Ogden: How can you root against the Cardinals

How can you cheer for Pittsburgh? How can you pick the Steelers over the Arizona Cinderellas in today's Super Bowl?

Sure, most the "experts" love the Steelers. They've got that great defense. They've got experience. They've got Big Ben.

But most of you are from "freaking" Iowa (thanks Steve Alford, that phrase will never get old), most from Eastern Iowa.

If you've haven't picked up a copy of The Gazette this week, you probably don't know the Cardinals feature two former Cedar Rapids high school stars in search of their second Super Bowl champion ring.

Kurt Warner, of course, is the former league and Super Bowl MVP who led the "greatest show on turf" to a pair of Super Bowl berths during his early years with the St. Louis Rams. He starred at old Regis High School, went on to the University of Northern Iowa, sat for four years then directed the Panthers into the NCAA I-AA playoffs as a fifth-year senior.

Dedric Ward also grew up in Cedar Rapids and was a multisport athlete at Washington H.S. He, too, went to UNI, where he was an instant hit, setting (at the time) school records for receptions and receiving yards.

Ward played for several NFL teams, winning his Super Bowl ring with the New England Patriots in the twilight of his career.

You can cheer for whichever team you like. Me, I like the Cardinals because I like Warner and Ward.

Warner will direct the Arizona offense today while Ward works in the press box, "giving guys on the field the best possible chance" to succeed.

I've know Warner since he was a young man at All Saints. As I've mentioned before in this space before, I had the pleasure to coach the All Saints eighth-grade boys' basketball team after my father died nearly 27 years ago. Warner was on the last team I coached. I think.

That's part of the deal. I'm often asked what Warner was like to coach, did I see a future star? No. I've coached many boys' and girls' over the years and I remember them all, but some better than others. I remember the Schulte twins, Mike and Pat, and Pat McCool on my first All Saints team. They were league champions. I remember Jamie Byrne, because he later became my brother-in-law and Washington's last state champion wrestler.

I remember Kurt Warner as the best player on an average team, a guy who listened to his coaches and wanted to better himself every day. Did I see an NFL MVP? Of course not, but I'm also not surprised.

I covered UNI football for The Gazette during Warner's senior year. He was a talented, humble leader, grateful to finally get his shot with his team. He never once complained about sitting for four years, publicly, in one-on-one interviews or in confidence.

That wasn't Kurt Warner then and it's not Kurt Warner today.

I met Dedric Ward during his UNI years and was immediately impressed. Here was an undersized, speedy receiver who worked his tail off to be one of the best in I-AA (remember his blocked punt against Iowa?) who also took the time to not only greet young fans after the game, but take a deep interest.

My oldest son, Jack, was one of those young fans at the time. Every time I talk to Dedric he still asks about Jack. When Ward returned to UNI to earn his degree and run a little track after his first season with the New York Jets, he once spent an entire day with Jack. What a thrill for a then-middle school student to tell his friends he hung out with an NFL player.

Ward now is a "quality control coach" with the Cards with hopes of being a position coach some day in the NFL. He'll make it.

"I do enjoy what I'm doing," he said last weekend in a telephone interview.

So cheer for whoever you want today. To me, these are two classy guys who are impossible to cheer against.

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