KURT WARNER

Kurt Warner announced his retirement from the NFL last Friday at age 38. His retirement marks the end of a storybook career.

In his 12 seasons in the NFL he was selected to 5 Pro Bowls, won 2 NFL MVP Awards, appeared in 3 Super Bowls, and won one Super Bowl MVP. He did all of this and wasn't even drafted.

Kurt Warner played college football at University of Northern Iowa. He did not get to play until his senior year. When he Finally got the chance to play, he became his conference's offensive player of the year.

After college, he was signed by the Green Bay Packers in 1994, but was released before the season started. After being released he went back to Iowa. While waiting to get another chance at the NFL he worked at a Hy-Vee grocery store stocking shelves. Kurt then joined the Arena Football League. He played in the AFL, from 1995 to 1997, before getting another chance in the NFL. While in the AFL, he was named First-team All-Arena twice. He took his team, the Iowa Barnstorm, to the Arena Bowl both years.

Kurt Warner finally reached the NFL in 1998 when he was signed by the St. Louis Rams. The Rams sent him to NFL Europe ,where he led the league in passing touchdowns and passing yards, before returning to the U.S. for the 98 season. He did not get to start for the Rams until 1999. After getting a chance to start, he became a star. He took the Rams to two Super Bowls winning one of them. After getting injured and having turnover problems the Rams released him in 2003. He then played sparingly for New York Giants in 2004.

In 2005 he was signed with the Arizona Cardinals to be a back-up for Heisman Trophy Winner Matt Leinart. He once again became the star of an NFL team when Matt Leinart didn't work out as the Cardinals had planned. He was able to take another team to the Super Bowl. His team's loss in the 2009 Playoffs brought his NFL career to a close.