Top 50 Arizona Cardinals
The most tenured team in the National Football League, the Arizona Cardinals have taken a long road, traversed multiple cities, and seen more hard times than good.
Formed in 1898 as the Morgan Athletic Club, they would be renamed the Racine Normals for two years before becoming the Racing Cardinals. Twenty years later, they were charter members of the National Football League as the Chicago Cardinals.
In the Windy City, the franchise won two titles, the first in 1925, disputed by the Pottsville Maroons, but there was no NFL Championship Game back then. The second title is undisputed, as with their "Million Dollar Backfield," they won the Championship Game in 1947, the last title they have won.
Taking a backseat to the Bears in Chicago, the Cardinals relocated to St. Louis in 1961. They only made the playoffs thrice in St. Louis and relocated again in 1987, becoming the Phoenix Cardinals. That name would change again to the Arizona Cardinals, and with Kurt Warner as their Quarterback, they made it to their first Super Bowl in the 2008 Season. They did not win but appear to have a permanent home in the desert.
Note: Football lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics, and post-season accolades.
This list is up to the end of the 2022 Season.
A two-way star at Utah, Larry Wilson barely reached six feet, which was primarily why he dropped to the Seventh Round of the 1960 NFL Draft, and it would not take long to see that he was the steal of the day. A Cardinal for the entirety of his 12 NFL campaigns, Wilson was one of the most outstanding Safety…
Named the Big East Offensive Player of the Year in 2003, Larry Fitzgerald shattered his accomplishments at the University of Pittsburgh with a spectacular 17-year career that was spent entirely with Arizona. After a solid rookie year, Fitzgerald broke out in his sophomore season, accumulating 1,409 Yards and 10 Touchdowns. The 11-time Pro Bowler broke four digits in Yards eight…
Charley Trippi was a coveted player from the University of Georgia, and the New York Yankees of the upstart All-American Football Conference thought they had him locked up. The Chicago Cardinals, who drafted him first overall, earned his services when Cardinals owner Charles Bidwell signed him to what was a massive contract at the time, $100,000 over four years. Trippi…
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As Larry Wilson’s career was winding down, the St. Louis Cardinals had another star Defensive Back in Roger Werhli to take over command of the secondary. An All-American at Missouri, Wehrli impressed scouts with his speed at the combine, which allegedly propelled him to a late First Round Pick. Some pundits at the time might have thought it was a…
Considered to be the best Offensive Lineman in Cardinals history, Dan Dierdorf was the game’s premier Tackle in the 1970s. A Cardinal throughout his 13 NFL seasons, Dierdorf settled into the Right Tackle slot in his fourth year. The move was perfect for Dierdorf, who would earn Pro Bowl accolades that year and the next four, with a sixth one…
The Professional Football career of Aeneas Williams was extraordinary, as he was a walk-on at Southern during his junior year and two years later would be a third round pick. Williams was not on anyone's radar for greatness, but that is what he became in a career that began with the Cardinals. Winning the starting Cornerback on the right side,…
The Cardinals have been blessed with phenomenal Defensive Backs, haven’t they? With Patrick Peterson's arrival in 2011, Peterson followed along the Cardinals' tradition of great DBs, and among them all, he had the best rookie year. Winning the starting job at Right Corner, Peterson was a Pro Bowl Selection for his Punt Returning, having returned four for Touchdowns and leading…
The speed of Jackie Smith earned him a late-round selection (10th Round) in 1963 by St. Louis, who converted the Flanker into Tight End. Smith was an excellent blocker, but his receiving skills helped transform the position, and he amassed 7,918 Yards with 40 Touchdowns from the air. He also earned five consecutive Pro Bowl Selections (1966-70). Notably, Smith also…
Ollie Matson, a 4x400 Olympic Gold Medalist in the 1952 Helsinki Games, already had plans after achieving huge Track and Field success; he was already the Third Overall Draft Pick by the Chicago Cardinals. Matson had a strong rookie year with 1,326 All-Purpose Yards, a Pro Bowl, and a First Team All-Pro Selection. He missed 1953 due to military service…
Ernie Nevers was one of the best professional players in Football in 1926 and 1927, starring for the Duluth Eskimos, but it was a different time, and he left the pro ranks to coach at Stanford for a year. Despite saying that he would not return to the gridiron, the lure of the game proved too great, and Nevers joined…
Is there a cooler-sounding name than Dick "Night Train” Lane? Maybe, but it is not by much. Nicknamed after the early R&B Instrumental of the same name, Lane was a rarity because he walked on to a professional team (Los Angeles Rams) years after playing in college. Lane asked for (and received) a tryout and subsequently made the team and…
As the passing game opened up, many Quarterbacks received their due as national stars. Jim Hart was one of the new breed of pivots, though he did not generate the same buzz as some of his peers. It wasn't that the Cardinals didn't have any good seasons while Hart played there, as in the mid-70s, they rifled off three consecutive…
Another Cardinal, another Defensive Back. A Third Round Pick in 2001 from North Carolina State, Wilson would become the team's starting Strong Safety as a sophomore and held that spot for 11 years. Wilson earned his first Pro Bowl in 2006 and would later boast a four-year streak from 2008 to 2011, which included a First Team All=Pro Selection in…
Ken Gray was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 1958 but was unable to make their roster. The Chicago Cardinals took a shot on him, using him at Defensive End as a rookie, but the season after, he was moved to Right Guard, a position he would thrive in. The Cardinals relocated to St. Louis in 1960, and while…
The story of Duke Slater is unique, as very few men can say that they have blazed paths as much as he did. Slater played his college ball at the University of Iowa, helping them win a share of the National Championship. He signed with the Rock Island Independents following his college career, making him the first African-American Linemen in…
Ottis Anderson made University of Miami history as the first Running Back to go for over 1,000 Yards. The NFL took notice, and St. Louis, who had the Ninth Overall Pick, grabbed the dual-threat Running Back. Anderson had one of the best rookie seasons among rushers, what turned out to be his career-high in Rushing Yards (1,605) and Yards From…
Marshall Goldberg was a major star at the University of Pittsburgh and would ply his trade well for the Chicago Cardinals. Goldberg did it all in the early 1940s, especially in the 1941 season, where he rushed for 427 Yards, received passes for 313 Yards, and was the top finisher in Kick Return Yards (290), earning him the league lead…
Save for his final season as a Green Bay Packer, Ernie McMillan enjoyed a long career as a starting Offensive Tackle for the St. Louis Cardinals, a team he played 14 straight years (1961-74). McMillan started three Games as a rookie in 1961, and over the next 12 years, he was St. Louis's starter at Right Tackle over the next…
Dockett raised his draft value late in his final year at Florida State, and the Cardinals felt he was worthy of their 2004 Third Round Pick. They were proven right. An All-Rookie and immediate starter at Defensive End, Dockett had his first Pro Bowl in 2007. Two more would follow in 2009 and 2010 when he shifted to Defensive Tackle,…