Arizona Cardinals

**History** edit **Chicago Cardinals (1920–1959)** edit - The Morgan Athletic Club (pictured c. 1900), predecessor to the Arizona Cardinals The franchise dates to 1898, when a neighborhood group gathered to play on the South Side of Chicago, calling themselves the Morgan Athletic Club. Chicago painting and building contractor Chris O'Brien acquired the team, which he moved to Normal Field on Racine Avenue. The team was known as the Racine Normals until 1901, when O'Brien bought used jerseys from the University of Chicago. After he described the faded maroon clothing as "Cardinal red", the team became the Racine Street Cardinals. Eventually in 1920, the team became a charter member of the American Professional Football Association (APFA), which was rechristened the National Football League (NFL) two years later. The team entered the league as the Racine Cardinals, but changed their name to the Chicago Cardinals in 1922 to avoid confusion with the Horlick-Racine Legion, who entered the league the same year. **NFL champions (1925)** edit In 1925, the Cardinals were awarded the NFL Championship after the Pottsville Maroons were suspended for playing a game in what was deemed "another team's territory". Having beat the Cardinals in a head-to-head game earlier in the season, the Pottsville Maroons won their extra game against the University of Notre Dame, helping them finish the year with the same record as the Cardinals. The Cardinals were also guilty of breaking NFL rules by scheduling two additional games against the Hammond Pros and the Milwaukee Badgers, both of whom had already disbanded for the season. The game against the Badgers spurred a scandal when the Badgers filled out their roster with four high school players, in violation of NFL rules. **NFL Champions (1947)** edit During the post-World War II years, the team reached two straight NFL finals against the Philadelphia Eagles, winning in 1947 (eight months after Charles Bidwill's death) but losing the following year. In the late 1950s, after years of bad seasons and losing fans to their crosstown rivals, the Chicago Bears, the Cardinals were almost bankrupt, and owner Violet Bidwill Wolfner became interested in moving the team to a new city. **St. Louis Cardinals (1960–1987)** edit Due to the formation of the rival American Football League, the NFL allowed Bidwill to move the team to St. Louis, Missouri, where they became the St. Louis Cardinals. They were locally called the "Big Red", the "Gridbirds" or the "Football Cardinals" to avoid confusion with the local baseball team of the same name. During the Cardinals' 28-year stay in St. Louis, they advanced to the playoffs just three times (1974, 1975 and 1982), never hosting or winning. They did, however, win the Playoff Bowl, a now-defunct post-season game for third place, in 1964 against the Green Bay Packers by a score of 24–17. The overall mediocrity of the Cardinals, combined with a then-21-year-old stadium, caused game attendance to dwindle, and owner Bill Bidwill decided to move the team to Arizona. **Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals (1988–present)** edit Not long after the end of the 1987 NFL season, Bidwill agreed to move to Phoenix on a handshake deal with state and local officials, and the team became the Phoenix Cardinals. The team changed their name to the Arizona Cardinals on March 17, 1994. The Cardinals hired Vince Tobin as head coach before the 1996 season. In his first season, he led the team to a 7–9 mark in the 1996 season. The team regressed in the 1997 season with a 4–12 record. The 1998 NFL season saw the Cardinals break two long droughts, qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in 16 years. The team got their first postseason win since 1947 by defeating the Dallas Cowboys 20–7 in the wild card round of the playoffs. The Cardinals saw their run end in the Divisional Round with a 41–21 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. The Cardinals regressed to a 6–10 record in the 1999 season. In the 2000 season, Tobin was fired after a 2–5 start. Dave McGinnis finished the season out with a 1–8 record. Before the 2001 season, the Cardinals named McGinnis as their head coach. He coached for three seasons, regressing each year record-wise. He was fired by the team after the 2003 season. Before the 2004 season, the Cardinals hired Dennis Green as head coach. He coached the team to three consecutive losing seasons and was fired after the 2006 season. The Cardinals hired Ken Whisenhunt as head coach before the 2007 season. In his first season with the team, Whisenhunt led the Cardinals to an 8–8 record in the 2007 season. In the 2008 postseason, the Cardinals, led by quarterback Kurt Warner, won the Wild Card Round over the Atlanta Falcons, the Divisional Round against the Carolina Panthers, and the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles to advance to the Super Bowl for the first time in their history. They lost Super Bowl XLIII 27–23 to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the final seconds of the game. After their historic 2008 season, the Cardinals posted a 10–6 record in 2009, their first season with 10 wins in Arizona. The Cardinals clinched their second consecutive NFC West title but were defeated by eventual Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints, 45–14 in the divisional playoffs. After the 2012 season, the Cardinals fired Whisenhunt as head coach. Before the 2013 season, the team hired Bruce Arians as head coach. Arians' first season with the team saw the Cardinals go 10–6 but miss the postseason in 2013. The next time they would make the playoffs would be in 2014, as a wild card. They set the best regular season record in their history in Arizona at 11–5 but were defeated by the 7–8–1 NFC South champions, the Carolina Panthers. The next year, the Cardinals set a franchise-best 13–3 record and clinched their a first round bye as the NFC's second seed. They defeated the Green Bay Packers 26–20 in overtime, giving quarterback Carson Palmer his first playoff victory. The Cardinals then advanced to their second NFC Championship Game in their history but were blown out by the top-seeded 15–1 Panthers 49–15, committing seven turnovers. The Cardinals then fell to 7–8–1 in 2016 and 8–8 in 2017. After the 2017 season, Arians retired as head coach. The Cardinals hired Steve Wilks to be the head coach before the 2018 season. The team dropped to a 3–13 record in 2018, tying the franchise record set in 2000 for the worst record in a 16-game season. Wilks was fired after the season. The Cardinals hired Kliff Kingsbury as head coach before the 2019 season. In the 2019 NFL draft, the Cardinals used the top overall pick in the draft on Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray. The team improved to 5–10–1 in 2019 and 8–8 in 2020. In 2021, the Cardinals went 11–6, posting a winning record and returning to the postseason for the first time since 2015, but lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round. They failed to improve their record in 2022, dropping to the bottom of NFC West at 4–13, and missing the playoffs. Kingsbury was fired as head coach after the 2022 season. Under first year head coach Jonathan Gannon, the Cardinals once again finished in fourth in the NFC West with a 4–13 record in 2023. In 2024, they finished with an 8–9 record. In 2025, the Arizona Cardinals set NFL history as the first team to lose three consecutive games by a last second game winning field goal ^ Griffith, R.D. (2012). To the NFL: You Sure Started Somethin': A Historical Guide of All 32 NFL Teams and the Cities They've Played In. Dorrance Publishing. p. 2. ISBN 978-1434916815. - ^ Fleming, David (January 30, 2008). "Fleming: Cardinals/Pottsville curse". ESPN. Retrieved July 31, 2024. - ^ "Championship - Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Cardinals - December 28th, 1947". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 31, 2024. - ^ "Championship - Chicago Cardinals at Philadelphia Eagles - December 19th, 1948". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 31, 2024. - ^ Wyche, Steve (June 29, 2011). "Before coming to desert, Cards were substandard in St. Louis". SuperBowl.com. NFL Enterprises, LLC. Archived from the original on April 20, 2016. Retrieved June 11, 2016. Having grown up in St. Louis, I was always resigned to the fact that the football Cardinals, regardless of where they were located, would never play in a Super Bowl. - ^ Baum, Bob (October 2, 2019). "Longtime Cardinals owner William V. Bidwill dies at 88". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved July 31, 2024. - ^ Eskenazi, Gerald (March 16, 1988). "N.F.L. Approves Team Shift". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 11, 2016. - ^ Cite error: The named reference CardinalsHOF was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "Arizona Cardinals Team History". ProFootballHOF.com. NFL Enterprises, LLC. Archived from the original on May 18, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2020. - ^ "TOBIN GETS CARDS' HEAD COACHING JOB". Chicago Tribune. February 8, 1996. Retrieved August 19, 2024. - ^ "1996 Arizona Cardinals Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved August 19, 2024. - ^ "1997 Arizona Cardinals Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved August 19, 2024. - ^ "Arizona Cardinals Playoff History". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 1, 2025. - ^ Gurnick, Ken (December 28, 1998). "PRO FOOTBALL; Last-Second Field Goal Ends Cardinals' Playoff Drought". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 3, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2019. - ^ "1998 Arizona Cardinals Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved August 19, 2024. - ^ "1999 Arizona Cardinals Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved August 19, 2024. - ^ "Tobin Fired As Arizona Coach". CBS News. October 23, 2000. Retrieved August 19, 2024. - ^ "2000 Arizona Cardinals Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved August 19, 2024. - ^ "Cards To Keep McGinnis Around". CBS News. December 17, 2000. Retrieved August 19, 2024. - ^ "Dave McGinnis Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved August 19, 2024. - ^ Baum, Bob (December 29, 2003). "McGinnis fired by Cardinals". Arizona Daily Sun. Retrieved August 19, 2024. - ^ Weinfuss, Josh (July 22, 2016). "Dennis Green's first draft as coach helped turn Cardinals around". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 19, 2024. - ^ "Dennis Green Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved August 19, 2024. - ^ "Red light for Green: 5-11 Cardinals can coach". ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 1, 2007. Retrieved August 19, 2024. - ^ Pasquarelli, Len (January 14, 2007). "Whisenhunt hired as Cardinals' new head coach". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 5, 2024. - ^ "2007 Arizona Cardinals Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved August 19, 2024. - ^ "Wild Card - Atlanta Falcons at Arizona Cardinals - January 3rd, 2009". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved August 19, 2024. - ^ "Divisional Round - Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers - January 10th, 2009". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved August 19, 2024. - ^ "NFC Championship - Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals - January 18th, 2009". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved August 19, 2024. - ^ "Super Bowl XLIII – Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arizona Cardinals – February 1st, 2009". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 19, 2024. - ^ Root, Jess (January 30, 2019). "Larry Fitzgerald's Super Bowl TD is 'forgotten play' Cardinals fans will never forget". Cards Wire. USA Today. Retrieved August 19, 2024. - ^ "2009 Arizona Cardinals Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 19, 2024. - ^ "Divisional Round – Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints – January 16th, 2010". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 19, 2024. - ^ "Cards fire Ken Whisenhunt, Graves". ESPN.com. December 31, 2012. Retrieved August 5, 2024. - ^ "Bruce Arians named Cardinals coach". ESPN.com. January 18, 2013. Retrieved August 5, 2024. - ^ Koch, Jim (July 19, 2021). "Arizona Cardinals were robbed of playoff spot back in 2013". Raising Zona. Retrieved August 5, 2024. - ^ "Wild Card – Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers – January 3rd, 2015". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 19, 2024. - ^ "2015 NFL Standings & Team Stats". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 19, 2024. - ^ McManaman, Bob (January 17, 2016). "Carson Palmer finally wins his 1st career playoff game". azcentral.com. Retrieved August 19, 2024. - ^ Wesseling, Chris (January 24, 2016). "Arizona Cardinals' biggest stars fall flat in Carolina". National Football League. NFL Enterprises, LLC. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2017. - ^ "2016 Arizona Cardinals Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 19, 2024. - ^ "2017 Arizona Cardinals Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 19, 2024. - ^ Sessler, Marc (January 1, 2018). "Bruce Arians retires after five seasons with Cardinals". National Football League. Retrieved August 5, 2024. - ^ Weinfuss, Josh (January 22, 2018). "Cardinals hoping patience in coaching search pays off with Steve Wilks hire". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 5, 2024. - ^ "2018 Arizona Cardinals Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 19, 2024. - ^ Patra, Kevin (December 31, 2018). "Steve Wilks fired by Cardinals after one year with team". National Football League. Retrieved August 5, 2024. - ^ Weinfuss, Josh (January 9, 2019). "Cardinals give Kliff Kingsbury four-year deal to be new head coach". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 5, 2024. - ^ Patra, Kevin (April 25, 2019). "Kyler Murray drafted No. 1 overall by Arizona Cardinals". National Football League. Retrieved August 5, 2024. - ^ "2019 Arizona Cardinals Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 19, 2024. - ^ "2020 Arizona Cardinals Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 19, 2024. - ^ "2021 Arizona Cardinals Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 19, 2024. - ^ "Wild Card – Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams – January 17th, 2022". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 19, 2024. - ^ "2022 NFL Standings & Team Stats". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 19, 2024. - ^ Patra, Kevin (January 9, 2023). "Cardinals fire head coach Kliff Kingsbury following 4-13 season; GM Steve Keim stepping down". NFL.com. Retrieved August 5, 2024. - ^ Weiner, Alex (October 6, 2025). "Cardinals making dubious NFL history with last-second losses". Arizona Sports. Retrieved October 16, 2025.