50 Fun Facts About Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals franchise dates to 1898 and a Chicago neighbourhood team called what?

They are the oldest continuously run pro football franchise in the US and, with the Bears, one of two surviving 1920 charter members.

How did the team get the name 'Cardinals'?

He bought the maroon hand-me-downs from the University of Chicago in 1901; the club has worn cardinal red ever since.

The team entered the NFL in 1920 under a name that suggested Wisconsin but actually came from what?

They became the Chicago Cardinals in 1922 to avoid confusion with the Horlick-Racine Legion from Wisconsin.

The Cardinals' first NFL title, in 1925, is still disputed by supporters of which team?

Pottsville was suspended for playing in another team's territory; the Cardinals padded their record against two teams that had already disbanded.

Cardinals fullback Ernie Nevers set a still-standing NFL record in 1929 by scoring how many points in one game?

He scored six touchdowns and kicked four extra points against the Bears on Thanksgiving Day.

To which city did the Cardinals move in 1960?

Locals called them the Big Red, the Gridbirds or the Football Cardinals to distinguish them from the baseball team.

In 28 seasons in their second home city, how many playoff games did the Cardinals win?

They reached the postseason only in 1974, 1975 and 1982, never hosting; their one 'win' was the 1964 third-place Playoff Bowl over Green Bay.

What was the team called for its first six seasons in Arizona before the 1994 name change?

The owner moved the team on a handshake deal in 1988; it played at Sun Devil Stadium on Arizona State's campus for 18 seasons.

Which team did the Cardinals beat 20–7 in January 1999 for their first playoff win since 1947?

Jake 'the Snake' Plummer, an Arizona State product, was the quarterback; the run ended 41–21 in Minnesota.

Which Cardinals safety turned down $3.6 million in 2002 to enlist in the Army and was killed in Afghanistan in 2004?

The Arizona State All-American joined the Rangers; it later emerged he had been killed by friendly fire.

Dennis Green's 'they are who we thought they were' rant followed a collapse against which team?

The Cardinals blew a 20-point lead on Monday night; 'if you want to crown 'em, then crown their ass!' became a coaching meme.

Which head coach took the Cardinals to Super Bowl XLIII in his second season?

He was hired in 2007 and fired after 2012; the 2008 team beat Atlanta, Carolina and Philadelphia to reach the franchise's first Super Bowl.

Which quarterback, once a $5.50-an-hour grocery stocker, led the Cardinals to Super Bowl XLIII?

He had already won a Super Bowl with the Rams; his Arizona years put him in the Hall of Fame.

Super Bowl XLIII was decided by which Steelers receiver's toe-tap catch with 35 seconds left?

Larry Fitzgerald's 64-yard score had given Arizona its first lead with 2:37 to go; the Steelers won 27–23.

Which Steelers linebacker returned an interception 100 yards to end the first half of Super Bowl XLIII?

It was then the longest play in Super Bowl history and swung a game the Cardinals were about to lead.

Larry Fitzgerald was drafted third overall in 2004 out of which college?

He retired second in NFL history in both receptions and receiving yards, all of them for one franchise.

Larry Fitzgerald ranks where all-time in NFL career receiving yards and receptions?

Only Jerry Rice is ahead of him; he also ranks sixth in receiving touchdowns.

The Cardinals' 2015 team set a franchise-record regular season mark. What was it?

They beat Green Bay in overtime for Carson Palmer's first playoff win, then were routed in the NFC title game in Carolina.

Which head coach retired after 2017 having led the Cardinals to their best record in Arizona?

He un-retired a year later to coach Tampa Bay and won a Super Bowl with Tom Brady.

Kyler Murray, first overall in 2019, had already been a first-round pick in which other sport?

The Oklahoma Heisman winner was the first player drafted in the first round of both the NFL and MLB drafts.

Which head coach hired in 2019 drafted Kyler Murray and was fired after a 4–13 season in 2022?

The former Texas Tech coach went 11–6 and made the playoffs in 2021, then collapsed the next year.

Which All-Pro receiver did the Cardinals acquire from Houston in a lopsided 2020 trade?

The Texans got running back David Johnson and a second-round pick; the trade was widely mocked at the time.

Which Ohio State receiver, son of a Colts Hall of Famer, did Arizona draft fourth overall in 2024?

He was a two-time unanimous All-American and 2023 Biletnikoff Award winner.

What unusual dubious record did the 2025 Cardinals set on the way to a 3–14 season?

Jonathan Gannon was fired in January 2026 and Rams coordinator Mike LaFleur was hired.

The Cardinals' Glendale stadium, opened in 2006, is famous for what engineering feature?

The whole field slides outside on rails to soak up the sun; combined with a retractable roof, Business Week called it one of the ten most impressive sports facilities on Earth.

The Cardinals have never lost a home playoff game, unique in the NFL. What is their home playoff record?

The 1947 title game plus wins in the 2008, 2009 and 2015 postseasons; away from home it is a different story.

Which team is the Cardinals' oldest rival, the only other franchise left from the NFL's 1920 founding?

'The Battle of Chicago' ran for 38 years from 1922; the Bears led 59–29–6 all-time.

Which team is the Cardinals' oldest and most intense divisional rival, first met in 1937?

Both clubs spent time in the same Missouri city; the Rams led 50–40–2 and were 15–3 in the series after hiring Sean McVay.

As of 2025, how many seasons was the Cardinals' title drought, the longest active in North American sport?

MLB's Cleveland Guardians, last champions in 1948, are next; the Cardinals won the year before that.

Which retired Cardinals number was re-issued to J. J. Watt in 2021?

Goldberg was a star of the 1947 champions; Watt played two seasons in Arizona.

Which Georgia halfback, a Hall of Famer who lived to 100, starred on the 1947 champion Cardinals?

He was part of the famed 'Dream Backfield' and played in Chicago from 1947 to 1955.

Which Cardinals cornerback, a 1991 pick from Southern, entered the Hall of Fame in 2014?

He spent ten seasons with the Phoenix and Arizona Cardinals before finishing with the Rams.

Where did the Cardinals play their home games from 1988 to 2005?

It sits on the Arizona State University campus; the team's offices remain in Tempe until a move to north Phoenix in 2028.

Where did the Cardinals hold summer training camp for almost every year from 1988 to 2012?

Northern Arizona University's altitude offered cool weather; the one exception was 2005 in Prescott, and camp is now held at the stadium.

Fans derisively nicknamed the Cardinals' pre-2005 helmet logo what?

The 2005 makeover made the bird sleeker and meaner and was the first major change in a century.

What appeared on the Cardinals' sleeves from 1989, a year after the move west?

Coach Joe Bugel added red pants in 1990 to copy his old Washington team; blue later replaced black as an accent to match the flag.

Which owner moved the team west to Arizona in 1988?

He had bought out his brother in 1972; a 21-year-old stadium and shrinking crowds drove the decision.

How many division titles have the Cardinals won since their 1947–48 championship-game appearances?

1974 and 1975 in Missouri, then 2008, 2009 and 2015 in Arizona.

The 2008 Cardinals won the franchise's only NFC Championship Game since the merger by beating which team?

They had beaten Atlanta and Carolina first; it was the team's first Super Bowl in its 88-year NFL history.

The 3–13 record of 2018 tied the franchise's worst 16-game season, first set in which year?

Vince Tobin was fired after a 2–5 start that year and Dave McGinnis went 1–8 the rest of the way.

The Cardinals' 2015 NFC Championship Game defeat in Carolina featured how many Arizona turnovers?

The 49–15 rout came against a 15–1 Panthers team; it was the club's second conference title game.

The Cardinals' 1948 title-game rematch with the Eagles was lost 7–0 in what conditions?

Charles Bidwill had died eight months before the 1947 win; his widow Violet later moved the near-bankrupt club out of Chicago.

Which team became a bitter NFC West rival of the Cardinals only after the NFL's 2002 realignment?

The two clubs jockeyed for the division through the mid-to-late 2010s, making it one of the league's newer feuds.

When the Cardinals entered the NFL in 1920, their oldest rivals were still playing under what name?

By 1922 the matchup was being billed as 'The Battle of Chicago'.

Which eventual Super Bowl champion routed the 2009 Cardinals 45–14 in the divisional playoffs?

That 10–6 season was the club's first with double-digit wins since moving to Arizona.

Who is the Cardinals' all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns, with 34,639 and 209?

He played for the franchise from 1966 to 1983 and shares its record for the longest completion, 98 yards.

Whose 4,671 yards in 2015 set the Cardinals' single-season passing record?

He threw 35 touchdowns that year, also a franchise record, on the way to the NFC Championship Game.

Which running back holds the Cardinals' career rushing record with 7,999 yards?

His 1,605 yards in 1979 remain the single-season mark, averaging 100.3 per game.

Who is the Cardinals' career sacks leader, with 71.5 between 2016 and 2021?

Sacks only became an official statistic in 1982, so earlier pass rushers do not appear on the list.

Who was the Cardinals' first head coach, going 17–8–4 from 1920 to 1922?

The franchise has had 42 head coaches; Conzelman, Jim Hanifan and Ken Whisenhunt are tied as the longest-serving.