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Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team with roots in Chicago’s Morgan Athletic Club in 1898. A charter member of the league that became the NFLNFLThe NFL (National Football League) is a U.S. professional American football league of 32 clubs. Founded in 1920 as the APFA and renamed in 1922, it is organized into the AFC and NFC, with the season culminating in the Super Bowl.Open the full entry in 1920, the franchise has played in Chicago, St. Louis and Arizona. Its home is State Farm Stadium in Glendale.

Contents14 sections
Key facts

Chicago origins and the team name

The club grew from the Morgan Athletic Club organized by Chris O’Brien in Chicago. Its name came from secondhand University of Chicago jerseys whose faded maroon color O’Brien described as cardinal red. The team’s official chronology dates the naming episode to 1901, while the Pro Football Hall of Fame traces the organization to 1898.⁠[1][2]

League membership and the first championship

In 1920, the Cardinals joined the American Professional Football Association, which later became the NFL. They won their first NFL championship in 1925. The franchise was based in Chicago during this period, before its subsequent moves to other cities.⁠[1]

Nevers’s scoring feat and the Bidwill purchase

Ernie Nevers scored all 40 of the Cardinals’ points in a 40–6 victory over the Chicago Bears in 1929. Charles W. Bidwill purchased the franchise in 1932, beginning the Bidwill family’s long association with the team.⁠[1]

A second league title

The Cardinals, coached by Jimmy Conzelman, defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 28–21 in the 1947 NFL Championship Game. Charles Bidwill had died before the championship season began. The team returned to the title game in 1948.⁠[1][2]

The St. Louis years

The franchise moved from Chicago to St. Louis in 1960 and retained the Cardinals name. Under Don Coryell, it won consecutive NFC East titles in 1974 and 1975, finishing the latter regular season at 11–3.⁠[1][2]

Moving to Arizona and adopting the state name

The team relocated to Arizona in 1988 as the Phoenix Cardinals and played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe. In 1994, it became the Arizona Cardinals, adopting the state’s name instead of Phoenix.⁠[1]

Ending a playoff-win drought

Led by quarterback Jake Plummer, the Cardinals reached the playoffs in the 1998 season and defeated the Dallas Cowboys 20–7 on the road. It was the franchise’s first postseason victory since its 1947 championship.⁠[1][2]

A new home in Glendale

The Cardinals opened their new Glendale stadium in 2006. Originally named University of Phoenix Stadium and now called State Farm Stadium, it features a retractable roof and a roll-out natural-grass field. It replaced Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe as the team’s home.⁠[1][2]

2008–2009 seasons: A first Super Bowl and an overtime playoff win

Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald were central to the offense during the 2008 season. Arizona won the NFC championship and reached Super Bowl XLIII, played in 2009, losing 27–23 to the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the following season’s playoffs, played in 2010, the Cardinals beat the Green Bay PackersGreen Bay PackersThe Green Bay Packers are an NFL professional American football team formed in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 1919 and admitted to the NFL’s predecessor, the APFA, in 1921. A community-owned nonprofit organization, they play at Lambeau Field in Green Bay and have won 13 NFL championships, including four Super Bowls.Open the full entry 51–45 in overtime.⁠[1][2]

A division title and a playoff return

Arizona won the NFC West at 13–3 in the 2015 season and advanced to the NFC Championship Game. In 2021, the Cardinals opened with seven consecutive wins and returned to the playoffs with an 11–6 record.⁠[2]

Mike LaFleur announced as head coach

The Cardinals announced Mike LaFleur as head coach, succeeding Jonathan Gannon, on a five-year agreement. LaFleur had spent the previous three seasons as the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive coordinator and had previously held that role with the New York Jets. Owner Michael Bidwill and general manager Monti Ossenfort explained the appointment in the team’s announcement.⁠[3]

Name, league and home city

The Arizona Cardinals are an NFL team. Arizona is the state represented by the name; the current home stadium is in Glendale. Chicago Cardinals, St. Louis Cardinals and Phoenix Cardinals are former names of the same football franchise. In this context, St. Louis Cardinals refers to the football team, not the baseball club of that name.⁠[1][2][4]

Related organizations, websites and public accounts

Arizona Cardinals: Official website: https://www.azcardinals.com/ (opens in a new window) .⁠[5]

Sources

  1. Arizona Cardinals — Team History (opens in a new window)
  2. Cardinals Essentials — History, Stadium and Social Accounts (opens in a new window)
  3. Cardinals Choose Mike LaFleur As New Head Coach (opens in a new window)
  4. Arizona Cardinals — NFL Team Profile (opens in a new window)
  5. Arizona Cardinals — Official Website (opens in a new window)