Cardinals notebook: Trainer steps down after 41 years

John Omohundro, who has worked for the Cardinals for the past 41 years, is stepping down as the team’s trainer.

Omohundro — who has served as the trainer for the past 36 seasons, making him the NFL’s longest-tenured trainer — will continue to work as a senior adviser, the club announced Thursday.

Including preseason and playoff appearances, Omohundro worked 814 Cardinals games during his time with the club.

“Johnny O. is truly one of a kind,” said Cardinals owner Bill Bidwill said in a statement.

“He has never thrown a pass or made a tackle but what he’s meant to this football team for over four decades is impossible to measure. ... We extend a very sincere thanks for a job well done.”

The Salt Lake City native joined the Cardinals organization in 1967 as an assistant after serving six years as a sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve as a senior medical specialist.

Omohundro received his bachelor’s degree in physical education/allied health sciences from the University of Wyoming in 1965.

In 1999, Chandler Seton Catholic High School honored Omohundro’s support and fundraising for the school’s baseball program by naming the field “John Omohundro Field.” The field was rededicated to Omohundro this past February.

He is also a member of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

LITTLE PROGRESS ON WARNER

The agent for quarterback Kurt Warner indicated little progress has been made in talks with the Cardinals about a contract extension.

Warner, who is entering the final year of his contract, has said he’d like to sign on for two more seasons. He also wants to get the deal done by the time training camp starts next month.

“I wouldn’t say it’s gotten to the point where it’s getting serious,” Mark Bartelstein, Warner’s Chicago-based agent, said of the talks.

The Cardinals and Warner and negotiating on two tracks, with differing pay scales depending on whether he ends up as the starter or a backup.

The Cardinals have said Matt Leinart is the starter heading into camp.

“There’s probably no one in the league quite in Kurt’s situation,” Bartelstein said. “He’s proven he’s among the best in the league.

“There’s also a chance he could be a backup. If he is, you’ve got the best backup in the league.”