I grew up in Johnstown, Pa., about 75 miles east of Pittsburgh, a town where all the steel lunch buckets were stamped “Made in the USA.” My grandfather worked for Bethlehem Steel for 55 years. My high school football uniform was black and gold. So it isn’t hard to guess whom I will be cheering for this afternoon during the Super Bowl. My brother, a Steelers season-ticket holder, would probably chase me with a large-caliber weapon if I rooted for the Cardinals — but I will be tempted to at least hope their quarterback has a great game. How could I not love Kurt Warner? His Cinderella story is worth retelling — but it is his outspoken faith that makes me love him.
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In Super Bowl lore, the quarterbacks are often the center of attention. Some Super Bowl winners have been famous playboys, like Joe Namath, with his panty hose and fur coats, or Tom Brady, with supermodels on his arm. But more than a few have been men whose faith has been far more impressive than their passing statistics.
Bart Starr won Super Bowls I and II with the Green Bay Packers. During and after his storied football career, he used his wealth and leadership to help establish Rawhide Boys Ranch, a treatment facility for troubled teens in rural Wisconsin. Hundreds of young men have had their lives reborn through the love shared in the ranch’s seven homes, which provide a unique blend of academics, work experience and moral training.
Johnny Unitas was born in Pittsburgh — but became the heart and soul of Baltimore. He led the Baltimore Colts to a 37-27 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl V back in 1971. At his funeral, the archbishop of Baltimore told the gathered throng that the knees that slowed him on the field were constantly bent in prayer.
The very next year, the Cowboys returned to the Super Bowl, but with a different starting quarterback. Roger Staubach, the man whose college football career helped set a course for my life, scrambled his way to the very top of the NFL. The Heisman Trophy winner from the Naval Academy joined the NFL after serving four years in the Navy, including a year in-country in Vietnam. He led the Cowboys over the Dolphins in Super Bowl VI.
He did it again four years later as he led “America’s team” to defeat Terry Bradshaw’s Steelers in Super Bowl X. I first met Roger when he came to the Naval Academy during my plebe year to speak to a gathering of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Roger’s deep faith, along with the inspirational leadership of his coach, Tom Landry, made the Cowboys of that era one of the most beloved sports teams of all time.
On Jan. 30, 2000, one of the Super Bowl’s most unlikely heroes emerged: Kurt Warner, who will start today for the Arizona Cardinals. In 1999, he led the Saint Louis Rams to victory. Warner was an undrafted player out of Northern Iowa who was signed and cut by the Packers. He got a job stocking shelves at a grocery store and eventually landed a contract to play arena football. Desperate for a backup quarterback, the Rams signed him to hold a clipboard for Trent Green. When Green went down to injury, Warner took charge and had one of the most successful seasons of any quarterback in NFL history, throwing for 4,353 yards with 41 touchdown passes. In the big game, he threw for two touchdowns and a Super Bowl-record 414 passing yards, including a 73-yard touchdown game winner with just over two minutes to play. The stock boy had become a Super Bowl MVP.
Despite his sudden burst of fame, Warner has always maintained a humble spirit and viewed his success as part of a larger plan to use his life for godly purposes. Warner established the First Things First Foundation (based on Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:33 to “Seek first the kingdom of God.”) His foundation has raised countless dollars to provide relief to victims of natural disasters in the Midwest, taken children with serious illnesses to Disney World, and done many other things that reflect the love of Jesus. No matter how many points are on the scoreboard at the end of the game today, Warner will continue to live his life for something that matters far more than football — and that makes him a winner in my book.
