venus williams blog: May 2010

Her husband was Who is this guy? That’s the question Sports Illustrated posed on a 1999 cover featuring Kurt Warner. Football fans—at least those in Carolina and Philadelphia—are still pondering that one. All these years later, Kurt is still proving the experts wrong and making the league’s talent gurus look like fantasy football nerds. A decade ago, he brought a new passing style to the NFL. In 2008, he brought the sad-sack Arizona Cardinals to the brink of history. A strong arm, quick mind and unwavering faith have served Kurt well through the ups and downs of his storybook career. This is his story
Kurt Warner was born on June 22, 1971 in Burlington, Iowa. (Click here for a complete listing of today's sports birthdays.) His parents, Gene and Sue, were divorced when Kurt was a pre-schooler. He and his older brother, Matt, took the news hard. Kurt blamed his mother. To make her feel bad, he would try to hurt himself. He could hold his breath until he passed out.

Sue remarried in 1981. Her husband was not terribly fond of Kurt and Matt. He also hit Sue. She ended the marriage quickly and decided she and the boys would go it alone. Kurt and Matt took on extra household chores, while their mom worked two or three jobs to keep the lights on.

During this time, Kurt got heavily involved in sports. He was a standout at flag football at a local rec center. Kurt could look at the tangle of bodies in front of him and sense where the openings were and where trouble lurked. He was a beefy kid for his age, but he was quick and had a remarkable way of running into a swirl of players and emerge on the other side, his flags still flapping.