CANTON, Ohio — Former Rams quarterback Kurt Warner will be officially enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday night, after a remarkably successful career. Ahead of Saturday's festivities, Warner sat down for an interview with therams.com, and had the following to say about how he feels the speech will go.
"I'm excited about where the speech is," Warner said. "I don't know if people are going to really expect it -- so to speak -- that I think it's going to be told differently than a lot of other speeches. Because to me, the Hall of Fame is not about what I've accomplished. It's about inspiring other people to go, 'I want to do that. I want to be there. I want to get to the pinnacle of what I do. How can I tap into what these guys have done to do that?'
"So that's my biggest hope, is thst people walk out of there going, 'I can take something from that. And now I'm going to chase whatever it is I've been chasing."
Legendary Rams left tackle Orlando Pace went through much of the same process a year ago for his own enshrinement, and told therams.com he's given his old quarterback some advice on what to expect once he's on stage at the enshrinement ceremony.
"He told me it's going to be a 30-minute speech. I'm [saying] about an hour, because I know Kurt, he likes to talk. He's on television — I get that part of it. But there's going to be a lot of emotion, because for a retired football player, it's the first time you get an opportunity to share your journey. And you have to share it in front of the entire world — talk about the people who helped you along the way, the ups, the downs, the things that made you who you are today. It's the first time you really publicly get a chance to say that with people. And for some people — your family members — it's the first time they get a chance to hear you say what they mean to you.
"So I think that part of it is always tough because it makes you more emotional, just to share the love and everything with your teammates and your family."
And for Warner to be joining Pace as a Hall of Famer a year after the left tackle's induction makes it even more special.
"I'm extremely excited to be a part of this," Pace said, "and I'll be sitting there cheering him on."
Warner is slated to be the final speaker in Saturday's enshrinement ceremony, which begins at 4 o'clock pacific.
