A conversation with Kurt Warner, the Des Moines Register Sports Awards guest speaker

Nearly 10 years have passed since his last NFL snap; add 10 more since he hoisted the Super Bowl trophy. Arguably Hy-Vee’s most decorated employee hasn’t stocked shelves in two-and-a-half decades.

When his time in Panther purple ended, today’s college athletes weren’t even born. His old Cedar Rapids high school closed some time ago.

Yet, here we are — resurfacing Kurt Warner’s incredible path once more. That’s not by accident.

“I think that is the coolest part,” Warner told the Register. “When you’re going through it, you’re always asking yourself, ‘Why me?’ Why do I have to have this story? Why do I have to bounce around to all these different teams? Why couldn’t it just have been easy for me? Why couldn’t I have gotten the perfect opportunity right off the bat?’

“But then when it’s all said and done and you look back, so many people can relate to my story in some way, shape or form.”  

Whether in bits and pieces or all the way through, you’ve likely heard the journey. Iowans in particular have long latched on to Warner’s glum-to-glory career.

The tale made for a movie will take center stage again Friday, when Warner returns to his home state as the featured guest at the Des Moines Register’s 2019 All-Iowa Sports Awards. The event honors Iowa’s top high school athletes in 21 sports.

TICKETS: Purchase your tickets to see Kurt Warner and honor high school athletes

Ahead of the awards show, the Register caught up with Warner in a wide-ranging interview.

'Figure out who you want to be as a person'

Long before he turned football uncertainty into a Hall of Fame career, Warner was just like the athletes who’ll sit in the Wells Fargo Arena seats on Friday. A solid career at Cedar Rapids’ now-defunct Regis High School had Warner ready to tackle the world.

He obviously didn’t know the winding road ahead. But reflecting on that time leads to some straightforward advice for those beginning their athletic quest.

“Sit down and figure out who you want to be as a person,” Warner says. “Figure out what you want people to see in you, whether you’re on the football field or the basketball court or whether you’re raising kids or being a husband. Lay out what you want your journey to look like, what you want your legacy to look like.

“It’s so much easier — when you have that in mind — to figure out what you’re going to be and how you want to work. Having a real idea of what you want you to look like through this process is really important.

He continued.

“I think a lot of people just try to figure it out as they go,” Warner says. “They get swayed by the wind — they’re not really sure — and they’re listening to a lot of different people. They haven’t really established that. For me, I knew when I got there, this is what I want to represent. When it’s all said and done, no matter how much success I have, these are the things I want people to say about me. Then I was able to shape the narrative around that because every situation I was in was dictated by those things I had laid out for myself ahead of time.

“The earlier you can figure out certain things in life, the easier it’s going to be to navigate the things that come your way. For me, sports became important very early. I avoided certain parties. I avoided certain individuals who did certain things. I had a plan in place very early on of what I was going to do and how I was going to carry myself and who I was going to hang around with. And it really helped me to stay focused on the things I needed to stay focused on to be successful.”

Watch live June 21:Kurt Warner at the Des Moines Register Sports Awards

'Embrace the moment'

Time spent on both sides of the athletic spectrum gives Warner rare insight. He’s been a football nomad, just looking for a shot in the Arena Football League and NFL Europe. On the opposite end have been Sports Illustrated covers, Super Bowl parades and league MVPs.

The way to handle it all, he says, is simple.

“Just embrace the moment,” Warner says. “I think so often in life, we’re chasing the next thing or chasing the thing that’s elusive. We don’t appreciate what the moment we’re in can give us. When I look back at my journey now, I just think the person of Kurt Warner was shaped in those years (working at Hy-Vee and looking for a football chance). The person who I became, the father who I became and the husband and the way I represent my faith, all of those things were really shaped during those years — all the years I wanted to give away.

“All those years, I don’t know if I really took the time to go, ‘OK, can this shape me?’ I can look back now and see it, but I think I would just tell (young Kurt Warner) to embrace the moments that you have. Understand that there is something in each moment that if you grab a hold of it, it can truly shape you for the future in incredible and positive and powerful ways.

"I’m in a grocery store. ‘Oh my gosh, that defines us.’ As opposed to ‘OK, what am I going to do now with my time at this grocery store? How am I going to use this moment to shape me?’ Just because I’m working here doesn’t mean I’m a loser, doesn’t mean I can’t play football, doesn’t mean my future isn’t bright. It simply means this is where I’m at right now.”

'Things are going to change'

Many of the athletes who’ll listen to Warner’s message have athletic futures ahead — both at the Division I level and beyond. High school life can seem flawless. Warner thought the same during his prep days.

But adversity is up ahead. Warner knows as well as anyone.      

“It’s so important to speak to these young kids and go 'OK, this is not how life is going to be,'” Warner says. “Life isn’t going to look how it’s looked up to your senior year of high school. Those are the best years and the easiest years, with limited responsibilities and expectations. So I think it’s important to understand at this age that things are going to change. Things are going to be crazy from here on out. But just as much as those different moments can help shape you, at the same time, don’t let your circumstances define you.

“I look back and I’m so thankful that I got to be a part of this story, that this was my journey. Because no one will ever have a journey like this again. That’s something that’s very, very dear to me.”

Dargan Southard covers Iowa and UNI athletics, recruiting and preps for the Des Moines Register, HawkCentral.com and the Iowa City Press-Citizen. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.

Des Moines Register Sports Awards 

Time: Doors at 6 p.m. Friday, June 21; program starts at 7

Place: Wells Fargo Arena, 233 Center St. in Des Moines

Guest speaker: Kurt Warner

Special appearance: Lolo Jones

Tickets: Individual tickets are $25 plus taxes and fees; Family four-pack is $52 plus taxes and fees; Student tickets are $10 using promo code STUDENT (limit two per person); Visit SportsAwards.desmoinesregister.com to buy tickets and for more information.