Curt Warner
Encyclopedia
Curtis Edward Warner is a former professional American football
running back
. A two-time All-America
n at Penn State University
, Warner was drafted
by the Seattle Seahawks
in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft
. Warner was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
on December 8, 2009.
, graduating in a class of only 90 students. He would lead Penn State in rushing in 1980, 1981, and 1982, and help the Nittany Lions
capture their first national championship
in the 1983 Sugar Bowl
. When his collegiate
career was over, he owned 42 Penn State records (his 3,398 career rushing yards is 2nd in school history, and his 18 100-yard rushing games remains a Penn State record). On October 30, 2010, Evan Royster surpassed Warner to take over the career rushing yards record. He was named an All-America
n twice, in 1981 and 1982.
Warner earned a Bachelor of Arts
in speech communication from Penn State in 1983.
by the Seattle Seahawks
in the first round (#3 overall) of the 1983 NFL Draft
.
He led the AFC
in rushing
yards his rookie
season, helping his team to the franchise's first Conference Championship
game which they lost to the Los Angeles Raiders
. The following year Warner suffered a torn ACL
in the season opener against Cleveland
and was sidelined for the rest of the year. He came back in 1985 and had a number of successful seasons before ending his career with the Los Angeles Rams
.
Warner retired after eight NFL seasons, with 6,844 rushing yards, 193 receptions
for 1,467 yards, and 63 touchdown
s. He is a three time Pro Bowl
er (1983, 1986, 1987). He was inducted into the Seattle Seahawks Ring of Honor
in 1994.
since 1990. He is also the current running backs coach at Camas High School
in Camas, Washington
and founder and president of the Curt Warner Autism Foundation.
Warner and his wife Ana have three sons, Jonathan and twins Austin and Christian, and a daughter, Isabella.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
. A two-time All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n at Penn State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
, Warner was drafted
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
by the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft
1983 NFL Draft
The 1983 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 26–27, 1983...
. Warner was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
on December 8, 2009.
Penn State
Warner was a standout at Pineville High School in Pineville, West VirginiaPineville, West Virginia
Pineville is a town in Wyoming County, West Virginia, along the Guyandotte River. The population was 715 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Wyoming County.-History:Pineville was settled by William Short in 1853....
, graduating in a class of only 90 students. He would lead Penn State in rushing in 1980, 1981, and 1982, and help the Nittany Lions
Penn State Nittany Lions football
The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the...
capture their first national championship
NCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship
A college football national championship in the highest level of collegiate play in the United States, currently the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , is a designation awarded annually by various third-party organizations to their selection of the best...
in the 1983 Sugar Bowl
1983 Sugar Bowl
The 1983 Sugar Bowl was the 49th edition to the annual game. It featured the second-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions, and the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs. Penn State won 27-23, to win the national championship, and finish number 1 in the polls....
. When his collegiate
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
career was over, he owned 42 Penn State records (his 3,398 career rushing yards is 2nd in school history, and his 18 100-yard rushing games remains a Penn State record). On October 30, 2010, Evan Royster surpassed Warner to take over the career rushing yards record. He was named an All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n twice, in 1981 and 1982.
Warner earned a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in speech communication from Penn State in 1983.
Professional career
Warner was draftedNFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
by the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
in the first round (#3 overall) of the 1983 NFL Draft
1983 NFL Draft
The 1983 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 26–27, 1983...
.
He led the AFC
American Football Conference
The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
in rushing
Rush (American football)
Rushing has two different meanings in gridiron football .-Offense:The first is an action taken by the offensive team that means to advance the ball by running, as opposed to passing. A run is technically any play that does not involve a forward pass...
yards his rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
season, helping his team to the franchise's first Conference Championship
AFC Championship Game
The American Football Conference Championship Game is one of the two final playoff matches of the National Football League, the largest professional American football league in the United States. The game is played on the penultimate Sunday in January and determines the champion of the American...
game which they lost to the Los Angeles Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. The following year Warner suffered a torn ACL
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
in the season opener against Cleveland
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and was sidelined for the rest of the year. He came back in 1985 and had a number of successful seasons before ending his career with the Los Angeles Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
.
Warner retired after eight NFL seasons, with 6,844 rushing yards, 193 receptions
Reception (American football)
In American football, a reception is part of a play in which a forward pass from behind the line of scrimmage is received by a player in bounds, who, after the catch, proceeds to either score a touchdown or be downed. Yards gained from the receiving play are credited to the player as receiving...
for 1,467 yards, and 63 touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s. He is a three time Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
er (1983, 1986, 1987). He was inducted into the Seattle Seahawks Ring of Honor
Seattle Seahawks Ring of Honor
The Seattle Seahawks Ring of Honor is a group of people honored for their contributions to the Seattle Seahawks, a professional football team in the National Football League...
in 1994.
After football
Warner has owned Curt Warner Chevrolet in Vancouver, WashingtonVancouver, Washington
Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...
since 1990. He is also the current running backs coach at Camas High School
Camas High School
Camas High School is an American public high school located in Clark County, in the city of Camas, Washington. The current principal is Mr. Steve Marshall. It has a grade span of 9th through 12th, and contains a total of 1,800 students as of September 2010. It is operated by the Camas School...
in Camas, Washington
Camas, Washington
Camas is a city in Clark County, Washington, with a population of 19,355 at the 2010 census. Officially incorporated on June 18, 1906, the city is named after the camas lily, a plant with an onion-like bulb prized by Native Americans. At the west end of downtown Camas is a large Georgia-Pacific...
and founder and president of the Curt Warner Autism Foundation.
Warner and his wife Ana have three sons, Jonathan and twins Austin and Christian, and a daughter, Isabella.