Star RB, local coach, businessman to be honored today
Life is more stable now for Curt Warner.
He no longer has to fight for yards, plow through lines and shake off defenders. And Warner’s life now consists more of offering deals than it does dealing out hits.
But from 1980-90, Warner was one of the top running backs in college football and the NFL.
And today, he is one of 18 members of the 2009 class of the College Football Hall of Fame whose accomplishments will be celebrated during a National Football Foundation press conference at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York.
“It puts an exclamation on it,” said Warner, 48, a Camas resident who serves as a running backs coach for the Camas Papermakers and owns an automobile dealership in Vancouver.
“I was blessed with athletic talent and the desire to go out and get it done,” Warner said. “And I’m very proud that I was able to get it done and have guys that I was able to share it with.”
Warner was a two-time first-team All-American selection at Penn State, and he led the Nittany Lions to their first national championship in 1982.
From 1980-82, Warner racked up a school record 3,398 rushing yards. In 1981, he recorded 1,044 yards and nine touchdowns. And during his final season at Penn State, Warner rushed for 1,041 yards and eight TDs, while adding 335 receiving yards.
Warner also went out on top.
He scored a first-quarter touchdown and recorded 117 rushing yards during the Nittany Lions’ 27-23 defeat of the Herschel Walker-led Georgia Bulldogs in the 1983 Sugar Bowl. Penn State, which came into the game ranked No. 2, captured the national championship with its victory, by knocking off then-No. 1 Georgia. And Warner helped give coach Joe Paterno his first national title.
Warner said he still talks with Paterno “every so often.”
“Penn State is all about winning traditions,” Warner said. “I had a great run there and played on great teams.”
Now, Warner will join former college greats such as Tim Brown (Notre Dame), Chris Spielman (Ohio State), Major Harris (West Virginia) and Pat Swilling (Georgia Tech) by being enshrined the College Football Hall of Fame.
“It brings everything to a conclusion,” Warner said.
Following his college days, the former Nittany Lion moved on to have a highly productive NFL career.
He was chosen by the Seattle Seahawks with the No. 3 overall pick in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft. He lived up to his promise, recording 1,449 yards and 14 touchdowns during his rookie season, while leading Seattle to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history and the American Football Conference championship game. Warner capped his standout rookie campaign by being named the AFC offensive player of the year.
A torn anterior cruciate ligament sidelined Warner the following season. But he rebounded to pick up 1,094 yards in 1985 and a career-high 1,481 the following season.
Warner finished his NFL career with 6,844 rushing yards and 56 rushing touchdowns. He was a three-time Pro Bowl selection and was named All-Pro on four occasions.
But Warner is not done with the game.
And he is still giving back.
This season marked Warner’s second as a running backs coach with the Papermakers.
Camas finished 7-3 this year and took second place behind Union in the 3A Greater St. Helens League.
Warner said he loved his non-real-world job, and feels very comfortable helping out head coach Jon Eagle and the Papermakers.
But how did Warner make it more than 15 years without stepping in to coach the game he loves?
“It’s funny,” Warner said. “No one ever really asked. No one approached me.”
Now that Warner is with Camas, though, Eagle said he is welcome to stay.
The Papermakers’ head coach stated that Warner’s big-time experience and proven record are invaluable. And as each season goes by, the former college and NFL running back increasingly takes on the appearance of a high school coach.
“His influence is great on our staff and our team,” Eagle said. “He doesn’t overdo it with his suggestions. But when he does say something, it’s pretty important.”
Eagle stated that Warner commands respect because “he’s been there,” and added that Warner “absolutely” has the potential to be a successful high school head coach.
But he did have one issue with Warner, though.
“If Curt was in charge, we’d probably run the ball 98 percent of the time,” Eagle said, laughing.
