Anybody who knows me knows who my favorite quarterback of all time at any level is: Josh Heupel.

The Oklahoma quarterback from 1999 through 2000 was hardly as gifted as Jason White or Sam Bradford, physically, but he is matched in OU history only by Jack Mildren in terms of sheer will, smarts, guts and importance to the Sooners program.

Yet there is a close second in my book in terms of favorite overall quarterbacks. Kurt Warner.

In 1999, my buddy and I lucked out and picked Warner up as our fantasy football quarterback one week into another NFL season. Warner had taken over for Trent Green in the preseason and had a terrific first week for the St. Louis Rams. It’s not so much that we recognized Warner’s “fantasy worth,” it’s that we needed a QB.

All Warner did was win the league MVP and the Super Bowl MVP.

Heck, I was pulling for the Tennessee Titans in the Super Bowl because I was also a big fan of Steve McNair, and the Titans had been the Houston Oilers.

However, in 10 years, Warner has won two league MVPs. He’s been cut from the Rams, released by the Giants and revived his career with the Arizona Cardinals, who will be in Sunday’s NFC title game against Philadelphia. The Cardinals are the worst franchise in football, and their appearance in a conference title game isn’t a miracle when compared to that plane in the Hudson River this week — but it’s a sports wonder nonetheless.

Warner is MY age, a veritable ancient by NFL standards.

What has converted me from a mild Warner fan to a rabid Warner fan is his ability to do what nobody believe can be done. He is the underdog of underdogs, the everyman who got a shot in the NFL, a guy who was a stock boy at an Iowa grocery store back in the 1990s who has a chance to play in his third Super Bowl with a win on Sunday.

And like he did in 1999, he’s made me look good again in 2009.

Back in November, I e-mailed a former colleague about this odd sports hunch I had, that Arizona was going to surprise the world and play in a Super Bowl. My friend laughed it off.

Another colleague scoffed in the break room when I told him about my hunch, and I seriously believe he questioned my sanity. When asked for a reason why I thought the Cardinals would get to a Super Bowl this year, I said: Kurt Warner.

I had seen this movie before.

Truth is, the Cardinals have a pretty stout defense, a running back playing inspired in Edgerrin James and the best receiver in football in Larry Fitzgerald, who is un-freaking-real when it comes to one-on-one catches.

But Warner’s entire career — from stock boy to the Arena League to NFL champ — has been like a Hollywood script. Why wouldn’t this be a perfect ending?

Laughter. Scoffing. Chuckles abounded.

I’m not even a Cardinals fan, really. But I am this Sunday and will be when they play Pittsburgh or Baltimore in the Super Bowl.

Sure, Philly is hot right now, and — yes — everybody is picking the Eagles to win on the road. However, Philadelphia is 1-4 in conference title games with Donovan McNabb, and Brian Westbrook is ailing.

Plus, all of a sudden, University of Phoenix Stadium (a.k.a The Big Toaster) isn’t merely a solid home-field advantage for the Cards, it’s a nightmare for opponents.

But Arizona has the old man, and his story is just as compelling today as it was 10 years ago. For people to speculate on whether Kurt Warner is a hall of famer, to me, is nutty. He’s first-ballot worthy.

And if the Cardinals WIN the Super Bowl this year, Hollywood might as well get the movie ready. His career has been highly unlikely, but a title at age 37 for Warner would make it unreal.

Doubt this guy at your own peril.

There will be yells of “Pay Attention, Jermaine!” this fall when Oklahoma kicks off its 2009 season.

While Jermaine Gresham, Gerald McCoy and Trent Williams all announced their intention to return to OU for another season, it was Sam Bradford whose announcement warranted ESPN to cut in with breaking news.

Sam will be back in 2009.

What’s extraordinary about the way things have transpired since OU lost to Florida is that all these football players decided to stay. We don’t know about Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray, but it very well could be that each guy who had a legit shot at millions decided he wanted to stick around in li’l ol’ Norman, Okla., another season.

Sam said he didn’t feel the need to cut his OU experience short.

You do realize this guy would have been a millionaire in two months, no?

But he’s so right in the mature, big picture arena. There is no need to cut youth short. There is no need to cut short the OU experience, which I believe is a college experience second to none when you take everything into account.

Why leave Norman, where you’re king of the universe?

When Stoops said, “If it’s all the same again to you, we’ll try again next year,” I swear I think it brought the fan base together. That these guys are passing up millions to stick around another, to try to finish some business …

I’m not naive. The offensive line will be suspect. We’ll have young receivers. We have some pieces in the secondary to fill.

However, the core of the Oklahoma Sooners’ team is returning.

I didn’t think we stood a chance to win the Big 12 next year, much less win a national title. However, today changed everything.

Like it or not, America, there’s a good chance you’ll have the Sooners to kick around next year.

One of the players I failed to note in my post yesterday about Oklahoma football draft entrees was running back DeMarco Murray.

He’s fast and exciting on the field but has a propensity to get hurt when it counts most. His injuries have come in or near Texas games, Big 12 title games and lasted into bowl games.

Not saying his presence would have made a winning difference against Florida, but the NFL values health when assessing draft picks.

There is NO way he should leave early. This would be a mistake at the level of De’Mond Parker.

Did a little research tonight — year by year — into Oklahoma football results since 1980, which is about the time I really remember games. Now, I watched football in the 1970s, but my memory of it is centered more on things like Thomas Lott’s bandana and names like Elvis Peacock.

I remember Billy Sims’ fumble against Nebraska, but I don’t remember anything about the loss to Arkansas in the Orange Bowl.

And I have watched every televised game since the mid-1980s. Haven’t missed one. Listened to any game not televised, or I attended.

What’s amazing and what really puts things in perspective as to OU’s tradition is that there are only 14 games I listed as true, blue disappointments. Gut wrenchers. The 55-19 loss to USC in 2004 was not among them nor was the 21-14 title loss to LSU the year before because given that we backed into those games, I had no reason to believe we’d win them.

The ol’ hopes weren’t up like they were last night.

As I narrowed the 14 disapponting losses to five, I eliminated some based on our play. For example, as terrible an ending as was the Fiesta Bowl loss to Boise State, 43-42, a couple of years ago, we stunk it up until the end.

As much as it hurt to lose the national title to Miami, 20-14, in 1987, the Hurricanes were a vastly superior team to us at that time, in that era.

Anyway, chronologically, here are my FIVE most disappointing OU losses ever:

1. 1990: Texas 14, OU 13.
We missed the game-winning field goal.

2. 1994: Texas 17, OU 10.
James Brown stuffed at the goalline on a GREAT play call at the end of the game.

3. 2005: Texas Tech 23, OU 21.
Still not sure the Red Raiders actually scored that TD as time ran out.

4. 2006: Oregon 34, OU 33.
Officiating debacle as the Sooners recovered an onside kick that was awarded to the Ducks.

5. 2008: Florida 24, OU 14.
In a season that was all about ‘Win The Last Game’ and that featured the best OU offensive play calling in the Stoops era, we let two sure TDs get away.

Here’s a bit of perspective: I could come up with dozens of what I’d call GREAT Oklahoma wins. Not just good, but GREAT.