Arizona Cardinals Tickets For Sale
| Arizona Cardinals Originating in 1898, the Cardinals are the oldest professional football franchise in American history. Beginning in Chicago, the team represented the Morgan Athletic Club, then the Racine Normals after they began playing home games at Normal Park on Chicago's Racine Avenue. When the team purchased used maroon uniforms from the University of Chicago, owner Chris O'Brien, noting the faded colors of the uniforms, declared them to be Cardinal Red rather than maroon, and a new nickname was born. Officially joining the new American Professional Football Association in 1921, the Cardinals and the Bears are the only two remaining charter members. In 1922, the team name was changed to the Chicago Cardinals to avoid confusion with a team based in Racine, Wis. The Cardinals won their first championship in 1925, but then went into a 20-year drought, with only two winning seasons during the span from 1925-1945. O'Brien sold the team to David Jones in 1929, who subsequently sold the team to Charles Bidwill in 1932, and the Bidwill family has maintained ownership for nearly 80 years since. In 1947, the Cardinals, led by their "Million-Dollar-Backfield," captured the first (and to date, only) championship in franchise history, defeating Philadelphia. The same two teams returned to the title game the following year but the Eagles prevailed, 7-0. Over the next ten seasons, the team was lousy, winning just 33 games . Completely over-shadowed in Chicago by the Bears and facing bankruptcy, the Bidwills'relocated the franchise to St. Louis in 1960, where they remained until 1987. In the 28-year stint in St. Louis, the Cardinals made the postseason just three times and never won a playoff game. By the late 1980s, the fan base had become disillusioned by losing records as well as the city's repeated refusal to appropriate funding for a new stadium. When city officials in Phoenix, Arizona, along with state officials agreed to fund new facilities, owner Bill Bidwill relocated the franchise, where they became the Phoenix Cardinals, renamed the Arizona Cardinals in 1994. For nearly the first decade in Arizona, the Cardinals regularly finished in the bottom of their division, while going through numerous coaching changes. It wasn't until the 1998 season that they returned to the postseason for the first time since 1982. A late-season surge rewarded them with a wild-card berth against the heavily-favored Dallas Cowboys. The Cardinals shocked everyone by winning, 20-7, thus earning the franchise its first playoff victory since 1948. That landmark victory was short-lived however, as the team soon returned to its mediocre ways, never winning more than seven games in a season between 1999-2006. The team moved into a brand new stadium prior for the 2006 season, but victories were still few and far between. New coach Ken Whisenhunt was hired for the 2007 season, and although the team finished 8-8 in his first season, a definite improvement in the team's play and attitude was apparent. These changes bore fruit during the next season, as they survived a late-season swoon, and, aided by a weak NFC West, won the division title with a 9-7 record. Despite being underdogs, the Cardinals defied the odds and with wins over Atlanta, Carolina and Philadelphia, advanced to the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history. They performed admirably, but eventually fell to Pittsburgh, 27-23. The Cardinals continued their winning ways in 2009, finishing 10-6 and capturing a second consecutive NFC West crown. Then, following a thrilling 51-45 overtime win over Green Bay, the Cardinals fell victim to eventual Super Bowl champion New Orleans. |