Super Bowl Winning Quarterback, Iowa Native Adds More To Resume

Kurt Warner will be inducted into the Northern Iowa hall of fame this year.

Aug 6, 2022; Canton, OH, USA; Kurt Warner arrives on the red carpet during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022 Enshrinement at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

An Iowa high school graduate who rose through the ranks of undrafted player to Super Bowl winning quarterback and eventual Pro Football Hall of Famer, will add another honor to his legacy.

Kurt Warner will be part of the University of Northern Iowa Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2026, the school announced.

Warner, a graduate of Cedar Rapids Regis High School (which would later be renamed Cedar Rapids Xavier), was a multi-sport standout in football, basketball and baseball.

He enrolled at Northern Iowa after and earned the opportunity to start for the Panthers at quarterback as a senior, earning Gateway Conference Offensive Player of the Year and first team all-league honors.

Warner, though, would go undrafted, receiving an invitation to try out with the Green Bay Packers. After being cut, he returned to Cedar Falls, stocking shelves at a local grocery store before finding a home with the Iowa Barnstormers in the Arena Football League.

From Stocking Grocery Shelves To Throwing Super Bowl Touchdowns

In 1998, Warner played in NFL Europe, leading the league in touchdowns and passing yards. He earned a spot with the St. Louis Rams later that year in the NFL, taking over as the starter after Trent Green suffered a season-ending injury.

The rest was history, as Warner led the Rams to a win over the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV and won the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award. He threw for 414 yards and two touchdowns, earning him the Super Bowl MVP, as well.

Warner twice on the MVP award for the season, was a four-time Pro Bowl selection, twice named to the all-pro first team and set three NFL all-time records. He finished his career with 32,344 yards passing and 208 touchdowns.

Several Other Former Iowans Set To Be Enshrined

Joining Warner in the Class of 2026 will be Des Moines Hoover High School graduate and swimmer, Mark Crouch, Fort Dodge native and wrestler, Jim Sanford, West Delaware High School grad and volleyball standout Ashten Stelken, State Center native and multi-sport star Kay (Whitaker) Wieck and Cedar Falls native Hannah Bermel, who will be honored with the Merlin Taylor Academic Award.

Gary Rima, the voice of the Panthers and a native of Strawberry Point, will be presented with the Dr. Jitu Kothari Meritorious Service Award with Bob Justis.

“We are thrilled to announce a Hall of Fame class worthy of the honor as the university marks its 150th anniversary,” Northern Iowa Director of Athletics Megan Franklin said in a press release from the school. “The inductees represent program defining players, voices that brought iconic moments to life and lifts up the celebration of scholarship definidng the student-athlete experience.

“Needless to say, in this sesquicentennial year, the Hall of Fame committee put together a very special class highlighting the very best in UNI athletics history.”

The induction ceremony is set for Friday, September 11 in Cedar Falls, Iowa, with the class being recognized the following day during Northern Iowa’s home opener inside the UNI-Dome vs. Drake.