Monday, February 2, 2009
Eggs on top. Cans on the bottom. Frozen foods all go together. Don’t forget to double bag.
That was the play Kurt Warner ran over and over as a grocery bagger at Hy-Vee in my hometown of Cedar Falls, Iowa. Back then the only audible he called was paper or plastic.
To truly appreciate where Warner is, you have to look at where he was. And that starts as a benchwarmer at the University of Northern Iowa.
That’s right. The two-time NFL MVP couldn’t even crack a Division I-AA lineup until his senior season, when three-year starter Jay Johnson finally graduated.
Former UNI coach Terry Allen watched Warner bide his time. Allen said he wouldn’t have been surprised if Warner transferred or quit altogether. But every day the Burlington, Iowa, native came back and chucked it all over the field.
Warner was the Gateway Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 1993. Then he graduated and moved to the back of the line again.
“He represents perseverance,” Allen said.
Booted by the Green Bay Packers, Warner came back to his college town and started working at Hy-Vee. He bagged groceries, stocked shelves and flashed a helpful smile in every aisle.
On a Sunday afternoon after church before we went home to watch football, Warner bagged my mother’s groceries.
What are you going to do, my mom asked.
Hopefully I can still play some football, Warner said.
Five years later Warner was back in Cedar Falls to watch UNI play Central Washington. Trent Green’s knee was still swollen and Warner had just started his first regular season game as a St. Louis Ram. The team was on a bye week.
After the game my mom and I went to talk to him on the field.
You’ve come a long way, my mom said.
I’m living a dream, Warner said.
Nine years, three Super Bowl appearances and two teams later, Warner still seems like a guy who expects to wake up from euphoria at any minute.
When you’re post-collegiate years are spent stocking toilet paper, the Lombardi Trophy is more of a sick joke than a goal.
That’s why he was still smiling Sunday night, even after watching San(An)tonio Holmes steal his second Super Bowl MVP in the waning seconds.
Don’t misunderstand. He hurts just as I, and most of the state of Iowa, hurt for him. It’s just that when you were never supposed to make it out of Iowa, it’s a little easier to gain perspective on the whole thing.
Warner said he may retire. And without a second Super Bowl title, he may not get inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
No matter. He’s still the greatest I-AA quarterback turned grocery worker turned Super Bowl MVP who ever lived.
And if he needs a job, the Cedar Falls Hy-Vee is always accepting applications.
— — Edited by Realle Roth
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