.

Warner’s other breakthrough came in NFL in 2000, and AFL used his new fame for the name of its first widely available video game, Kurt Warner’s Arena Football Unleashed.

A decade later, on August 12, 2011, he was named as an inductee into the Arena Football Hall of Fame.

St. Louis Rams

In December 1997, Warner signed into the St. Louis Rams, where he led the NFL Europe league in touchdowns and passing yards for the Amsterdam Admirals.

1998 Season

For the whole 1998 season, Kurt spent it as St. Louis’ third-string quarterback behind Tony Banks and Steve Bono. During the NFL Europe, Warner was backed up by the future Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme.

Likewise, by the end of the season, Warner had only 4 of 11 pass attempts for 39 yards and a 47.2 QB rating.

Prior to the 1999 season, Warner was made one of the team’s five unprotected players in the 1999 NFL Expansion Draft. However, Cleveland Browns did not select him, only choosing Scott Milanovich.

1999 Season

At the beginning of the season, Banks was traded to the Ravens, and Warner appeared as the second on the depth chart.

Before the preseason game, Bono left in free agency, and Trent Green was signed in as a starter. However, Green struggled through the ACL, and thus, coach Dick Vermeil named Warner as the Rams’ starter.

The very season, Warner alongside Marshall Faulk (running back) and Isaac Bruce (wide receiver), Torry Holt (wide receiver), Az-Zahir Hakim (wide receiver), and Ricky Proehl (wide receiver), successfully put together one of the top seasons by a quarterback in NFL history.

Right then, Warner had thrown 4,353 yards with 41 touchdown passes and a completion rate of 65.1%.

Furthermore, Warner marked an NFL record by throwing three touchdown passes in each of his first three NFL starts (which was surpassed by Patrick Mahomes in 2018).

On their fourth game, Warner faced the San Francisco 49ers ( NFC West division champions for 12 of the previous 13 seasons), which the Rams lost in the 17 meetings.

He recorded four touchdowns in the three preseason games ( in the first half), which led the Rams to a 42–20 victory.

Later Career And MVP

By the end of the season, the Rams had their first playoff berth since 1989 and their first division title since 1985. That’s why Kurt was named the 1999 NFL MVP.

Additionally, he rose from an average player to get into the season’s breakthrough; thus, confused Sports Illustrated featured him on their October 18 cover with the caption “Who Is This Guy?”

Likewise, in the playoff season, Warner led the Rams to victory in Super Bowl XXXIV against the Tennessee Titans.

Warner tied the game in just an interval of two minutes with 414 passing yards, including a 73-yard touchdown to Isaac Bruce.

Therewith, Warner gained the Super Bowl MVP award after gaining a record of 45 passes without a single interception.

2000 Season

Kurt commenced the season 2000 with 300 or more passing yards in each of his first six games (tying Steve Young’s record) and posting 19 touchdown passes in that stretch. Not to mention, he dealt a seven-year contract worth $47 million on July 21.

During the mid-season, Warner was replaced by Green after he had broken his arm. Afterward, Green and Warner became the power duo to lead the Rams to the highest team passing yard in NFL history, with 5,232 net yards and a combined gross passing yards total was 5,492.

Besides, Kurt had improvised his turnover rate as he threw an interception in 5.2% of his attempts.

Even so, the Rams had only ten wins in total, and thus, they cut nine of their eleven defensive starters as Green was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs.

2001 Season

During the year, Warner had the league-high 36 touchdown passes and 4,830 passing yards, and another league-high mark in passer rating (101.4).

Thus, he reclaimed his MVP form as he induced a career-high 22 interceptions. In the meantime, Kurt led “The Greatest Show on Turf” to its third consecutive 6–0 start.

Additionally, they starred as the first NFL team to do so with an NFL-best 14–2 record and an appearance in Super Bowl XXXVI.

Therefore, in Super Bowl XXXVI, Kurt had thrown for 365 yards and a passing touchdown along with a rushing touchdown.

However, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick‘s defensive game plan successfully broke Warner’s game rhythm, which led to an end of the game in a 20-17 loss.

2002 Season

At the starting of the season, Warner had a weak start with only one touchdown as the team went 0–3.

During a match against the Dallas Cowboys, Warner broke a finger on his throwing hand, due to which he could only attend two games. Therewith, for the 2002 season, he had a minuscule 67.4 rating.

2003 Season

Again, the Rams made Warner a starting quarterback in the match against the New York Giants. Marc Bulger replaced Warner as he later revealed that he couldn’t perform well as his hand has not healed yet.

On June 1, 2004, Warner was released by the Rams. Although he still had three years left in his contract.

New York Giants

Not more than the two days of Warner’s release, New York Giants signed him in a one-year, $3 million deal, which had a second-year player option worth $6 million.

During his pair with New York Giants, he featured himself as the Giants’ starting quarterback, as he contributed victories for five of his first seven games. It was followed by a two-game loss and finished the season at 6–10 overall.

By the end of the season, Warner let go of his second-year contract to become a free agent.

Arizona Cardinals

2005 Season

With the start of the season 2005, Warner signed a one-year, $4-million contract with the Arizona Cardinals. In the beginning, coach Dennis Green made him the starter, and Kurt recorded three relatively average quality performances.

However, after the games, former starter Josh McCown replaced Warner as he had injured his groin.

During Warner’s absence, McCown was doing well with two games but eventually struggled in the other two straight games.

Therewith, Kurt returned and replaced him in the starting line and recorded nearly 700 yards passes in the two games. Hence, they celebrated a victory against his former team, the Rams, by a score of 38–28.

Consequently, Kurt ended the season in Week 15 with 285 yards and three touchdowns, while his quarterback rating was 115.9. Additionally, in the end, he partially tore his MCL (Medial Collateral Ligament).

2006 Season

On February 14, marking a base salary of $18 million, Warner dealt a new three-year extension with the Cardinals with the addition of performance incentives of around $24 million.

Kurt commenced the season claiming the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award as he threw 301 yards and three touchdowns, eventually gaining a win over San Francisco in Week 1.

In Week 4, Warner became the second-quickest of any player (behind Dan Marino) in NFL history to pass the 20,000-yard passing milestone in his 76th game.

Subsequently, in the fourth quarter of Week 4, Warner was replaced by rookie Matt Leinart, and he was kept as the backup quarterback for the remaining season. However, as Leinart faced a shoulder injury in Week 16, Warner was back to replace him.

Following it, Kurt maintained good gameplay as he recorded 365 yards and a touchdown against the San Diego Chargers; however, they had a sorrowful loss of 27–20.

2007 Season

For the 2007 season until the third gameplay against the Baltimore Ravens, they set Kurt for the starting quarterback job. Kurt came off to a bench during the 4th quarter, with the Ravens leading 23–6 at the beginning of the period.

Arizona was tied in the game while Warner recorded 15 of 20 passes for 258 yards and 2 touchdowns during the match (26–23 loss after Baltimore kicked a last-second field goal).

On September 30, Kurt relieved Leinart from the match against the Pittsburgh Steelers, which had a weak start.

Until the 4th quarter, Warner recorded 21 attempts for 132 yards with one touchdown pass and no interceptions, followed by Leinart’s final touchdown.

Right after it, Warner replaced Leinart for the rest of the season as Leinart was sidelined due to an injury.

On November 25, loss to the Cardinals, Warner gained his career-high 484 yards against the 49ers.

Following it, Warner led the Cardinals to the win over the Browns, which listed them for the NFC Wild Card playoff spot. Therefore, Kurt closed the season with 27 passing touchdowns as he gained a $1 million bonus for the year.

2008 Season

Cardinal named Warner as the starting quarterback for the 2008 season on August 30, and he commenced with 4,583 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, and a completion percentage of 67.1% for the season.

At the same time, he also stood as the top-ranked passer in the National Football Conference for the third time.

Not to mention, he gained FedEx Air Player of the Week honors for his performance during weeks 9 and 11 of the season.

In Week 3 against the New York Jets, just during the second quarter, Warner had a touchdown and 2 picks, resulting in a touchdown and a field goal; however, the total match came as a 56-35 loss.

On December 7, Kurt gained another 34-10 win against the former team, Rams. In the meantime, the Cardinals bagged the NFC West Division title and their first playoff berth since 1998.

In the end, Warner was named the starting quarterback for the NFC team in the 2009 Pro Bowl.

2009 Season

Despite the fact that Warner had the desire to play for the Cardinals, he didn’t sign a contract with them as the two couldn’t agree over the talk about payment.

Thus, on February 27, he became a free agent and dealt with the San Francisco 49ers. 49ers also provided him a better and higher amount than done by the Cardinals; however, in the end, Kurt signed the deal with the Cardinals.

On March 4, Warner signed a two-year deal worth $23 million in total with the Cardinals. Their contract also consisted of $4 million for each of the next two years, with a $15 million signing bonus and $19 million guaranteed.

On March 17, Warner underwent arthroscopic hip surgery to repair a torn labrum. Moreover, on September 30, Warner made another breakthrough with the NFL’s single-game record for a completion percentage (92.3 percent).

His very record surpassed the previous NFL record set by Vinny Testaverde in 1993.

During a match against the Carolina Panthers on November 1, Warner made his career-high-equaling five interceptions.

Consequently, he was titled the first quarterback in the NFL to throw for over 14,000 yards playing with two teams.

Later Career & Winning Titles

Following it, he had a career-high five touchdown passes in a single game during a 41–21 victory over the Chicago Bears. Therefore, Warner captured the NFC Offensive Player of the Week and the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week.

Equally important, during a 31–20 win against the Seattle Seahawks, he made his career milestone with his 200th touchdown pass on November 15.

Consequently, on November 22, as they gained a 21–13 victory over the St. Louis Rams, Warner had to leave due to a concussion.

On December 6, Warner re-joined the team as they recorded a 30-17 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

Right after this, Warner made his three touchdown performances and came on to claim the NFC Offensive Player of the Week and the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week.

During the match against the St. Louis Rams, Warner became only the second quarterback in NFL history to throw 100 touchdown passes with two teams.

Two days later, on December 29, Warner was only left as an alternate quarterback for the NFC team in the 2010 Pro Bowl.

2009 Postseason & Last game

Warner made the commencement with a 51–45 victory over the Green Bay Packers on January 10, 2010, as he had 29 of 33 passes for 379 yards.

The game helped him to be a few quarterbacks in NFL history to throw more touchdowns (5) than incompletions (4) in a playoff game.

Subsequently, he achieved the perk of having the second-highest quarterback rating in NFL playoff history with a rating of 154.1.

Alongside this, he didn’t miss out on the second quarterback to throw for five touchdown passes in a playoff game, and instead, he claimed it twice and became the first to do so since the leagues’ merger.

By the end of his career, he had the perfect score of 7-0 in-home contests and tied the NFL record for consecutive playoff games with at least three touchdown passes (three games).

On January 16, Warner faced an injury during a 45–14 loss at New Orleans in the NFC Divisional. As he returned for the second half, he was kept as the understudy of Matt Leinart.

Kurt Warner | Retirement

In the year 2010, Warner publicly announced his retirement from the NFL, stating; he wanted to give more time to his family (seven kids and wife).

In the 2014 season, Kurt was eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame, followed by his desire for his comeback.

WArner also admitted that he wanted to play again to make the team win when Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton were injured, and the team started losing.

For the 2011 Arena Football League season, Warner was featured as the broadcaster for Iowa Barnstormers, and, in the meantime, he was also a member of its Hall of Fame.

In the year 2017, Kurt was selected for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame class. Following it, he also inducted into the Arena Football Hall of Fame.

Alongside his journey, Warner was also a coach from 2015-18 at Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale, Arizona. Since 2019, Warner is also the quarterback’s coach at Brophy College Preparatory.

Kurt Warner | Highlights and Awards

NFL (National Football League)

• Super Bowl champion (XXXIV)
• Super Bowl MVP (XXXIV)
• 2× NFL Most Valuable Player (1999 & 2001)
• 4× Pro Bowl (1999–2001 & 2008)
• 2× First-team All-Pro (1999 & 2001)
• Bert Bell Award (1999)
• 2× NFL passing touchdowns leader (1999 & 2001)
• 3× NFL completion percentage leader (1999–2001)
• 2× NFL passer rating leader (1999, 2001)
• NFL passing yards leader (2001)
• NEA NFL Most Valuable Player (2008)
• Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year (2008)
• Arizona Cardinals Ring of Honor
• Bart Starr Award (2010)

Arena

• 2× First-team All-Arena (1996 & 1997)
• Iowa Barnstormers Hall of Fame
• Arena Football Hall of Fame
• Iowa Barnstormers No. 13 retired

Kurt Warner | Career Stats

NFL (National Football League)

Completion Percentage	TD-INT	Passing Yards	Passer Rating
65.5%	208-128	32,344	93.7

Arena

Completion Percentage	TD-INT	Passing Yards	Passer Rating
62.0%	183-43	10,465	107.84

Kurt Warner Beyond Football

Broadcasting

Warner first started as an NFL analyst in 2010 and even featured on NFL Total Access. Besides, he also presented in-studio on NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football pregame show and the Thursday Night Kickoff Presented by Sears.

The 2010 Arena Football League playoffs, was also handled by Kurt for the NFL Network’s coverage.

Subsequently, in August 2010, Warner appeared as a color analyst on the network’s NFL coverage for Fox Sports.

During that time, he was seen working along with announcers Chris Rose or Chris Myers to call regional games. Additionally, he was a substitute analyst for the Westwood One radio on Monday Night Football games.

Television appearances

For the first time, Kurt appeared in the NBC reality show The Biggest Loser on January 27, 2009. On January 18, 2010, he was a guest on Disney’s The Suite Life on Deck.

In the meantime, he appeared as himself in the episode “Any Given Fantasy.” Following it on February 9, 2010, he was a surprise guest on the final episode of The Jay Leno Show.

Besides, Warner made his presence on live television as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars alongside his professional partner Anna Trebunskaya.

For the year 2013, Kurt was the host of the show The Moment, which is a reality series on USA Network.

Film and video

Warner first appeared for the film in 2003, in GoodTimes Entertainment as the “coach” of a group of animated sports balls.

The film was named Kurt Warner’s Good Sports Gang, which portrayed the moral values and religious faith and was also sponsored by Kurt himself.

Moving forward, Warner’s First Things First Foundation came into public. In the beginning, it was decided as a series; however, only two episodes came out Elliot the Invincible and We’re Better.

At present, a theatrical film about Kurt’s life titled American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story was released on December 25.

The film was created by the Erwin Brothers, produced by Kingdom Story Company, and is being distributed by Lionsgate.

Endorsements and Charity

Kurt had his foremost endorsement in the year 2010 on December 3 for Amway North America. Back then, he represented the Nutrilite brand for them.

In exchange for the endorsement, Amyway made a $50,000 donation to Kurt Warner’s First Things First Foundation.

As for his charity works, he has invested in the Elite Football League of India (South Asian professional football league).

To illustrate, the foundation’s target is to donate $50,000 for football training in schools and underprivileged children throughout India, while the exact total amount is unknown.

Net Worth, Salary & Career Earnings

The retired professional football quarterback has a net worth of $30 million, with $11 million in salaries.

BESIDES THAT, HIS TOTAL CAREER EARNINGS AMOUNT TO $62,773,000.

Furthermore, in 2019, Warner sold his $US3.1 million mansion located in Paradise Valley, Arizona. His mansion was 11,300 square feet (1,050 m²).

Quotes

• The road to our dreams has many detours. 
• It did not matter whether it was preseason, regular season, my first playoff game, or the Super Bowl, I was nervous. And all that meant was that it always mattered to me. Anytime I was putting myself on a line, it didn’t matter what it was, it was okay to be nervous because it was important to me. It was important to do my job well.
• I always felt like wherever I was, I’d be successful. 

Kurt Warner | Marriage and Social Media

Warner is married to Brenda Carney Meoni since October 11, 1997. The duo met each other in college when Brenda was a former United States Marine Corps corporal. Furthermore, she was a divorced lady with two children.

After Kurt was released by the Packers’ training camp in 1994, they lived in Brenda’s parents’ basement in Cedar Falls.

Brenda had lost her parents in a tornado in 1996 in their Mountain View, Arkansas home. The couple married in the same church where Brenda’s parents’ last occasion was held.

Their marriage was at the St. John American Lutheran Church. From their marriage, Warner adopted her two children and also had five of their own.

On his social media, Warner is not a regular poster on the platform and has occasional updates.

Instagram handle	@kurt13warner
Twitter handle	@kurt13warner

 

Kurt Warner | Personal Life

Nick Name

Warner does not particularly have a nickname; however, Brett Favre once gave him the name ‘Chachi’ from the show ‘Happy Days.’

The story goes as when Warner showcased his brief stint with the Green Bay Packers, Favre instantly stamped him with a name.

Additionally, during his tenure in the Rams, his team (power defense) was known as  “The Greatest Show on Turf.”

Christian faith and testimony

Kurt is a devout evangelical Christian alongside his wife, Brenda. According to Kurt, his faith first emerged when he was named the MVP during his time in the Rams.

Equally important, when Warner suffered a concussion in 2000, he believes the Lord healed him.

“Everybody’s going to be tired of hearing this, but I never get tired of saying it. There’s one reason that I’m standing up on this stage today. That’s because of my Lord up above.

I’ve got to say thanks to Jesus; you knew I was going to do it, but I’ve got to do it. And secondly, I’ve gotta say thanks to you guys (motioning to the Arizona fans); when nobody else believed in us when nobody else believed in me, you guys did. And we’re going to the Super Bowl!“

-Kurt Warner

Public service

Warner is quite active in public service announcements for Civitan International, where he promotes his and Brenda’s volunteer efforts and developmentally disabled work.

The very project is close to Warner’s heart as his adopted son, Zachary (from Brenda’s first marriage), struggled with major brain damage as an infant.

After Super Bowl in 1999, Warner came up with the First Things First Foundation. Basically, the foundation is to promote Christian values, share life experiences, and provide opportunities to encourage people to put ‘first things first.’

Warner is always working both on and off-field. His foundation involves numerous projects for children’s hospitals, people with developmental disabilities, and assisting single parents.

He was awarded the Most Caring Athlete Award for 2009, the Muhammad Ali Sports Leadership Award. Not to mention, Sports Illustrated featured him as the best role model on and off the field in the NFL.

In February 2010, Warner received the annual Bart Starr Award, given outstanding character and leadership in the home, the field, and the community.

Kurt Warner | FAQs

Who was in Lowes’s commercial with Kurt Warner?

Chris Simms was with Kurt Warner in the Lowe’s Black Friday Deals Tv Commercial, ‘Rod Pod: Drill or Driver.’

Is there a documentary based on Kurt Warner’s life?

Yes, you can find a number of good documentaries based on the legendary footballer’s life.

How involved is Kurt Warner in politics?

Although the former NFL player is not directly involved in politics, he has previously raised his voice against political leaders like Donald Trump during his regime.