Everything about Arizona Cardinals totally explained
The
Arizona Cardinals are a
professional American football team based in
Glendale, Arizona, just outside of
Phoenix. The Cardinals are currently members of the
Western Division of the
National Football Conference (NFC) in the
National Football League (NFL).
In
1988, they moved to
Arizona from
St. Louis, Missouri, and since their relocation, they've never made a
Super Bowl appearance; they're currently one of six NFL teams to never have done so. In
2006, the club began playing all home games at
University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, after spending 17 years at
Sun Devil Stadium in
Tempe.
Overview
The Cardinals are the oldest continuous professional American football club in the
United States. The team was formed in 1898 as the
Morgan Athletic Club in Chicago. The club was then called the
Racine Normals since they were originally located in Normal Park on Chicago's Racine Avenue (not
Racine, Wisconsin, as mistaken by many). They then changed their name to the
Racine Cardinals after they started wearing dark reddish uniforms, inherited from the
collegiate Chicago Maroons. This hand-me-down, low-budget situation would prove to be a good metaphor for the team's chronology.
After becoming a charter member of the NFL in
1920, the club was renamed the
Chicago Cardinals, in part to distinguish them from a new franchise that was actually placed in Racine, Wisconsin. In 1944, during the lean years of
World War II, the Cardinals temporarily merged into the
Pittsburgh Steelers and became one franchise, usually referred to as
Card-Pitt, for that one season. The Cardinals moved to St. Louis, Missouri in
1960 becoming the
St. Louis Cardinals, often called the "Football Cardinals" or the "Grid Birds" to distinguish them from
the baseball team, and also sometimes called "The Big Red" during some brushes with success in the 1970s. After an unsuccessful campaign for a new football-only stadium in St. Louis, the club relocated to the Phoenix metropolitan area in
1988, first playing at Sun Devil Stadium in the suburb of Tempe. The team was known as the
Phoenix Cardinals before it started using "Arizona" in its name in
1994.
Despite moving to St. Louis and then to
Arizona, the Cardinals for decades remained in either an Eastern conference or division. When the league was divided into Eastern and Western conferences prior to the
1953 season, the Cardinals were placed in the East while the
Chicago Bears were placed in the West. After the
1970 AFL-NFL Merger, the team was placed in the NFC East. The Cardinals were finally moved to the NFC West despite their complaints as part of the
2002 realignment.
The Cardinals were NFL Champions in 1925 and
1947 and last played for the NFL title in
1948. However, the team hasn't won a league title nor played in the championship game since then, and thus currently holds the NFL record for the longest championship drought and along with the
Houston Texans (founded in 2002) are the only team not to appear in a conference championship game. The team has also won only two division titles (
1974 and
1975) since their 1947 NFL championship. Despite being the oldest existing professional football franchise in the United States, the Cardinals have a remarkably lean postseason history, with an all-time record of 2-5 (not counting the
1964 Bert Bell Benefit Bowl). They did win a Wild Card game against the
Dallas Cowboys in 1998. The team's ongoing foibles have motivated writer and sportsblogger Will Leitch, a fan of the Cardinals, to sarcastically refer to the franchise as "The Buzzsaw that's the Arizona Cardinals," although the nickname hasn't caught on among Arizona fans. The team's futility has also been attributed to a
sports-related curse placed onto the team because their 1925 title was the result of a disputed, controversial ruling by the NFL. (
See 1925 NFL Championship controversy for more details)
The Cardinals conduct their annual summer training camp at
Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.
Franchise history
Chicago years (1898-1959)
The Cardinals are the oldest existing football club in the United States, beginning as an amateur athletic club team in Chicago named the Morgan Athletic Club, which was founded by Chicago painter/builder Chris O'Brien in 1898. Early in the 20th century (by 1913), the team turned professional.
O'Brien later moved them to Chicago's Normal Park and renamed them the
Racine Normals, since Normal Park was located on Racine Avenue in Chicago. In 1901, O'Brien bought used
maroon uniforms from the
University of Chicago, the colors of which had by then faded, leading O'Brien to exclaim, "That's not maroon, it's cardinal red!" It was then that the team changed its name to the
Racine Cardinals.
The team disbanded in 1906 mostly for lack of local competition, but reformed in 1913. They were forced to suspend operations for a second time in 1918 because of
World War I and the outbreak of the
Spanish Flu Pandemic. They resumed operations later in the year, and have since operated continuously.
In 1920, the team became a charter member of the
American Professional Football Association (which became the NFL in
1922), for a franchise fee of $100
USD. The Cardinals and the Bears (originally founded as the Decatur Staleys before moving to Chicago in 1921) are the only charter members of the NFL still in existence, though the
Green Bay Packers, who joined the league in 1921, existed prior to the formation of the NFL. The person keeping the minutes of the first league meeting, unfamiliar with the nuances of Chicago football, recorded the Cardinals as Racine, Wisconsin. The team was renamed the
Chicago Cardinals in 1922, after the NFL placed a team in the Wisconsin city. That season the Cardinals moved to
Comiskey Park.
The Cardinals won their first NFL championship in 1925, finishing the season with a record of 11-2-1. In a controversial ruling by the league, the
Pottsville Maroons, the team with the best record, had their franchise revoked for violating the territorial rights of the
Frankford Yellow Jackets. Thus, the Cardinals won the 1925 title by default. (
For more on the controversy, see 1925 NFL Championship controversy, and Sports-related curses.)
The Cardinals posted a winning record only twice in the twenty years (
1931 and
1935) after their championship—including 10 straight losing seasons from
1936 to
1945.
Dr. David Jones bought the team from O'Brien in
1929. In
1932 the team was purchased by
Charles Bidwill, then a vice president of the Chicago Bears. The team has been under the ownership of the Bidwill family since then.
In
1944, owing to player shortages caused by World War II, the Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers merged for one year and were known as the "Card-Pitt", or derisively as the "Carpets" as they were winless that season.
The Cardinals won their last NFL championship game in 1947 (28-21 over the
Philadelphia Eagles) with their "Million-Dollar Backfield", which included
quarterback Paul Christman,
halfback Charley Trippi, halfback
Elmer Angsman, and
fullback Pat Harder, piling up 282 rushing yards. To date, it's the franchise's only home playoff game of any kind. However, Bidwill wasn't around to see it; he'd died before the season, leaving the team to his wife Violet. He had, however, beaten the
Chicago Rockets of the upstart
All-America Football Conference for the rights to Trippi. This signing is generally acknowledged as the final piece in the championship puzzle. They advanced to the championship game the
next season, but lost 7-0 in a rematch with the Eagles, played in a heavy snowstorm that almost completely obscured the field. The next year, Violet Bidwill married St. Louis businessman Walter Wolfner.
The 1950s were dismal for the team, with only 33 victories for the decade. Most years found the Cardinals in last place and in their best year of the decade (1956), they finished second with a 7-5 record. Following the 1958 season, they traded their star running back
Ollie Matson to the
Los Angeles Rams for an unprecedented
nine players, but this did little to improve the Cardinals. The team's poor performances, coupled with the near-mythic status of the crosstown Bears, resulted in a decline in attendance and revenue. The Bidwills engineered a deal with the NFL which sent the Cardinals to St. Louis beginning with the 1960 season, a move which also blocked St. Louis as a market against the emerging
American Football League.
St. Louis years (1960-1987)
Coincidentally, St. Louis already had a baseball team called the "Cardinals". The established
National League team eventually decided against pressing a formal objection to another sports team in the city using the same name. Sports fans and local news broadcasters called the teams "the football Cardinals" and "the baseball Cardinals" to distinguish the two.
The new
St. Louis football Cardinals were much improved, and the team was competitive for much of the 1960s. New stars emerged, such as
Larry Wilson,
Charley Johnson,
Jim Bakken,
Sonny Randle, and
Jim Hart. However, in an era when only two or four teams qualified for the NFL playoffs, the Cardinals' playoff drought continued, though the team did advance to the Playoff Bowl in 1964.
Violet Bidwill Wolfner died in 1962, and her sons, Bill and Charles, Jr. took control.
Bill Bidwill became sole owner in 1972 and still owns the team today. Only the
New York Giants and Chicago Bears have been in the hands of one family longer than the Cardinals.
In
1973,
Don Coryell became head coach and the Cardinals registered a 7-0 record to open the 1974 season. They won the NFC East then and in 1975, losing in the divisional playoffs both times. During this period, the Cardinals boasted an effective offense in the wake of a record-setting offensive line which included standouts
Dan Dierdorf,
Conrad Dobler, and
Tom Banks.
This period for the franchise was characterized by exciting close games, come-from-behind nailbiters, and several frustrating near-misses. The press and league fans began to call the team the "Cardiac Cardinals". Team stars from the 1970s included
Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback
Roger Wehrli, wide receiver
Mel Gray, and running backs
Terry Metcalf and
Jim Otis.
On
Thanksgiving Day 1976, the Cardinals suffered a controversial loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Cardinal tight end
J. V. Cain, running an apparent game-winning route, was shoved out of the end zone by Dallas defensive backs
Cliff Harris and
Charlie Waters in what appeared to be obvious interference, but a penalty wasn't called. With this loss, the Cardinals were dethroned from the divisional lead and became the first NFC team to reach 10 wins without qualifying for the playoffs.
In
1977, the Cardinals started slowly but won 6 consecutive games before losing the Thanksgiving Day game to the
Miami Dolphins, 55-14.
Bob Griese's record-setting day turned out to be the first of 12 straight losses for the Cardinals (extending into 1978), a streak which included being only the second team ever to lose to the previously-winless
Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Coryell and several key players, including Dobler and Metcalf, departed the team at the end of the 1977 season. The Cardinals would make the playoffs only once in the next 21 years, and that appearance was in a 16-team tournament at the end of the strike-shortened
1982 NFL season.
The Cardinals experienced several years of notoriously poor drafts and unfortunate personnel moves in the late 1970s, typified by the first-round selection of kicker Steve Little and hiring of college coaching legend
Bud Wilkinson in
1978. However, the Cardinals had some success in the early 1980s, posting three consecutive winning seasons from 1981 to 1984. The heart of this squad was the prolific trio of quarterback
Neil Lomax, wide receiver
Roy Green, and running back
Ottis Anderson.
During the Cardinals' 28-year stay in St. Louis, they advanced to the playoffs just three times (1974, 1975 & 1982), never hosting or winning in any appearance. The team left St. Louis before the
1988 season, after Bidwill was unable to convince the city to build a new stadium.
Arizona years (1988-Present)
In 1988, the Cardinals moved to Arizona, and the
Phoenix Cardinals started playing home games in Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of
Arizona State University.
In March of 1994, in a move designed to better market the franchise to a statewide fan base, team owner Bill Bidwill announced his intention to change the name of the team to the
Arizona Cardinals. The rest of the NFL owners quickly approved the name change.
However, the Cardinals spent most of their first decade in Arizona as a cellar-dweller. Things began to look up during the 1998 season as
Jake Plummer enjoyed his greatest stretch of success during his tenure with the franchise, in terms of victories at least, as his quarterback rating was still an average 75.0. The team during that time had once again been dubbed the
Cardiac Cards by the local and national media as eight of their 16 regular-season games were decided by three points or less, and seven of those games ended in favor of the Cardinals. Solidifying their status as the team to beat in the clutch, as the Cardinals, with a 6-7 record going into the 15th week, won 3 straight games to clinch a playoff spot, including one that very week which had to be decided in overtime, and the total margin of those 3 victories was a mere 8 points.
This and the fact that none of their victories had been to teams with winning records made them heavy underdogs going into their
Wild Card Playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys. Considering their two regular season losses to the Cowboys and the fact that they'd been on the losing end of 16 of the last 17 games against their division rivals, including 9 straight losses at
Texas Stadium, the "Team of the Nineties" seemed to have history, among other forces, on their side. To further the situation, the Cardinals franchise hadn't won a single playoff game since their title year of 1947, resulting in the longest active drought in professional sports history.
The Cardinals won the game 20-7; however, the final score made the game appear closer than it actually was, as Arizona dominated the Cowboys on both ends of the football throughout the game. At Texas Stadium that afternoon, the Cardinals jumped out to a 10-0 halftime lead. The Cardinals would later increase that lead to 20-0 in the final minutes of the 4th quarter. The Cowboys' only score was a touchdown late in the 4th quarter, and the Cardinals held on for the upset. The Cardinals, who had suffered for 51 years as the NFL's doormat, finally had a playoff win. However, the distinction was short lived as the Cardinals fell in the divisional round of the playoffs to the
Minnesota Vikings who possessed a 15-1 record as well as the second highest-scoring offense in NFL history, a record which was broken by the 2007 New England Patriots. The Vikings won the game 41-21 in the
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in downtown
Minneapolis.
The Cardinals have not had a winning season since their 1998 playoff appearance. Coming off of their playoff run in 1998, the Cardinals were expected to do bigger and better things in 1999, but a tough schedule ranked in the top 5 as well as key injuries resulted in what would be another disappointing season, getting off to a 2-6 start. However, the Cards would make another run winning 4 straight to get back into the playoff chase, but it wasn't meant to be as Arizona lost their last 4 to finish with a disappointing 6-10 record. The team finished with 5-11 records in 2005 and 2006.
In 2000,
Maricopa County voters passed a ballot initiative by a margin of 51% to 49%, providing funding for a new Cardinals stadium (as well as for improvements to
Major League Baseball spring training facilities in the greater Phoenix region; and youth recreation). After some legal obstacles, the Cardinals began construction of their new facility in April 2003, in Glendale, one of the western suburbs of Phoenix. University of Phoenix Stadium features a
retractable roof and a slide-out grass surface, which is good for the hot desert weather; the new stadium has a state-of-the-art air-conditioning system and high-back seats.
In 2002, the NFL realignment moved the Cardinals to the more geographically-correct
NFC West. Their current division rivals are the
St. Louis Rams (the Cardinals' first trip to St. Louis since the realignment was a
nationally-televised game on ESPN),
San Francisco 49ers, and the
Seattle Seahawks.
In 2007, under new coach
Ken Whisenhunt the Cardinals went 8-8, their best record since 1998.
Logo and uniforms
The team has used the cardinal red jerseys since Chris O'Brien bought them for the club in 1901. And for most of its history, the Cardinals have used the same basic uniform design of white helmets, white pants with red stripes on the sides, and either red or white jerseys.
Starting in 1947, the team had a logo of a
cardinal bird perched on the stitches of a football. However, the club didn't attach a logo to their helmets until they debuted a cardinal-head logo in 1960, the year the franchise moved from Chicago to St. Louis. When the Cardinals moved to Arizona in 1988, the
flag of Arizona was added to the sleeves. And in 1990, the team began wearing red pants with their white jerseys.
In
2005, the team unveiled its first major changes in a century. The cardinal-head logo was updated to be sleeker and more menacing than its predecessor, which had been derisively called a "
parakeet." Black was added as an accent color, while trim lines were added to the outside shoulders and sleeves, and the sides of the jerseys and pants. Both the red and white jerseys have the option of red or white pants, but, during his tenure, coach
Dennis Green opted to have the team wear only the white pants for the entire season.
Hoping to break a six-game losing streak, the Cardinals wore the red pants for the first time on October 29, 2006 in a game at
Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers. The Packers won 31-14, and the Cards headed into their bye week with a 1-7 mark. Following their bye week, the Cardinals came out in their all-red combination at home against the Dallas Cowboys and lost, 27-10. Arizona hasn't worn the red pants since that loss to the Cowboys, and managed to win four of their last seven games. In 2007, after Dennis Green left, the Cardinals wore white pants for the first half of the season and red pants for the second half of the season.
In the
Madden NFL video game series, the Cardinals were outfitted in the all-red combination at home and the all-white combination on the road. In some versions of game, the red jersey-white pants and white jersey-red pants combinations appear as alternates.
For their first 18 years in Arizona, the Cardinals, like many other NFL teams in warm climates, wore their white jerseys at home during the first half of the season—forcing opponents to suffer in their darker-colored jerseys during Arizona autumns that frequently see temperatures over 100 °F (38 °C). However, this tradition didn't continue when the Cardinals moved to University of Phoenix Stadium in 2006, as early-season games are played with the roof closed. With the temperature inside at a comfortable 70 °F (21 °C), Green opted to have the Cardinals wear their red jerseys at home full-time.
Season-by-season records
Single-season records
Passing
Passing Yards: 4614 Neil Lomax (1984)
Passing Touchdowns: 28 Charley Johnson (1963), Neil Lomax (1984)
Rushing
Rushing Yards: 1605 Ottis Anderson (1979)
Receiving
Receptions: 103 Larry Fitzgerald (2005)
Receiving Yards: 1596 David Boston (2001)
Kicking
Field Goals: 40* Neil Rackers (2005)
* NFL Record
Players of note
Current roster
Pro Football Hall of Famers
Chicago Cardinals
Charles Bidwill, team owner
1 Jimmy Conzelman, QB-CB, head coach
1 John "Paddy" Driscoll, QB-S-K-P, head coach
2 Walt Kiesling, G-DT, head coach
4 Ernie Nevers, RB-S
13 Guy Chamberlin, TE-DE
33 Ollie Matson, RB
62 Charley Trippi, RB-QB
81 Dick "Night Train" Lane, CB
St. Louis Cardinals
8 Larry Wilson, S
22 Roger Wehrli, CB
72 Dan Dierdorf, OT
81 Jackie Smith, TE
Wilson, Dierdorf, Smith, Conrad Dobler (66, G), Jim Hart (17, QB), and Jim Hanifan (head coach) have been inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
Retired numbers
8 Larry Wilson (St. Louis)
40 Pat Tillman (Arizona)
77 Stan Mauldin (Chicago)
88 J. V. Cain (St. Louis)
99 Marshall Goldberg (Chicago)
Ring of Honor
The Cardinals' Ring of Honor was started in 2006 to mark the opening of University of Phoenix Stadium. It honors former Cardinal greats from all eras of the franchise's history. Following is a list of inductees and the dates that they were inducted.
Charles Bidwill, Owner (8/12/2006)
Jimmy Conzelman, Coach (8/12/2006)
Dan Dierdorf, T (10/16/2006)
John "Paddy" Driscoll, QB (8/12/2006)
Marshall Goldberg, HB (8/12/2006)
Dick "Night Train" Lane, DB (8/12/2006)
Ollie Matson, HB (8/12/2006)
Ernie Nevers, FB (8/12/2006)
Charley Trippi, HB/QB (8/12/2006)
Roger Wehrli, CB (10/14/2007)
Larry Wilson, S (9/10/2006)
Pat Tillman, S (11/12/2006)
Other notable alumni
Chicago
Elmer Angsman
Paul Christman
Pat Harder
Larry Hartshorn
Hap Moran
Johnny Olszewski
Leo Sanford
Jack Simmons
Duke Slater
St. Louis
Ottis Anderson
Jim Bakken
Tom Banks
Dave Butz
Joe Childress
Bob DeMarco
Bobby Joe Conrad
Conrad Dobler
Pat Fischer
Ken Gray
Mel Gray
Roy Green
Curtis Greer
Jim Hart
Jimmy Hill
Charley Johnson
E. J. Junior
Neil Lomax
Ernie McMillan
Dale Meinert
Terry Metcalf
Stump Mitchell
Bobby Moore (later known as Ahmad Rashād)
Neil O'Donoghue
Jim Otis
Sonny Randle
Bob Reynolds
Tootie Robbins
Luis Sharpe
Vai Sikahema defensive back, punt returner
J.T. Smith
Larry Stallings
Norm Thompson
Pat Tilley
Chuck Walker
Roger Wehrli
Ron Yankowski
Phoenix/Arizona
David Boston
Lomas Brown
Larry Centers
Boomer Esiason
Ken Harvey
Garrison Hearst
Thomas Jones
Dave Krieg
Tim McDonald
Jamir Miller
Jim McMahon
Rob Moore
Joe Nedney
Jay Novacek
Michael Pittman
Jake Plummer
Ricky Proehl
Simeon Rice
Jay Schroeder
Clyde Simmons
Emmitt Smith
Eric Swann
Pat Tillman
Tom Tupa
Aeneas Williams
Ron Wolfley
First-round draft picks
The Chicago Years, 1936-1959
| Year |
Player |
College |
Position |
| 1936 |
Jim Lawrence |
TCU |
Back |
| 1937 |
Ray Buivid |
Marquette |
Back |
| 1938 |
Jack Robbins |
Arkansas |
Back |
| 1939 |
Charles (Ki) Aldrich |
TCU |
Center |
1940’s
1950’s
The St. Louis Years, 1960-1987 Coaches of note
Head coaches
Paddy Driscoll (1920-1922)
Arnold Horween (1923-1924)
Norman Barry (1925-1926)
Guy Chamberlin (1927)
Fred Gillies (1928)
Dewey Scanlon (1929)
Ernie Nevers (1929-1930)
LeRoy Andrews (1931)
Jack Chevigny (1932)
Paul J. Schissler (1933-1934)
Milan Creighton (1935-1938)
Ernie Nevers (1939)
Jimmy Conzelman (1940-1942)
Phil Handler (1943-1945)
Jimmy Conzelman (1946-1948)
Curly Lambeau (1950-1951)
Phil Handler (1951)
Joe Kuharich (1952)
Joe Stydahar (1953-1954)
Ray Richards (1955-1957)
Pop Ivy (1958-1961)
Wally Lemm (1962-1965)
Charley Winner (1966-1970)
Bob Hollway (1971-1972)
Don Coryell (1973-1977)
Bud Wilkinson (1978-1979)
Larry Wilson (interim) (1979)
Jim Hanifan (1980-1985)
Gene Stallings (1986-1989)
Hank Kuhlmann (interim) (1989)
Joe Bugel (1990-1993)
Buddy Ryan (1994-1995)
Vince Tobin (1996-1999)
Dave McGinnis (2000-2003)
Dennis Green (2004-2006)
Ken Whisenhunt (2007-Present)
Current staff
Radio and television
As of 2006, the Cardinals' flagship radio station is KMVP, "ESPN Radio 860." KMVP assumed the broadcast rights in 2006 after many years on KSLX and KDUS. Dave Pasch, Ron Wolfley, and Paul Calvisi handle the radio broadcast. Most preseason games are televised on KNXV, channel 15, the local ABC affiliate. Brian Davis and Doug Plank are the TV announcers.
On New Year's Day 2007, KMVP began a simulcast of KTAR-AM, which switched to an all-sports format (the news/talk station became 92.3, KTAR-FM). For the 2007 season, KTAR-AM will be the official flagship station; however, some if not all broadcasts will also be heard on 92.3FM because of conflicts with the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball games on 620AM.
Notes and references
Major North American professional sports teamsFurther Information
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