The Rams' star quarterback gears up for
a new season in the city where he's become a champion both on
the field and off.
When St. Louis Rams quarterback
Kurt Warner threw the pass that won
the 1999
Super Bowl, he not only found his receiver, he also found
a home. His story is now sports legend: Five years earlier, Warner,
cut by the
Green Bay Packers, was sacking groceries on the
graveyard shift in Cedar Falls,
Iowa. He was living with his
girlfriend, Brenda, and her two children in the basement of her
parents' home. Then St. Louis stepped in to save him. Signed by the
Rams in 1997, he spent a partial season on their European team
before making the roster as a backup quarterback. When the starter
suffered a knee injury in 1999, Warner, then 28, stepped up, and
before he knew it was leading the
NFL in passing yards and
touchdown passes and became the MVP of Super Bowl XXXIV, achieving
a dream he says he's had "since I first got out of diapers." As
this year's preseason heats up, Warner huddled with wife Brenda and
their four kids (ages 1 to 13) to pass along a family-friendly
guide to the city where Warner's become a true champion.
FRIDAY
LODGING
"There's a Hyatt Regency that's connected to
Union Station, which
is a nice area downtown within walking distance of The Gateway Arch
and
Busch Stadium and the Dome and everything. The
Adam's Mark is a
very nice place downtown as well. The Sheraton at West Port is
where all the Rams families stay before the game. It's outside of
the city, but it's easy to get to downtown. The whole place is full
of family members and friends of
the players."
DINNER