Kurt Warner values quality time spent with sons,
There was a bus ride up I-17 on the way to Flagstaff for a 7-on-7 passing tournament at Northern Arizona University. There were the group meetings. The practices, the trips. The story telling.
So many moments stand out for Kurt Warner being a father. But among the biggest was being on the receiving end of a joke with his sons Kade, now a receiver at Nebraska, and E.J., a quarterback at Phoenix Brophy Prep, laughing with friends.
They would sometimes tease their dad about that ill-fated interception he threw just before halftime in Super Bowl XLIII in the Arizona Cardinals’ 27-23 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2009 in Tampa. James Harrison returned the interception 100 yards for a touchdown.
“I don’t just have a single moment, but I envision the laughing on a school bus on the way to Flagstaff, the sharing of stories at our group meetings, the joking of my boys and their buddies in regards to how slow I was when I played, or the awful INT for a touchdown I threw in the Super Bowl,” Warner said.
Warner also recalls the pride he felt watching his sons lead their teammates from a character standpoint.
“Those are the things that have made my experience great and hopefully along the way I have helped my boys grow as football players,” Warner said. “But that is not what weighs heaviest for me.”
His favorite moments with his sons had little to do with accomplishments on the field.
“I have never valued a great win or big play more than simply spending quality time with my kids to help them enjoy their experience playing the game I love,” Warner said. “But I would say my favorite moments have not even come on Friday nights. The moments I have loved are the days spent at 7-on-7 tourneys, the travel tourneys and the two-to-three-day training camps, in which relationships with my boys and their teammates have grown. It’s using football as a tool to learn more about the young men I coach, including my boys.
“I have enjoyed the beach hangouts, the pizza parties, the time spent telling stories between games. The moments that allowed connections between each of us to grow stronger. My goal in becoming a coach was to help my boys and their friends to thrive on the football field and have a great experience playing the game, but more importantly it has been about using football to help these young men grow, learn and mature into quality young men.”
They would sometimes tease their dad about that ill-fated interception he threw just before halftime in Super Bowl XLIII in the Arizona Cardinals’ 27-23 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2009 in Tampa. James Harrison returned the interception 100 yards for a touchdown.