Kurtis Eugene Warner is an all-around good guy and a sports legend, specifically in the sport of football, whose life exemplifies and personifies the quality of perseverance. As far as I know he has never played competitive Volleyball, but I am sure he would have been an outstanding setter if he had chosen to play Volleyball. He could (and undoubtedly still can) deliver a ball accurately to an exact, specific location, he could obviously direct and run an offense, he is clearly a leader, both by deed and word, and he is definitely tenacious, or better yet, perseverant.
Kurt’s absence from competitive Volleyball may have been caused by the fact that men’s Volleyball did not have the presence in Iowa in the 1980s that it has today with seven excellent men’s college Volleyball programs spread all over the state, and one more program (Dordt College) scheduled to begin in 2016. With eight men’s programs, then, Iowa actually claims about 5 % of the 160 total men’s college Volleyball programs in the United States.
1) Briar Cliff College in Sioux City
2) Clarke University in Dubuque
3) Dordt College in Sioux Center (2016)
3) Graceland University in Lamoni
4) Grand View University in Des Moines
5) Loras College in Dubuque
6) Morningside College in Sioux City
7) St. Ambrose University in Davenport
But I digress. Let’s return to Kurt Warner and perseverance. Today, Kurt is a world famous celebrity and works as a football analyst for TV and radio in addition to his substantial involvement with charitable organizations and philanthropy. He and his wife Brenda and their large family reside in the metropolitan Phoenix area. Let’s look at this potentially outstanding setter who never played Volleyball and for whom perseverance has played a major life role.
Birth through High School.
Kurt was born June 22, 1971, in Burlington, Iowa, a town of approximately 26,000 people located at the intersection of Route 34 and Route 61, near the Mississippi River. He attended Regis High School in Cedar Rapids, played football, basketball, and baseball there, while earning all Iowa honors in football.
College Years.
After high school Kurt stayed in Cedar Rapids and attended the University of Northern Iowa, or UNI. Playing for the Panthers at UNI he was third on the depth chart until his senior year (1993), when his play earned him the opportunity to start. Given this opportunity, he literally tore the league apart and was named the Offensive Player of the Year for the Gateway Football Conference (which later became the Missouri Valley Football Conference). Kurt completed a BA degree in Communication and graduated from UNI in 1993. It was during this time that he met a divorced former Marine with two children who was working as a cashier and who would later become his wife, Brenda Meoni.
Adversity and Struggle to Make the NFL.
Following his college career, Kurt was not selected in the 1994 NFL Draft. He was invited to try out at the Green Bay Packers’ training camp in 1994, but he was released before the regular season began. He was competing for a roster spot against Brett Favre, Mark Brunell and former Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer.
When Kurt tried out with the Packers in 1994, the coaching staff included Head Coach Mike Holmgren, QB Coach Steve Mariucci, and Offensive Coordinator Andy Reid, all of whom would become NFL head coaches known for their ability to evaluate talent. Mariucci told Kurt that he had enormous potential but was not yet ready to play as an NFL quarterback. Kurt returned to Cedar Rapids and worked as a graduate assistant coach with the UNI Panthers football team, all the while still trying to get another tryout with an NFL team. For income, he stocked shelves at a Hy-Vee grocery store.
With no NFL team willing to give him a chance or even a tryout, Kurt turned to the Arena Football League (AFL) in 1995, and signed with the Iowa Barnstormers. He was named to the AFL’s All-Arena First Team in both 1996 and 1997 after he led the Barnstormers to Arena Bowl appearances in both seasons. Kurt’s performance was so impressive that he would later be named twelfth out of the twenty Best Arena Football Players of all time.
Before the 1997 Arena season, Kurt married Brenda and also received a tryout with the Chicago Bears. Things were finally looking up for the Arena League star. However, a life threatening injury to his throwing elbow caused by a spider bite during his honeymoon prevented him from attending the Bear’s training camp. Once again without an NFL job or prospect, Kurt returned to the Arena Football League again for 1997.
In 1998, Kurt caught a break and was finally signed by an NFL franchise, the St. Louis Rams. He was immediately optioned to an NFL Europe football team, the Amsterdam Admirals, where he led the NFL Europe League in both touchdowns and passing yards. Returning to the United States for the 1998 season, Kurt spent the entire year as a third-string quarterback behind Tony Banks and Steve Bono. He ended the season completing only 4 of 11 pass attempts for 39 yards and a paltry 47.2 QB rating.
What would 1999 have in store for the perseverant Kurt Warner?
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