"Over the years, Cardinals have come and gone. In the dark times, we couldn't wait to say goodbye.

Mercifully, that has changed. We've all seen the light. His name is Kurt Warner, and as much as it's going to hurt, his work here is done.

"The last three years have really finished the story," Warner said.

Warner's official retirement came down on Friday, as expected. It marked the end of a sure Hall of Fame career, a story that stretches far beyond the sidelines. Just 16 years ago, Warner was cut by the Green Bay Packers and was earning $5.50 an hour stocking shelves at the Hy-Vee in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Now, he will go down as one of the greatest men ever to play in the NFL, appearing in three Super Bowls and lifting two sad-sack franchises out of the muck. He will be remembered among the elite quarterbacks who lord over the game like mythic deities on Mount Olympus. And today, that grocery store in Iowa is like a local monument, another field of dreams.

"There have been so many great players in the NFL," Cardinals President Michael Bidwill said. "But from his impact on this team and community, both on and off the field, Kurt Warner is absolutely incredible."

Warner, 38, has that kind of reach. His farewell news conference was joyous, free of drama and narcissism. He is turning his life over to his family, his foundation and his faith. There will be no change of heart. He is determined to not be another Brett Favre, a fellow legend unable to shake the game or the spotlight.

The retirement was also broadcast live in St. Louis, where Warner once starred for the Rams. They want to claim him, too. At a time when spotlights shine in every dark alley, exposing a multitude of professional athletes, Warner's wholesome tale of resilience stands out like never before.

"If there's one thing that I've learned from reading this thing," he said, holding his Bible, "it's a bunch of stories about average, ordinary people where God came in and did something extraordinary with them.

"And to me, that's exactly what he did to my life. I was an average, ordinary guy working in a grocery store trying to make ends meet playing Arena football. And then God entered into the equation, and he's done something pretty extraordinary over the last 12 years."

No doubt, it is an unsettling time in the Valley. The Suns' Amar'e Stoudemire and the Cards' Anquan Boldin will likely be traded in the near future, the Cardinals are entering a tenuous transition period, and Randy Johnson could go into the baseball Hall of Fame with a Seattle Mariners cap on his plaque. Yet no amount of trepidation could stop sports fans from feeling a tremendous sense of gratitude on Friday, saluting Warner for what he has brought to a moribund team and a region starving for a competent NFL team."