The Arizona Cardinals are only one of only two charter members in the National Football League in existence today. As an original franchise, the Cardinals goe back to the founding of the league in 1920. The franchise initially began in 1898 as the Morgan Athletic Club in Chicago. They joined the NFL as the Racine Normals. In 1921, the team was purchased by Chris O’Brien for $100 and renamed the Chicago Cardinals.
The term “Normals” can be attribute to thetthe franchise playing their home games at Normal Park from 1920 – 1921. They also played there again from 1926 – 1928. Before becoming the Chicago Cardinals, the Racine team were known as the Racine Cardinals. The moniker was given as they acquired some reddish hand-me-down jerseys from the University of Chicago football team, the Maroons.
The Cardinals had some modest early success; coached by John “Paddy” Driscoll from 1920 – 1924, the team went 6-2-2 in the 1920 season, and compiled a 17-8-4 record over the four years.
Chicago Cardinals win 2 NFL Championships
The Cardinals won two NFL championships, both while the team was in Chicago. The Cardinals won their first championship in 1925 with full back Ernie Nevers being one of their key players. The next and last championship occurred in 1947. Nevers was elected to the Hall of Fame as a Charter Member in 1963.
Charles Bidwell bought the Cardinals in 1933. The franchise is still owned by the Bidwell family. While the team played their games in the 1930s at Wrigley Field and then later at Comiskey Park from 1939 – 1958, the franchise too often had poor attendance and often did not have financially successful seasons. With the growing popularity of television, and facing black out laws from the NFL – if the game was not sold out, the game would not be televised locally – Bidwell received at owner from the Chicago Bears. George Halas offered Bidwell $500,000 over a ten-year period to leave the city. The Chicago Cardinals moved to St. Louis. The move was also spurred on by the reported news that the new American Football League (AFL) was looking to get into the St. Louis market.
Don Coryell era
In 1964, the Cardinals went 9-3-2, but lost in the Playoff Bowl, a consolation game between conference runners-up that existed from 1960- 1969. Since winning a championship game in 1947, and making it back to the title game in 1948, the team has won five divisional titles. In 1974, coached by Don Coryell, the team won a divisional title, and repeated as Divisional title winners the following year. Key players on those teams included quarterback Jim Hart, wide receiver Mel Gray, and offensive tackle Dan Dierdorf. Hart was NFC Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the league in 1974 as he threw for 2,411 and 20 touchdowns with only 8 interceptions.
After the 1987 season, franchise ownership moved the team to Phoenix. Known as the Phoenix Cardinals, the team changed its name to the Arizona Cardinals in 1994.
While in St. Louis, the Cardinals played in Busch Stadium from 1960 – 1965, and then Busch Memorial Stadium from 1966 – 1987.
Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl appearance
In 2008 quarterback Kurt Warner led the Cardinals to a Super Bowl appearance. The team lost to the Pittsburgh Steels 27-23. Other key players on the team included Larry Fitzgerald and wide receiver Anquan Boldin. The Cardinals made the playoffs the following year, but did not fare as well in the playoffs.
The Arizona Cardinals currently play in the National Football Conference (NFC) West Division along with the Los Angeles Rams, San Franscico 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks.
The team won a divisional title in 2015. Key players on the team included quarterback Carson Palmer, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, cornerback Patrick Peterson as well as free safety Tyrann Mathieu.
Barry Schustermann
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