- 1960
- 1984
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Moving to St. Louis
Chicago Cardinals owner Violet Bidwill had married St. Louis businessman Walter Wolfner in 1949, two years after inheriting the team from her late first husband, Charles Bidwill. When it became obvious that the Cardinals could no longer hope to compete with the Chicago Bears, a move to St. Louis seemed to make sense. The NFL conducted a survey of St. ... -
Move to Arizona
The overall mediocrity of the Cardinals, combined with an old stadium, caused game attendance to dwindle, and once again the Bidwill’s decided to move the team, this time to either Baltimore, Phoenix, or Jacksonville. Nonetheless, Cardinals fans were unhappy at losing their team, and Bill Bidwill, fearing for his safety, stayed away from several of the 1987 home games. Their ...
History of the Cardinals
From 1960 to 1987, the professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals played in St. Louis, Missouri, as the St. Louis Cardinals.
The team moved from Chicago to St. Louis in 1960 and played their first home game there on October 2 at Sportsman's Park against the New York Giants. Their last home game in St. Louis played at Busch Memorial Stadium on December 13, 1987, was also against the Giants. Their last game as a St. Louis-based club was on December 27, 1987, at the Dallas Cowboys.
During the Cardinals' 28 years in St. Louis, they advanced to the playoffs just four times (1964, 1974, 1975, and 1982), and never hosted a playoff game. Their only postseason win came in the 1964 Playoff Bowl.
Their winning percentage of .481 during their time in St. Louis—187 victories, 202 losses, and 13 ties—is better than those in the other two cities the Cardinals have called home.
The team moved to Tempe, Arizona, in 1988.
Established
1920
City
Chicago - St. Louis - Phoenix
League History
1920 – Present / National Football League
Team History
1994 - Present / Arizona Cardinals
1988 - 1993 / Phoenix Cardinals
1960 - 1987 / St. Louis Cardinals
1945 - 1959 / Chicago Cardinals
1944 / Card-Pitt
1920 - 1943 / Chicago Cardinals
Nickname
Cardinals - The "Cardinals" began play in Chicago in 1898 before moving to St. Louis in 1960 and Arizona in 1988. See the nickname description of the Chicago Cardinals.
Championship
Super Bowl 0
NFL Championship 0
1947, 1925
Stadium
2019 - Present / State Farm Stadium
2006 - 2018 / University of Phoenix Stadium
1988 - 2005 / Sun Devil Stadium
*St. Louis*
1966 - 1987 / Busch Memorial Stadium
1960 - 1965 / Busch Stadium
*Chicago*
1959 / Soldier Field & Metropolitan Stadium
1922 - 1925, 1929 - 1958 / Comiskey Park
1920 - 1921, 1926 - 1928 / Normal Park
Owner
2019 - Present / Michael Bidwill
1972 - 2019 / Bill Bidwill
1962 - 1972 / Bill Bidwill and Charles Bidwill, Jr.
1947 - 1962 / Violet Bidwill Wolfner
1933 - 1947 / Charles Bidwill
1929 - 1933 / Dr. David Jones
1898 - 1929 / Chris O'Brien
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
Retired Number
8 / Larry Wilson
40 / Pat Tillman
77 / Stan Mauldin
88 / J. V. Cain
99 / Marshall Goldberg
*Blue is this team’s history