When Kurt Warner was heading into his sixth season as the Rams quarterback in 2003, he was a two-time NFL MVP, a Super Bowl XXXIV champion, and – as it turns out – a scout, after observing Mike Furrey, a wide receiver whose story sounded familiar.
"I went to Northern Iowa, which is Kurt Warner's college," Furrey said. "He ended up playing for the (Arena Football League's) Iowa Barnstormers, which then moved to become the New York Dragons, and I went and played for the Dragons. And then some people within the administration called Kurt and said, 'Hey, you need to take a look at this guy.'
"Kurt actually commentated one of our games, and I think he called back to St. Louis and said, 'Hey, I just watched this young man play football and we need to give him a chance to play ball.' Right after the game, St. Louis called and offered me a contract. And the next day, I ended up following him back to St Louis."
Leaving the Dragons on April 28 with three games left in the season, Furrey, who played both offense and defense, was leading the league with 108 receptions for 1,574 yards and 46 touchdowns.
After joining the Rams, he spent the spring and OTAs learning Coach Mike Martz's offense. And at the end of training camp, after all he'd been through at that point – signing with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2000 and being released, spending one season with Las Vegas in the XFL, and two seasons with New York in the Arena Football League – Furrey learned that he made the team and would play in the NFL.
"I'll tell you what, it was a long journey to get to that point," Furrey said. "I think it was a culmination of all of it collectively coming to the head and having the opportunity to finally play and be involved in an organization at the highest level.
"I thought it was really, really special. And, of course, at that time there was a bunch of Hall of Famers on that roster. So it was pretty neat for me to be mentored and watch a lot of those guys, how they deal with themselves as pros, how they handle their careers and prepare for the season. And so I got a chance to learn a lot, and I took advantage of it."
As a rookie with experience, Furrey contributed 20 receptions, 11 punt returns, and seven kickoff returns during the 2003 season. And after playing on special teams and as a backup wide receiver the following year, injuries in the defensive backfield led Martz to having an idea in 2005 to have Furrey revert to his Arena days and play both ways.
"I played corner/safety and was also the offensive guy. And, of course, I was a special teams guy, too. So I never came off the field. And I think Mike had that in the back of his mind. If something came up, I could get him out of the game safety-wise, otherwise I could still play wideout," Furrey said.
"So I went through OTAs and he came to me before we left for break and was like, 'Hey, listen, you could probably start for us a safety.' And I was like, 'Coach, I'm 185 pounds.' But he said, 'That's okay. Put on about 20 pounds.' So I went home in those six weeks and put on 20 pounds.
"To this day, I still have a hard time eating chicken. I really do. I ate chicken so much in those six weeks and just tried to put on good weight. I ate that thing, 24/7 and had two PB&Js and a milkshake every night.
"And I came back and started 13 games at safety."
Furrey led the Rams with four interceptions that season, including one off of New Orleans quarterback Aaron Brooks which he returned 67 yards for a touchdown in a 28-17 win. And he logged 58 tackles, eight pass defenses, and four punt returns for 28 yards, as well.
"Being able to go out and do kickoffs and cover punts and tackle, obviously there was a knack there," Furrey said. "So just collectively of all that, he had this idea and I'm forever grateful for that."
Following three seasons with the Rams, Furrey followed Martz to Detroit in 2006, where he was its first-year offensive coordinator. They were on the same team, but Furrey went back to the other side of the ball, became a wide receiver again, and would lead the NFC with 98 catches
And while with the Lions, Furrey was introduced to what would become his second career in the game.
"I went to Detroit because it was closer to home in Columbus, Ohio, and my father-in-law was a big-time high school coach in Columbus," Furrey said. "We would go back and I'd train a lot of his kids and be around a lot of his past players that were in college, and I just fell in love with being around the guys.
"I felt like God had blessed me with a platform to be able to help kids and help them pursue their goals and dreams, and I fell in love with it. The last two or three years that I played, I had an idea that that's what I wanted to do. So I started taking notes of things what you like, what you don't like, and start building your little clip notes if you ever got a chance to be a coach."
Retiring in 2010 after playing seven seasons in the NFL with St. Louis, Detroit, and Cleveland, Furrey joined his father-in-law's staff for one season. And in January 2011, he became a head coach himself, at Kentucky Christian University.
After two years, he moved on to coach wide receivers at Marshall University, and then went on to be the head coach at Limestone College. That was followed by a four-season stint as the wide receivers coach with the Chicago Bears before returning to be Limestone College's head coach for a second time.
"When you coach in college, you get a chance to help kids try to achieve their goal of getting to the National Football League. You've got a big impact on their life of where they're at in regard to being 18- to 21-years-old, where it's the prime of learning how to become a man," Furrey said.
"When you're coaching in the National Football League, you're coaching kids that are living their dreams. And there's a difference in that coaching. There are some similarities, but there is a difference between coaching a kid that's trying to get there and coaching a kid that's already there."
Furrey's now in his third season at the University of South Carolina, where he is the passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach.
"I've had a lot of luck being around some really good places and with some really good offenses. I've just kind of picked all that stuff up and collectively, I put it all together," he said. "So I think that was part of the reason why Coach (Shane) Beamer gave me the opportunity to be the passing game coordinator."
Making their home in suburban Columbia, SC, Furrey and his wife, Koren, have three children: Makayla, Stone, and Kanon
"I've had a pretty cool life, and you could talk about all the things that I've done and the journey that I've been on, the accolades, the players, the teammates that I've had a chance to be mentored by. Or where I've gotten to where I'm at today," Furrey said.
"But I will tell you the one thing that has been constant and consistent and the greatest thing that's ever happened is I married a woman that I've known since second grade. We've been through everything together and never wavered. We've stayed true to each other. We've got an unbelievable family. We've been very, very, very blessed, and we've done it together."
