Kurt Warner Returning to Cedar Falls for UNI Homecoming Next Week
Per KWWL, NFL Hall of Famer and Super Bowl Champion Kurt Warner and his wife Brenda will be returning to Cedar Falls to serve as VIPs for the Homecoming Parade on October 8th.
The parade will begin at 10 AM on Saturday morning in downtown Cedar Falls, and it will run from Ninth Street down to Second and Main Street.
On top of the involvement in UNI's homecoming, both Brenda and Kurt will be in attendance on Friday, October 7 at 5:30 PM for the kickoff of the 'Our Tomorrow,' Campaign for UNI. The outdoor event will be on the Campanile Plaza and will include a variety of food trucks, games, a live performance by Michael Cavanaugh, and more.
The new campaign will cost a whopping $250 million, which is the largest in the history of UNI.
This is what President Mark Nook said regarding the Warners' visit in a statement UNI released:
On behalf of the entire UNI community, we are honored that Kurt and Brenda are joining us for Homecoming and other festivities on campus next weekend. Their inspirational story of love and perseverance has such strong ties to the UNI campus and Cedar Falls. I know Panthers everywhere will welcome them back home with open arms.
Warner was the starter for the University of Northern Iowa football program in 1993. That season, he won the Gateway Conference Offensive Player of the Year award while also being named to the conference's first team.
Before his big break in the NFL, Warner spent time with the Iowa Barnstormers and played overseas in NFL Europe. He finally got his chance to play for the St. Louis Rams in 1999. That season, he led the Rams to the Super Bowl, where they defeated the Tennessee Titans, 23-16. In that game, Warner completed 24 passes for 414 yards and two touchdowns and earned the Super Bowl MVP award. He won the league MVP award twice, once in 1999 and another time in 2001.
He went back to the Super Bowl two more times in his career.
This won't be the first time Kurt has made the trip to Cedar Falls this year, as he and Peyton Manning made a stop at the Hy-Vee on University Avenue in January for an episode of Peyton's Places, a series on ESPN.