Of all the players on Jim Padlock’s ninth-grade football team, Kurt Warner most resembled a quarterback.
Warner was already 6 feet tall, towering over the 5-2 boy who wanted the job. And Warner had the arm, showing off so much distance and accuracy while tossing the football before practice that Padlock knew he had to build his offense around him.
The trouble was, Warner wanted no part of football’s most glamorous position. He wanted to play defensive end, where he could use his height to bat down passes. On offense, he had his heart set on being a receiver, some sort of tight end/H-back hybrid that would allow him to score touchdowns.