Luck = Preparation + Opportunity

If anyone deserved a big break, it was Kurt Warner.

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While stocking shelves and bagging groceries at a Hy-Vee in Iowa, Kurt was garnering very little attention for Iowa's Arena League Football team. He made $5.50 an hour on the graveyard shift, training his hardest to keep his dreams alive. Kurt had been cut from the Packers training camp in 1994. He was injured for and missed a tryout in 1997. But he finally made his way to be a backup on the St. Louis Rams in 1998. When starting QB Trent Green tore his ACL in a preseason game in 1999, Kurt Warner found himself in the starting job.

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Kurt Warner threw three touchdown passes in each of his first three starts, a record that stood for nearly 20 years. He defeated the fire-hot 49ers 42-20. He was named NFL MVP after giving the Rams their first playoff berth in ten years. He lead the Rams to a divisional round victory over the Minnesota Vikings, followed by a tight 11-6 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In Super Bowl XXXIV, Kurt Warner threw for 414 yards and two touchdowns. He attempted 45 passes without an interception, a Super Bowl record at the time. He was named Super Bowl MVP.

His stat sheet alone is impressive, but his "overnight" come-up is even more impressive. People who know him know that it wasn't REALLY overnight. He had been putting in the time and the effort. Despite everyone overlooking him, he was ready to perform when his time came.

Luck = Preparation + Opportunity. Kurt had missed so many other opportunities by no fault of his own. Never drafted, cut from the Packers, injured for the Bears. Yet when the spot opened up on the Rams, he was ready and he took advantage.

Put in the word. Prepare yourself. Soon enough, your $5.50 bagging groceries will be far in the rear view mirrors.

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