Kurt Warner has made a career of overcoming adversity to reach a goal.
The Cedar Rapids native has been named one of 15 modern-day finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The selection committee meets Saturday, and nominees who receive a minimum 80 percent positive vote are headed to Canton, Ohio.
But what makes Warner’s first-ballot potential even more remarkable is this — no Iowa-born person, nor any Iowa high school graduates, have ever been among the 287 members who have been enshrined in the Hall.
Leave it to the state’s best known athletic underdog to be in the running.
“I’m amazed still that you tell me that no one from Iowa has made it yet,” Warner said, “but so much of my career is so unique, so different.”
Reaching the finalist stage is a challenge. Roger Craig, who starred at Davenport Central, made the cut to semifinalist (one of 26), but not the top 15 this round.
Although baseball’s Hall of Fame features legends such as Van Meter’s Bob Feller and Cascade’s Red Faber, the football equivalent has been awaiting an in-state pioneer.
Now, other Iowans can hope to share good news.
Warner, always the overachiever, would go on to be a National Honor Society student.
