The Arizona Cardinals
are a professional American Football team based in Tempe, Arizona. The Cardinals are members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Cardinals were founded in 1898, and are the oldest continuously run professional American football club in the United States. They are the current NFC Champions.
The team was established in Chicago in 1898 and was a charter member of the NFL in 1920. Along the with Chicago Bears, the club is one of two franchises still in operation since the league's founding. The club moved to St. Louis, Missouri in 1960 and played in that city through 1987 (sometimes referred to as the "football Cardinals" to avoid confusion with the baseball St. Louis Cardinals). Before the 1988 NFL season, the team moved to Tempe, Arizona, an eastern suburb of Phoenix, and played their home games for the next 18 years at Arizona State University's Sun Devil Stadium. In 2006 the club began playing all home games at the newly constructed University of Phoenix Stadium in the northwestern suburb of Glendale.
The franchise's lone NFL championship game victory came in 1947 while they were based in Chicago, and came two decades before the first Super Bowl game was ever played. The club's other NFL championship occurred in 1925, eight years before the league began holding a championship game, and is a controversial title to this day. The much contested title was believed to belong to the Pottsville Maroons but was given to the Cardinals instead in what is called the 1925 NFL Championship controversy. In the six-plus decades since winning the championship in 1947, the Cardinals have qualified for the playoffs only six times and have won only five playoff games, three of which were achieved during their run in the 2008-09 NFL Playoffs in which they reached Super Bowl XLIII. The team has also won only three division titles (1974, 1975, and 2008) since their 1947-1948 NFL championship game appearances. In addition, the club in 2008 became the last NFC team since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to reach the Conference Championship Game.
The Cardinals conduct their annual summer training camp at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.
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ARIZONA CARDINALS TICKETS
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Franchise history
Chicago years (1898–1959)
The Cardinals are the oldest professional American football club in the
United States.
[1] [2] [3] The
Cardinals
began 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. The club's name changed to the
Racine Normals
, because they were originally located in Normal Park on Chicago's Racine Avenue (not
Racine, Wisconsin, as mistaken in the notes from an early APFA meeting). Their name was changed to the
Racine Cardinals
after the club started wearing dark reddish uniforms inherited from the
collegiate Chicago Maroons.
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.
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
1942 on October 25 the Cardinals would lose their first of 29 straight games against the
Cleveland Rams, finishing out their season with a 3–8 record, losing their last 6 games. In
1943 the Cardinals would record their first of two winless seasons going 0-10 in both the 1943 and
1944 seasons. 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". In
1945 after losing their first three games, the Cardinals would end their 29 game losing streak by winning against the
Chicago Bears on October 14 in almost 4 years of futility, while finishing their season with a 1–9 record.
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. It was the franchise's first home playoff game, but Bidwill was not 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
1959 season, the Cardinals last in Chicago, saw the team decline to a 2–10 record. They left their long-time Comiskey Park home to play four games at
Soldier Field on Chicago's lakefront plus two "neutral site" games in
Minneapolis. That did not improve attendance as Bidwill started looking elsewhere to move her team.
Eventually, 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 team "The St. Louis Football Cardinals", "The Gridbirds" or "The Big Red" to distinguish the two teams.
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 Pittsburgh Steelers,
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.
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 1982 to 1984. The heart of this squad was the prolific trio of quarterback
Neil Lomax, wide receiver
Roy Green, and running back
Ottis Anderson.
In 1987, the team's last in St. Louis, on November 8, the Cardinals had the 12th greatest comebacks in NFL history when trailing the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28–3, the Cardinals scored 28 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to win the game 31–28.
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. Before the 1994 season, in order to better market the franchise to a statewide fan base, the name of the team was changed to the
Arizona Cardinals
.
1990s
The Cardinals showed some promise in
1988 and
1989, only to be felled by late-season swoons. They would not even come close to the playoffs again until 1998.
In 1996, the team served as the backdrop for a popular
romantic comedy,
Jerry Maguire
. The team's record of futility figured prominently in the screenplay by
Cameron Crowe: the eponymous hero is a struggling sports agent whose only client is a flamboyant Cardinals wide receiver, Rod Tidwell.
Cuba Gooding, Jr. won the
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Tidwell
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
[4] 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. With a 6–7 record going into the 15th week, the team won 3 straight games to clinch a playoff spot, including one overtime win, with a total margin of those 3 victories a mere 8 points. It was only the team's second non-losing season since 1984.
The fact that none of their victories had been against 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 had been on the losing end of 16 of the last 17 games against their division rivals, including 9 straight losses at
Texas Stadium,
[5] the "Team of the Nineties" seemed to have history, among other forces, on their side. To further the situation, the Cardinals franchise had not 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 game wasn't even that close, as Arizona thoroughly dominated the Cowboys on both ends of the football throughout the game. 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 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.
[6]
The Cardinals would not have another winning record until 2008. Coming off 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 was not 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.
2000s
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.
Despite moving to St. Louis and then to
Arizona, for decades the Cardinals 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 the club's objection, as part of the
2002 realignment.
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.
The
2006 season was one that gave many Cards fans optimism as the team drafted highly touted quarterback
Matt Leinart and signed free agent running back
Edgerrin James. However the lofty expectations were not to be as the team was plagued with inconsistency as the Cards struggled out of the gate with a record of 1–8. A notable low point of the season was in a home game against the
Chicago Bears, the Cards squandered a 20 point lead to lose the game 24–23. The game was notable for coach
Dennis Green's post-game conference outburst in which he made the now famous line "They are who we thought they were!". The Cards went 4–3 down the stretch to finish the season at 5–11, but it wasn't enough to save Green's job, as he was fired at season's end.
The Ken Whisenhunt Era
In
2007, the Arizona Cardinals announced the firing of coach Dennis Green. The leading candidate to coach the Cardinals after the firing was Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator
Ken Whisenhunt. He was hired on January 14, 2007, with a contract of $2.5 million annually for four years. The Cardinals started their first 10 games at 5–5, and ended the season at 8–8, barely missing the playoffs in Whisenhunt's first season as head coach.
In
2008, the Cardinals started out with one of the best offenses in the league, led by former NFL MVP quarterback Kurt Warner and wide receivers
Larry Fitzgerald and
Anquan Boldin. The Cardinals' decision to approach the 2008 season with
Kurt Warner at quarterback instead of Leinart drew criticism, but majorly contributed to their qualifying for the playoffs that year, with Warner passing for 4,583 yards and 30 touchdowns..
[7] At the halfway point of the season, the Cardinals led their division, for the first time since 1998, with a record of 7–3.
On December 7, 2008, the Cardinals won the NFC West Division by beating the
St. Louis Rams 34–10. In the process, they clinched their first playoff berth since 1998, and their first division title since 1975 (and third of the post-merger era). However, they proceeded to lose two of their last three regular season games, to the
Minnesota Vikings and the
New England Patriots, in blowout losses.
On January 3, 2009, the Cardinals won their first playoff game since 1998 and their second since moving to Arizona by beating the
Atlanta Falcons 30–24. This was also only the second home playoff game in franchise history, the first being the 1947 title game. In fact, the Cardinals never hosted a playoff game in St. Louis despite winning two division titles.
After the
Philadelphia Eagles beat the
New York Giants, the Cardinals hosted their first NFC Championship game in Arizona. There they defeated the Eagles 32–25 and won the first NFC Championship game in team history, but lost to the
Pittsburgh Steelers in
Super Bowl XLIII 27–23.
2009
In the first round of the
2009 NFL Draft the Cardinals selected Chris "Beanie" Wells out of
Ohio State University to replace the aging Edgerrin James who was not retained.
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 did not 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."
[8] 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.
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 did not wear the red pants since that loss to the Cowboys, and managed to win four of their last seven games. However, the following season, in 2007, the Cardinals again wore their red pants for some of their games. They wore red pants with their white jersey in games on the road at the Cincinnati Bengals and Seattle Seahawks. They paired red pants with the red jersey, wearing the all-red combination for home games against the Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, and St. Louis Rams. In 2008, the red pants have not been worn.
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 did not continue when the Cardinals moved from Sun Devil Stadium to University of Phoenix Stadium in 2006, as early-season games (and other day home games not in the early portion of the season where the temperature outside the stadium is still very warm) are played with the roof closed (except for home games with the temperature outside the stadium at a more comfortable level along with night games excluding preseason). 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. In 2008, the Cardinals did wear their white jersey at home though, for the first time in University of Phoenix Stadium on August 29, 2008 in a preseason game against the
Denver Broncos.
Although the team does sell its previous team colored jersey as an alternate "fashion jersey" and even has it listed as the team's "alternate jersey", the team has yet to wear them in a game as a
third jersey since retiring the jersey in 2005.
Season-by-season records
Single-season records
Points Scored
: 427 (2008)
Passing
- Passing Yards
: 4,583 Kurt Warner (2008)
- Passing Touchdowns
: 30 Kurt Warner (2008)
- Passes Completed
: 401 Kurt Warner (2008)
- Passes Attempted
: 598 Kurt Warner (2008)
- Longest Completed Pass Thrown
: 98 Yards Doug Russell (1932) / Ogden Compton (1957) / Jim Hart (1972)
- Consecutive Games With a Touchdown Pass
: 22 Kurt Warner (2007-2008)
Rushing
- Rushing Yards
: 1605 Ottis Anderson (1979)
- Rushing Attempts
: 337 Edgerrin James (2006)
- Rushing Touchdowns
: 14 John David Crow (1962)
- Rushing Touchdowns (Rookie)
: 10 Tim Hightower (2008)
- Longest Rushing Attempt
: 83 yards John David Crow (1958)
- Rushing Yards Per Game
: 100.3 yards Ottis Anderson (1979)
Receiving
- Receptions
: 103 Larry Fitzgerald (2005)
- Receiving Yards
: 1,596 David Boston (2001)
- Receiving Touchdowns
: 15 Sonny Randle (1960)
Returns
- Punt Returns in a Season
: 44 Vai Sikahema (1987)
- Longest Punt Returns
: 95 yards Frank Bernardi (1956)
Kicking
- Field Goals
: 40* Neil Rackers (2005)
- Extra Points Made
: 53 Pat Harder (1948)
* NFL Record
Cardinals career records
- Passing Yards
: 34,639 Jim Hart (1966–1983)
- Passing Touchdowns
: 209 Jim Hart (1966–1983)
- Rushing Yards
: 7,999 Ottis Anderson (1979–1986)
- Receptions
: 535 Larry Centers (1991–1998)
- Receiving Yards
: 8,496 Roy Green (1979–1990)
- Pass Interceptions
: 54 Larry Wilson (1960–2002) [49]
- Field Goals Made
: 282 Jim Bakken(1962-1978)
- Points
: 1,380 Jim Bakken (1962-1978)
- Total Touchdowns
: 69 Roy Green (1979–1990)
- Punt Return Average
: 17.7 Red Cochran (1947–1949)
- Kickoff Return Average
: 28.5 Ollie Matson (1952–1958)
- Punting Average
: 45.0 Jerry Norton (1959–1961)
- Sacks
: 66.5 Freddie Joe Nunn (1985–1993)
Players of note
Current roster
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Quarterbacks
- 7 Matt Leinart
- 2 Brian St. Pierre
- 13 Kurt Warner
Running Backs
- 28 J. J. Arrington
- 46 Tim Castille FB
- 34 Tim Hightower
- 32 Edgerrin James
- 45 Terrelle Smith FB
Wide Receivers
- 81 Anquan Boldin
- 15 Steve Breaston KR/PR
- 80 Early Doucet
- 11 Larry Fitzgerald
- 87 Sean Morey
- 85 Jerheme Urban
Tight Ends
- 89 Ben Patrick
- 82 Leonard Pope
- 83 Stephen Spach
- 84 Jerame Tuman
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| Offensive Linemen
- 61 Elton Brown G/T
- 75 Levi Brown T
- 69 Mike Gandy T
- 72 Brandon Keith
T
- 76 Deuce Lutui G
- 70 Pat Ross C/G
- 63 Lyle Sendlein C
- 68 Elliot Vallejo T
- 74 Reggie Wells G/C
Defensive Linemen
- 78 Alan Branch NT
- 93 Calais Campbell
DE
- 90 Darnell Dockett DE
- 79 Kenny Iwebema
DE
- 97 Bryan Robinson NT/DE
- 94 Antonio Smith DE
- 98 Gabe Watson NT
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| Linebackers
- 52 Monty Beisel ILB
- 92 Bertrand Berry OLB/DE
- 58 Karlos Dansby ILB
- 54 Gerald Hayes ILB
- 55 Travis LaBoy OLB/DE
- 56 Chike Okeafor OLB
- 51 Pago Togafau ILB
Defensive Backs
- 27 Michael Adams CB
- 20 Ralph Brown CB
- 47 Aaron Francisco SS
- 25 Eric Green CB
- 26 Roderick Hood CB
- 29 Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
CB
- 21 Antrel Rolle FS
- 22 Matt Ware FS
- 24 Adrian Wilson SS
Special Teams
- 5 Ben Graham P
- 48 Nathan Hodel LS
- 1 Neil Rackers K
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| Reserve Lists
- 53 Clark Haggans OLB (IR)
- 95 Ali Highsmith
ILB (IR)
- 64 Scott Peters C/G (IR)
Practice Squad
- 43 Eduardo Castañeda ILB Int'l
- 73 Keilen Dykes
DE
- 23 Wilrey Fontenot
CB
- 86 Onrea Jones WR
- 19 Lance Long
WR
- 60 Enoka Lucas C/G
- 59 Kelly Poppinga
ILB
- 49 Alex Shor TE
Rookies in italics
updated 2008-12-10
•
53 Active, 3 Inactive, 8 PS
? More rosters
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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 (12 August 2006)
- Jimmy Conzelman, Coach (12 August 2006)
- Dan Dierdorf, T (16 October 2006)
- John "Paddy" Driscoll, QB (12 August 2006)
- Marshall Goldberg, HB (12 August 2006)
- Dick "Night Train" Lane, DB (12 August 2006)
- Ollie Matson, HB (12 August 2006)
- Ernie Nevers, FB (12 August 2006)
- Charley Trippi, HB/QB (12 August 2006)
- Roger Wehrli, CB (14 October 2007)
- Larry Wilson, S (10 September 2006)
- Pat Tillman, S (12 November 2006)
- Aeneas Williams, CB (9 November 2008)
First-round draft picks
The Chicago Years, 1936-1959
[9]
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
|
1940s
Year
| Player
| College
| Position
|
1940
| George Cafego
| Tennessee
| Back
|
1941
| John Kimbrough
| Texas A&M
| Back
|
1942
| Steve Lach
| Duke
| Back
|
1943
| Glenn Dobbs
| Tulsa
| Back
|
1944
| Pat Harder
| Wisconsin
| Back
|
1945
| Charley Trippi
| Georgia
| Back
|
1946
| Dub Jones
| LSU
| Back
|
1947
| DeWit (Tex) Coulter
| Army
| Tackle
|
1948
| Jim Spavital
| Oklahoma A&M
| Back
|
1949
| Bill Fischer
| Notre Dame
| Guard
|
1950s
Year
| Player
| College
| Position
|
1950
| No 1st Rd Pick, Jack Jennings, (2nd Round)
| Ohio State
| Tackle
|
1951
| Jerry Groom
| Notre Dame
| Center
|
1952
| Ollie Matson
| San Francisco
| Back
|
1953
| John Olszewski
| California
| Back
|
1954
| Lamar McHan
| Arkansas
| Back
|
1955
| Max Boydston
| Oklahoma
| End
|
1956
| Joe Childress
| Auburn
| Back
|
1957
| Jerry Tubbs
| Oklahoma
| Center
|
1958
| King Hill
| Rice
| Back
|
1958
| John David Crow
| Texas A&M
| Back
|
1959
| Bill Stacy
| Mississippi State
| Back
|
The St. Louis Years, 1960-1987
Year
| Player
| College
| Position
|
1960
| George Izo
| Notre Dame
| Quarterback
|
1961
| Ken Rice
| Auburn
| Tackle
|
1962
| Fate Echols
| Northwestern
| Defensive Tackle
|
1962
| Irv Goode
| Kentucky
| Center
|
1963
| Jerry Stovall
| LSU
| Safety
|
1963
| Don Brumm
| Purdue
| Defensive End
|
1964
| Ken Kortas
| Louisville
| Defensive Tackle
|
1965
| Joe Namath
| Alabama
| Quarterback
|
1966
| Carl McAdams
| Oklahoma
| Linebacker
|
1967
| Dave Williams
| Washington
| Wide Receiver
|
1968
| MacArthur Lane
| Utah State
| Running Back
|
1969
| Roger Wehrli
| Missouri
| Defensive Back
|
1970s
Year
| Player
| College
| Position
|
1970
| Larry Stegent
| Texas A&M
| Running Back
|
1971
| Norm Thompson
| Utah
| Cornerback
|
1972
| Bobby Moore
| Oregon
| Running Back/Wide Receiver
|
1973
| Dave Butz
| Purdue
| Defensive Tackle
|
1974
| J. V. Cain
| Colorado
| Tight End
|
1975
| Tim Gray
| Texas A&M
| Defensive Back
|
1976
| Mike Dawson
| Arizona
| Defensive Tackle
|
1977
| Steve Pisarkiewicz
| Missouri
| Quarterback
|
1978
| Steve Little
| Arkansas
| Kicker
|
1978
| Ken Greene
| Washington State
| Defensive Back
|
1979
| Ottis Anderson
| Miami
| Running Back
|
1980s
Year
| Player
| College
| Position
|
1980
| Curtis Greer
| Michigan
| Defensive End
|
1981
| E. J. Junior
| Alabama
| Linebacker
|
1982
| Luis Sharpe
| UCLA
| Tackle
|
1983
| Leonard Smith
| McNeese State
| Defensive Back
|
1984
| Clyde Duncan
| Tennessee
| Wide Receiver
|
1985
| Freddie Joe Nunn
| Mississippi
| Linebacker
|
1986
| Anthony Bell
| Michigan State
| Linebacker
|
1987
| Kelly Stouffer
| Colorado State
| Quarterback
|
The Arizona Years, 1988-present
Year
| Player
| College
| Position
|
1988
| Ken Harvey
| California
| Linebacker
|
1989
| Eric Hill
| LSU
| Linebacker
|
1989
| Joe Wolf
| Boston College
| Guard
|
1990
| No 1st Rd Pick, Anthony Thompson (2nd Round)
| Indiana
| Running Back
|
1991
| Eric Swann
| No College
| Defensive End
|
1992
| No 1st Rd Pick, Tony Sacca, (2nd Round)
| Penn State
| Quarterback
|
1993
| Garrison Hearst
| Georgia
| Running Back
|
1993
| Ernest Dye
| South Carolina
| Tackle
|
1994
| Jamir Miller
| UCLA
| Linebacker
|
1995
| No 1st Rd Pick, Frank Sanders, (2nd Round)
| Auburn
| Wide Receiver
|
1996
| Simeon Rice
| Illinois
| Defensive End
|
1997
| Tom Knight
| Iowa
| Defensive Back
|
1998
| Andre Wadsworth
| Florida State
| Defensive End
|
1999
| David Boston
| Ohio State
| Wide Receiver
|
1999
| L.J. Shelton
| Eastern Michigan
| Tackle
|
2000s
Year
| Player
| College
| Position
|
2000
| Thomas Jones
| Virginia
| Running Back
|
2001
| Leonard Davis
| Texas
| Tackle
|
2002
| Wendell Bryant
| Wisconsin
| Defensive Tackle
|
2003
| Bryant Johnson
| Penn State
| Wide Receiver
|
2003
| Calvin Pace
| Wake Forest
| Defensive End
|
2004
| Larry Fitzgerald
| Pittsburgh
| Wide Receiver
|
2005
| Antrel Rolle
| Miami
| Cornerback
|
2006
| Matt Leinart
| Southern California
| Quarterback
|
2007
| Levi Brown
| Penn State
| Left Tackle
|
2008
| Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
| Tennessee State
| Cornerback
|
2009
| Chris Wells
| Ohio State
| Running Back
|
Coaches of note
Head coaches
Current staff
|
|
| Front Office
- Owner/Chairman - Bill Bidwill
- President - Michael Bidwill
- Vice President - Bill Bidwill, Jr.
- General Manager/Vice President of Football Operations - Rod Graves
- Personnel Executive - Jason Licht
- Director of Football Administration - Reggie Terry
- Director of Player Personnel - Steve Keim
Head Coaches
- Head Coach - Ken Whisenhunt
- Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line - Russ Grimm
Offensive Coaches
- Offensive Coordinator - Todd Haley
- Quarterbacks - Jeff Rutledge
- Running Backs - Maurice Carthon
- Wide Receivers - Mike Miller
- Tight Ends - Freddie Kitchens
- Offensive Quality Control - Dedric Ward
|
|
|
Defensive Coaches
- Defensive Coordinator - Clancy Pendergast
- Defensive Line - Ron Aiken
- Linebackers - Billy Davis
- Defensive Backs - Teryl Austin
- Assistant Defensive Backs - Rick Courtright
- Defensive Assistant - Matt Raich
Special Teams Coaches
- Special Teams - Kevin Spencer
Strength and Conditioning
- Strength and Conditioning - John Lott
- Strength and Conditioning Assistant - Pete Alosi
?
? More NFL staffs
|
Radio and television
The Cardinals' flagship radio station was
KMVP, "
ESPN Radio 860." KMVP assumed the broadcast rights in 2006 after many years on
KSLX-FM 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.
Mike Goldberg and
Bill Lewis are the TV announcers.
On
New Year's Day 2007, KMVP began a simulcast of
KTAR, which switched to an all-sports format (the news/talk station became 92.3,
KTAR-FM). For the 2007 season, KTAR was the official flagship station; however, some broadcasts were also be heard on 92.3 FM because of conflicts with
Arizona Diamondbacks baseball games on 620 AM.
Notes and references
- Arizona Cardinals team history, azcardinals.com
- "NFL History 1896-1910", NFL.com
- Arizona Cardinals team history, profootballhof.com
- "'Boys wary of cardiac Cards", ESPN.com December 29, 1998
- 2004 NFL Record & Fact Book
- 2004 NFL Record & Fact Book
- "The Cost of Contending", The Good Point
- "Arizona brushes up logo of outdated bird", MSNBC.com January 29, 2005
- NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Edited by Randall Liu, pp. 393, Workman Publishing, 2001, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2