Iowa History Daily: On July 15, 1995, Kurt Warner led the Iowa Barnstormers to a 74-35 win over the Milwaukee Mustangs in arena football. A standout performance in Warner’s stint with the Iowa Barnstormers, the stop proved a stepping stone to a legendary NFL career.
Born in Burlington, Warner eventually graduated from Regis High School in Cedar Rapids in 1989. A quarterback at the University of Northern Iowa, Warner wasted away on the bench for three seasons before breaking out to become the Gateway Conference Offensive Player of the Year during his senior season.
After an unsuccessful tryout for the Green Bay Packers, Warner found himself back in Cedar Falls stocking shelves at the local Hy-Vee and working as a graduate assistant with the UNI football team. When NFL teams failed to come calling, Warner decided to try his luck with the arena league’s Iowa Barnstormers where he racked up a 183-43 record while leading the team to two ArenaBowl titles.
Earning a futures contract with the St. Louis Rams, Warner headed to Europe where he played for the Amsterdam Admirals where he led NFL Europe in touchdowns and passing yards. When Warner finally got his shot in the NFL in 1999, he made the most of it by going on to lead the Rams to a Superbowl title, capturing the NFL MVP twice, and racking up a plethora of accolades over a distinguished career which ended in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
