American Underdog Shows the Power of Perseverance
by Fran Stuchbury
Published on December 29, 2021 under National Football League Europa (NFLE)
When I covered Arena Football back in 1998 and hosted an Arena Football radio show for my college radio station WSIA, I was able to interview quarterback Kurt Warner during his rookie year with the St. Louis Rams in 1999. I had enjoyed watching Warner play for the Arena Football League's Iowa Barnstormers and was thrilled the Rams helped me get the interview with him.
Slated to be a backup to Trent Green, I introduced Warner as the future starting quarterback for the St. Louis Rams. A year later Warner was NFL and Super Bowl Most Valuable Player.
When a movie about his life, American Underdog, came out Christmas Day, I was excited to see how a story with which I was so familiar, translated to the big screen.
American Underdog stars Zachary Levi as Kurt Warner and Anna Paquin as Brenda Warner.
Here is the trailer for the movie:
The film goes into detail about Warner's days playing college football at Northern Iowa where he earned the starting nod his senior year.
During his time at Northern Iowa, he met his wife Brenda who had two children from a previous marriage. One of them, Zack, suffered brain damage and was blind after being accidentally dropped by Brenda's ex-husband. The movie showed Warner immediately embracing Zack and helping him out as much as possible.
Seeing how the relationship developed between Kurt and Brenda was one of the focal points of the film. Their life together was challenging at times. After Warner got cut from the Green Bay Packers training camp in 1994 he worked stocking shelves at a Hy-Vee grocery store to help support the family.
Warner received another chance to play football for the Arena Football League's Iowa Barnstormers the following year. Bruce McGill, who played Arena Football inventor Jim Foster in the movie, sold Kurt on playing in the league. Though Foster invented Arena Football, the movie portrayed him as the coach of the Barnstormers.
The movie accurately showed how passionate and loud Iowa Barnstormers fans were. Warner gave them plenty to cheer about, leading Iowa to ArenaBowl appearances in back-to-back seasons.
Following the 1997 NFL campaign, Warner signed a contract with the St. Louis Rams. One glaring omission in American Underdog was Warner's time playing for NFL Europe's Amsterdam Admirals in 1998. At the time, NFL Europe served as a developmental league to the NFL. Admirals head coach Al Luginbill also had a big hand in Warner's development. That year he led NFL Europe in passing yards with 2,101 and touchdown passes with 15.
In the 1999 preseason, Rams starting quarterback Trent Green suffered a torn ACL, knocking him out for the season. During a subsequent press conference, Dick Vermeil (played by Dennis Quaid) said the Rams would rally behind Kurt Warner. Rams offensive coordinator Mike Martz, played by Chance Kelly, was tough on Warner but knew he was ready to start for the Rams.
Warner led St. Louis to a 13-3 season, earning NFL MVP in the process by passing for 4,335 yards and 41 touchdowns. The Rams went on to win Super Bowl XXXIV and Warner was named MVP of the game.
The film sends a clear message to make the most of opportunities in life when you get them. Though he didn't play at a big college and had only a brief stint in an NFL training camp, Kurt Warner never gave up on his dream to play professional football.
American Underdog is similar the 2006 film Invincible which chronicled the career of Vince Papale on his journey to the Philadelphia Eagles. Coach Dick Vermeil somewhat coincidentally appears in both movies as he was also the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles when Papale played.
With a concentration on each character's backstory and less on the football action, both movies reach a satisfying conclusion showing the players fulfill their dreams.
Sports fans, especially football fans, will enjoy American Underdog. It sent a very positive message.
National Football League Europa Stories from December 29, 2021
- American Underdog Shows the Power of Perseverance - OSC Original by Fran Stuchbury
- American Underdog Shows the Power of Perseverance - OSC Original by Fran Stuchbury
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
