Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team and the oldest continuously operating franchise in the National Football League (NFL), with origins dating back to 1898 in Chicago. Over their long history, the team has moved locations from Chicago to St. Louis in 1960, and ultimately to Arizona in 1988, where they became the Arizona Cardinals in 1994. The franchise won NFL championships in 1925 and 1947 but has since struggled, holding the record for the most all-time regular season losses in NFL history by the 2020s. Home games are played at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The team adopted its cardinal bird logo around 1947, and in 1998 introduced its mascot, Big Red.
Throughout their history, the Cardinals have seen several notable players and coaches, many of whom have been honored in the team's Ring of Honor and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Among these are legendary figures like Ernie Nevers, Charley Trippi, and Larry Fitzgerald, who is recognized as one of the greatest wide receivers in NFL history. Despite periods of struggle, including multiple losing seasons, the team has made several playoff appearances, with a memorable run to Super Bowl XLIII in 2009, where they narrowly lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Cardinals' rich history reflects both the challenges and triumphs of a storied franchise in American sports.
Arizona Cardinals
Inaugural season: 1920
Home field: University of Phoenix Stadium
Owner(s): William (Bill) Bidwill
Team colors: Cardinal red, black, white
Overview
The Arizona Cardinals are the oldest continuously operating professional football team and a franchise of the National Football League (NFL). The team has won NFL Championships in 1925 and 1947, yet overall has had a poor record. The Cardinals had an NFL record losing streak of twenty-nine games between 1942 and 1945, breaking it with a victory over the Bears, 16–7. This was the team’s sole win during the season. The following year, the Cardinals had their first winning season in eight years, finishing 6–5. The team had its best season in 1947, going 9–3 and winning the championship game against Philadelphia 28–21. The team won the NFL Western division title in 1948.
In 1998 the Cardinals defeated the Dallas Cowboys 20–7 in the NFC Wildcard Game. The Cardinals advanced to the Super Bowl once, losing in the final seconds to the Pittsburgh Steelers 27–23 on February 1, 2009.
The team has been primarily owned by one family for much of its history. The team was founded by Chris O’Brien, and Dr. David Jones owned the Cardinals from 1929 to 1933. Then Charles Bidwill acquired the team, which he owned from 1933 to 1947. It remained in the Bidwill family into the twenty-first century. His widow, Violet Bidwill Wolfner, owned the team from 1947 to 1962, and their sons, Bill Bidwill and Charles Bidwill Jr., inherited it. In 1972 Bill Bidwill bought his brother’s share and became sole owner.
History
The Cardinals team dates to 1898 when Chris O’Brien formed the Morgan Athletic Club in Chicago. The new Racine Normals played at Normal Park on Racine Street. O’Brien purchased used team jerseys from the University of Chicago in 1901. The maroon of the university’s jerseys was quite faded, so O’Brien dubbed the color Cardinal red, and the team became the Racine Cardinals.
The Racine Cardinals had little in the way of competition, and by 1906, the team disbanded. In 1913 a professional team picked up the name and carried on for a few years. World War I and the Spanish flu pandemic ended most sport play for a time in 1918. However, the hiccup was brief, and play resumed later that year. From then forward, the Cardinals continuously operated. The team played a circuit in the greater Chicago area.
In 1920, when the American Professional Football Association (APFA) opened its first season, the Cardinals were a charter member. Another Chicago team, the Tigers, joined the league late in 1920, creating a conflict. O’Brien and his team challenged the Tigers to play for the right to the Chicago franchise; they agreed that the losing team would leave town. The Cardinals won the game 6–0 thanks to Paddy Driscoll, who scored the only touchdown.
In 1922, the year the APFA was renamed the National Football League (NFL), a pro team from Racine, Wisconsin, joined the league. The team was renamed again. The Chicago Cardinals also moved to a new home turf, Comiskey Park.
The team adopted the cardinal as its logo around 1947. The bird first appeared on team helmets in 1960 and has undergone several redesigns. In 1998 the Cardinals introduced Big Red, its new mascot.
The Cardinals have called several cities and stadiums home. In Chicago, they operated out of Normal Park and Comiskey Park from 1920 to 1958. During World War II, many teams were forced to merge because of a shortage of players. The Cardinals merged with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1944 because the league comprised eleven teams, and the uneven number made scheduling difficult. The Cardinals had little to lose coming off a winless 1943 season. The joint team, which had a dismal season, was jokingly referred to as the Carpets, because the opponents were walking all over them. From 1945 to 1959, the team was again the Chicago Cardinals. Soldier Field and Metropolitan Stadium were their homes in 1959. In 1960 the franchise moved south, becoming the St. Louis Cardinals, playing Busch Stadium until 1965 and Busch Memorial Stadium from 1966 to 1987. The team moved to Phoenix, Arizona, in 1988, playing as the Phoenix Cardinals in Sun Devil Stadium until 2005. From 1994 forward, the team has been known as the Arizona Cardinals. University of Phoenix Stadium was its home field from 2006 to 2018. Beginning in 2019 the Cardinals roosted in State Farm Stadium.
Though the Cardinals have never played a Super Bowl, the team has competed in the NFL Championship in 1925 and 1947. The 1925 matchup remains controversial because the Cardinals lost to the Pottsville Maroons on December 6, 1925, and were not meant to play in the big game. The Pottsville Maroons played an unauthorized exhibition game in Philadelphia, and NFL commissioner Joseph Carr suspended the team, removing it from the league. Carr maintained that the Maroons trespassed on the Frankford Yellow Jackets’ territory. Pottsville maintained that the team received verbal approval from the league prior to the game and the league did not grant exclusive territorial rights to teams at that time. The Cardinals also were guilty of rule-breaking, however. Chicago player Art Folz paid four Chicago high school athletes to play for their opponents, the Milwaukee Badgers, ensuring a Cardinals’ win in one of the last games of the 1925 season. The NFL agreed to investigate in 1963 but found against Pottsville. The Cardinals held the title of 1925 NFL champion.
The Cardinals were teetering on the edge of bankruptcy after the 1947 championship victory. Owner Bidwill had died prior to the end of the season, and his wife, Violet, inherited the team. The Bidwills wanted to relocate the team but could not pay the NFL’s sizeable relocation fee. The family refused to relinquish majority stake. Four potential investors who failed to buy the team, Lamar Hunt, Bud Adams, Bob Howsam, and Max Winter, instead worked together to form the American Football League (AFL). With the new competition in professional football, the NFL worked quickly to satisfy the Bidwills’ desire to move. The Cardinals moved to St. Louis, Missouri, beginning with the 1960 season. The relocation also succeeded in preventing the AFL from establishing a team in the city.
Notable Players
The Cardinals have included some of the most influential players and coaches in their Ring of Honor. These include owner Charles Bidwill, fullback Ernie Nevers, quarterback and coach Jimmy Conzelman, halfback Charley Trippi, quarterback John “Paddy” Driscoll, halfback Ollie Matson, cornerback Dick “Night Train” Lane, tackle Dan Dierdorf, halfback Marshall Goldberg, safety Pat Tillman, free safety Larry Wilson, cornerback Roger Wehrli, and cornerback Aeneas Williams.
Ernie Nevers scored all forty points in a 40–6 victory over the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving Day in 1929. He set the NFL record for points scored by a single player in a single game. His six touchdowns also set an NFL record; he also made four extra points. In each of his five seasons playing football, he earned All-NFL honors. Nevers, who went on to coach football for four years, was inducted as a player into the Hall of Fame in 1963. His record still stood as of the 2018 season.
Cardinals owner Charles Bidwill signed Charley Trippi to an unheard-of $100,000 four-year contract in 1946. Trippi was a central figure in Bidwill’s Dream Backfield, as the lineup of Trippi, Paul Christman, Pat Harder, Marshall Goldberg, and Elmer Angsman was called. Bidwill did not live to see his backfield reach its full potential, but fans took notice. The 1947 NFL Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles was played on an icy Chicago field. Trippi totaled 206 yards and scored touchdowns on a 44-yard run and a 75-yard punt return. During his career with the Cardinals, he played left halfback for two seasons, quarterback for two seasons, offensive halfback for one year, and punter. He spent most of 1954 and 1955 on the defensive line.
John “Paddy” Driscoll gave the Cardinals the single touchdown against the Chicago Tigers, clinching the Cardinals’ claim to the city in 1920. Driscoll was excellent as both quarterback and halfback, with notable skill in punting and dropkicking.
Dan Dierdorf joined the Cardinals in 1971 as a second-round draft pick. He became the permanent right tackle during his third season, and his line permitted the fewest sacks in the league for five consecutive years. The Cardinals set a record of allowing just eight sacks in fourteen games in 1975. Dierdorf proved his worth again when he agreed to fill a hole in the offensive line, ably playing center. He was named All-Pro for five seasons.
Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald joined the Cardinals in 2004. By the end of the 2018 season, he had amassed 1,303 receptions and 16,279 yards, averaging 12.5 yards per reception. He also had 116 touchdowns. Fitzgerald, who remained on the roster in 2019, was regarded as a candidate for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Safety Pat Tillman is as well-known for his military career as his time on the turf. The Cardinals drafted him in 1998, and by 2000 he had set a new team record for the number of tackles. After the United States invaded Afghanistan, Tillman joined the US Army. He was killed in action in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004.
Free safety Larry Wilson amassed fifty-two career interceptions and was central to the Cardinal defense.
Cornerback Roger Wehrli reliably racked up interceptions. He tied or led interceptions for the Cardinals four times, totalling forty interceptions during his fourteen-season career.
Cornerback Aeneas Williams spent ten of his fourteen years in pro football with the Cardinals. He is regarded as one of the sport’s all-time best defensive backs. He led the Cardinals in interceptions seven times, and racked up fifty-five during his career.
Bibliography
“Arizona Cardinals Team History.” Pro Football Hall of Fame, 2019, www.profootballhof.com/teams/arizona-cardinals/team-history/. Accessed 23 July 2019.
“Arizona Cardinals Team History.” Sports Team History, 2019, sportsteamhistory.com/arizona-cardinals. Accessed 23 July 2019.
“Bill Bidwill, Arizona Cardinals.” Sports Illustrated, 16 July 2018, www.si.com/nfl/arizona-cardinals-owner-bill-bidwill. Accessed 23 July 2019.
“Carpets.” Pro Football Hall of Fame, 1 Jan. 2005, www.profootballhof.com/news/carpets/. Accessed 24 July 2019.
“Ernie Nevers: Chicago Cardinals & Duluth Eskimos (NFL).” Pro Football Hall of Fame, 2019, www.profootballhof.com/players/ernie-nevers/biography/. Accessed 24 July 2019.
“Jimmy Conzelman.” Pro Football Hall of Fame, 2019, https://www.profootballhof.com/players/jimmy-conzelman/. Accessed 24 July 2019.
“Quarterback ‘Paddy’ John Driscoll.” Pro Football Hall of Fame, 2019, www.profootballhof.com/players/john-paddy-driscoll/. Accessed 24 July 2019.
“2018 Arizona Cardinals Statistics & Players.” Pro Football Reference, 2019, www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/crd/2018.htm. Accessed 23 July 2019.
Urban, Darren. “Larry Fitzgerald’s Offseason Proves He Isn’t Slowing Down.” Arizona Cardinals, 5 June 2019, www.azcardinals.com/news/larry-fitzgerald-s-offseason-proves-he-isn-t-slowing-down. Accessed 24 July 2019.