My All Time Favorite Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals are the oldest franchise in the history of the NFL. The Cardinals were originally based in Chicago when they first joined the league. The team spent 49 years in the Windy City before moving to St. Louis ahead of the 1960 season. Those early Cardinals teams features multiple Hall of Famers like Charley Trippi, Ernie Nevers and John “Paddy” Driscoll. The last Cardinals team to win a championship was based in Chicago, and the year was 1947.

The St. Louis Cardinals featured some great players as well. Dan Dierdorf is a Hall of Fame lineman who spent his entire 13 year career in St. Louis. The same goes for Hall of Fame tight end Jackie Smith and cornerback Roger Wehrli. These players were some of the best Cardinals in team history. Ottis Anderson is considered one of the greatest Cardinals ever. Though the team made the playoffs only once during his time with the team, Anderson still holds several team records.

The Cardinals are currently based in Phoenix, and are now called the Arizona Cardinals. Larry Fitzgerald, the team’s superstar receiver and one of the best receivers in football, is bound for Canton and in 2008, the Cardinals went to the Super Bowl behind Fitzgerald, quarterback Kurt Warner and receiver Anquan Boldin. These players are considered the best Cardinals ever.

OFFENSE

QUARTERBACKS

Carson Palmer

Position:  Quarterback – #3
Height:  6’5″          Weight:  230 lbs
Born:  December 27, 1979 in Fresno California
College:  USC
Drafted:  Cincinnati Bengals picked in the 1st Round (1st Overall) in 2003 Draft
Career:  2004 – Present – Cincinnati Bengals (2004-2010), Oakland Raiders (2011-2012), Arizona Cardinals (2013-Present)
Highlights: 3 time Pro Bowler and 2 time First Team All Pro.

Kurt Warner

Position:  Quarterback – #13
Height:  6’2″          Weight:  220 lbs
Born:  June 22, 1971 in Burlington Iowa
College:  Northern Iowa
Drafted:  Not Drafted
Career:  1998 – 2009 – St. Louis Rams (1998-1993), New York Giants (2004), Arizona Cardinals (2005-2009)
Highlights: 4 time Pro Bowler and 2 time First Team All Pro.  Played in 3 Super Bowls with 1 Super Bowl victory and was Super Bowl XXXIV MVP in 1999.  Kurt Warner started 116 games and threw for 32,344 yards and 208 touchdowns.  When he signed with Arizona they knew they were getting a proven winner and it showed in the Super Bowl year for the Cardinals, he threw for 4,583 yards and 30 touchdowns, although they came up on the losing end in the big game.

Jake Plummer

Position:  Quarterback – #16
Height:  6’2″          Weight:  212 lbs
Born:  December 19, 1974 in Boise Idaho
College:  Arizona State University
Drafted:  Arizona Cardinals picked in the 2nd Round (42nd Overall) in 1997 Draft
Career:  1997 – 2006 – Arizona Cardinals (1997-2002), Denver Broncos (2003-2006)
Highlights:  1 time Pro Bowler.  Jake Plummer started 136 games and threw for 29,253 yards and 161 touchdowns.  He was a run and shoot quarterback and also ran for 1,853 yards and scored 17 rushing touchdowns in his career.

Jim Hart

Position:  Quarterback – #17
Height:  6’1″          Weight:  215 lbs
Born:  April 29, 1944 in Evanston Illinois
College:  Southern Illinois
Drafted:  Not Drafted
Career:  1966 – 1984 – St. Louis Cardinals (1966-1983), Washington Redskins (1984)
Highlights:  4 time Pro Bowler.  In his 19 year career, Jim Hart started 180 games and threw for 34,665 yards and 209 touchdowns.  He also ran for 207 yards and had 16 rushing touchdowns to his credit.

RUNNING BACKS

Ottis Anderson

Position:  Running Back – #32 and #24
Height:  6’2″          Weight:  220 lbs
Born:  January 19, 1957 in West Palm Beach Florida
College:  Miami
Drafted:  St. Louis Cardinals picked in the 1st Round (8th Overall) in 1979 Draft
Career:  1979 – 1992 – St. Louis Cardinals (1979-1986), New York Giants (1986-1992)
Highlights:  2 time Pro Bowler, 1 time First-Team All Pro and played on 2 winning Super Bowl teams including being awarded the MVP of Super Bowl XXV where the New York Giants beat the Buffalo Bills 20-19.  In his 14 year career, he started 125 games and rushed for 10,237 yards and 81 touchdowns.  He was also a good receiver out of the backfield and caught 376 passes for 3,062 yards and 5 touchdowns.

Charley Trippi

Position:  Running Back – Quarterback – #62 and #2
Height:  6’0″          Weight:  186 lbs
Born:  December 14, 2922 in Pittston Pennsylvania
College:  Georgia
Drafted:  Chicago Cardinals picked in the 1st Round (1st Overall) in 1945 Draft
Career:  1947 – 1955 – Chicago Cardinals (1950-1955)
Highlights:  2 time Pro Bowler, 1 time First-Team All Pro and was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1968.  Charley Trippi was an all around football player and played many positions for the Cardinals.  As a Running Back he rushed for 3,506 yards and scored 23 touchdowns.  He also caught 130 passes for 1,321 yards and 11 touchdowns.  As a Quarterback, Trippi completed 205 passes for 2,547 yards and 16 touchdowns.  As a Special Teams player he ran back punts and kickoffs and amassed 2,321 return yards and he was also a Punter and punted 196 times averaging 40.3 yards per punt.  Truly an asset to the team and an amazing player.

Larry Centers

Position:  Full Back – #37
Height:  6’0″          Weight:  225 lbs
Born:  June 1, 1968 in Tatum Texas
College:  S.F. Austin
Drafted:  Phoenix Cardinals picked in the 5th Round (115th Overall) in 1990 Draft
Career:  1990 – 2003 – Phoenix Cardinals (1990-1998), Washington Redskins (1999-2000), Buffalo Bills (2001-2002), New England Patriots (2003)
Highlights: 3 time Pro Bowler.  Larry Centers was a valuable player at the Full Back position and he started 107 games and ran for 2,188 yard and 14 touchdowns.  He excelled as a receiver out of the backfield and caught 827 passes for 6,797 yards and 28 receiving touchdowns.

Ollie Matson

Position:  Running Back – Flanker – #33
Height:  6’2″          Weight:  220 lbs
Born:  May 1, 1930 in Trinity Texas
Died:  February 19, 2011 in Los Angeles California (80)
College:  San Francisco
Drafted:  Chicago Cardinals picked in the 1st Round (3rd Overall) in 1952 Draft
Career:  1952 – 1966 – Chicago Cardinals (1952-1958), Los Angeles Rams (1959-1962), Detroit Lions (1963), Philadelphia Eagles (1964-1966)
Highlights:  6 time Pro Bowler and 5 time First Team All Pro.  Ollie Matson was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1972.  Matson played in 171 games over his 14 year career.  He ran for 5,137 yards and scored 40 rushing touchdowns.  He also caught 222 passes for 3,285 yards and 23 touchdowns.  He was also an integral part of the Special Teams unit as a punt/kick return specialist.  Over his career he had 143 kick returns for 3,746 yards and 6 touchdowns with 3 of those returns in excess of 100 yards and an average of 26.2 yards per return.  He also returned 65 punts for 595 yards and 3 touchdowns with the long return at 78 yards.  In 1955 he averaged 18.8 yards per punt return and scored 2 touchdowns.

 

WIDE RECEIVERS

Roy Green

Position:  Wide Receiver – Free Safety – #81
Height:  6’0″          Weight:  195 lbs
Born:  June 30, 1957 in Magnolia Arkansas
College:  Henderson State
Drafted:  St. Louis Cardinals picked in the 4th Round (89th Overall) in 1979 Draft
Career:  1979 – 1992 – St. Louis Cardinals (1979-1990), Philadelphia Eagles (1991-1992)
Highlights:  2 time Pro Bowler and 2 time First Team All Pro.  Over 14 seasons, Roy Green started 130 games and caught 559 passes for 8,965 yards and 66 touchdowns.  He also rushed for 140 yards and 1 touchdown.  On Special Teams he averaged 22.5 yards per return on kickoffs and scored 1 touchdown returning a kick.

Anquan Boldin

Position:  Wide Receiver – #81
Height:  6’1″          Weight:  218 lbs
Born:  October 3, 1980 in Pahokee Florida
College:  Florida State
Drafted:  Arizona Cardinals picked in the 2nd Round (54th Overall) in 2003 Draft
Career:  2003 – Present – Arizona Cardinals (2003-2009), Baltimore Ravens (2010-2012), San Francisco 49ers (2013-2015), Detroit Lions (2016)
Highlights:  3 time Pro Bowler.  Anquan Boldin played in Super Bowl XLIII for the Arizona Cardinals in their 27-23 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.  In the game he caught 8 passes for 84 yards including a 45 yard reception from Kurt Warner.  Boldin also played in Super Bowl XLVII for the Baltimore Ravens who beat the San Francisco 49ers 34-31. In the game he caught 6 passes for 104 yards and one touchdown. He continues to put up good numbers and so far over his 14 year career has caught 1,038 passes for 13,439 yards.  He has scored 77 receiving touchdowns and has 1 rushing touchdown in his career so far.  Boldin is one of the toughest receivers in the NFL today; in his first NFL game he had 10 catches, 217 yards and 2 touchdowns. Boldin also won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2003; with Arizona he had 586 catches and 44 touchdowns in 7 seasons.

Mel Gray

Position:  Wide Receiver – #85
Height:  5’9″          Weight:  175 lbs
Born:  September 28, 1948 in Fresno California
College:  Missouri
Drafted:  St. Louis Cardinals picked in the 6th Round (147th Overall) in 1971 Draft
Career:  1971 – 1982 – St. Louis Cardinals
Highlights:  4 time Pro Bowler and 1 time First Team All Pro.  Mel Gray played for the St. Louis Cardinals for 12 years and caught 351 passes for 6,664 yards and 45 touchdowns.  He also rushed for 154 yards and 1 touchdown.

Larry Fitzgerald

Position:  Wide Receiver – #11
Height:  6’3″          Weight:  225 lbs
Born:  August 31, 1983 in Minneapolis Minnesota
College:  Pittsburgh
Drafted:  Arizona Cardinals picked in the 1st Round (3rd Overall) in 2004 Draft
Career:  2004 – Present – Arizona Cardinals
Highlights:  9 time Pro Bowler and 1 time First Team All Pro.  Larry Fitzgerald played in Super Bowl XLIII for the Arizona Cardinals against the Pittsburgh Steelers and caught 7 passes for 127 yards and 2 touchdowns.  He continues to put up excellent numbers and so far over his 13 year career has caught 1,055 passes for 13,776 yards and has scored 103 receiving touchdowns in his career so far.  Fitzgerald is one of the most dynamic receiving threats in the league today. He was elected to three Pro Bowls in his first 5 seasons and will go down as the greatest Cardinal receiver at the end of his career.

 

TIGHT ENDS

Jackie Smith

Position:  Tight End – #81
Height:  6’4″          Weight:  235 lbs
Born:  February 23, 1940 in Columbia Mississippi
College:  NW State
Drafted:  St. Louis Cardinals picked in the 10th Round (1294th Overall) in 1963 Draft
Career:  1963 – 1978 – St. Louis Cardinals (1963-1977), Dallas Cowboys (1978)
Highlights:  5 time Pro Bowler and was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1994.  In his amazing 16 year career, Jackie Smith played in 210 games and caught 480 passes for 7,918 yards and 40 touchdowns.  He also rushed for 327 yards and 3 touchdowns.

 

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN

Dan Dierdorf

Position:  Tackle – Guard – Center – #72
Height:  6’3″          Weight:  275 lbs
Born:  June 29, 2949 in Canton Ohio
College:  Michigan
Drafted:  St. Louis Cardinals picked in the 2nd Round (43rd Overall) in 1971 Draft
Career:  1971 – 1983 – St. Louis Cardinals
Highlights:  6 time Pro Bowler and 3 time First Team All Pro.  Dan Dierdorf was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1996.  Over his 12 year career he was charged with protecting Jim Hart and helped open up big holes for Ottis Anderson.  He later went on to become a well known and respected football announcer giving a key perspective on Offensive Linemen.

Ken Gray

Position:  Guard – #64
Height:  6’2″          Weight:  245 lbs
Born:  March 10, 1936 in San Saba Texas
College:  Howard Payne
Drafted:  Green Bay Packers picked in the 6th Round (376th Overall) in 2058 Draft
Career:  1958 – 1970 – Chicago Cardinals (1958-1969), Houston Oilers (1970)
Highlights:  6 time Pro Bowler and 2 time First Team All Pro and played in 162 games over his 13 year career.

Tom Banks

Position:  Center – Guard – #54
Height:  6’1″          Weight:  245 lbs
Born:  August 20, 1948 in Birmingham Alabama
College:  Auburn
Drafted:  St. Louis Cardinals picked in the 8th Round (189th Overall) in 1970 Draft
Career:  1971 – 1980 – St. Louis Cardinals
Highlights:  4 time Pro Bowler and 1 time First Team All Pro.  Tom Banks played in 116 games and helped protect Jim Hart and block for Ottis Anderson.

Conrad Dobler

Position:  Guard – #66
Height:  6’3″          Weight:  254 lbs
Born:  October 1, 1950 in Chicago Illinois
College:  Wyoming
Drafted:  St. Louis Cardinals picked in the 5th Round (110th Overall) in 1972 Draft
Career:  1972 – 1981 – St. Louis Cardinals (1972-1977), New Orleans Saints (1978-1979), Buffalo Bills (1980-1981)
Highlights:  3 time Pro Bowler.  Tom Banks played in 129 games and helped protect Jim Hart and block for Ottis Anderson as well as Archie Manning and Chuck Muncie.

Ernie McMillan

Position:  Tackle – #73
Height:  6’5″          Weight:  275 lbs
Born:  February 21, 1938 in Chicago Heights Illinois
College:  Illinois
Drafted:  St. Louis Cardinals picked in the 13th Round (226th Overall) in 1961 Draft
Career:  1961 – 1975 – St. Louis Cardinals (1961-1974), Green Bay Packers (1975)
Highlights:  4 time Pro Bowler.  Ernie McMillan played in 190 games at the Tackle position during his amazing 15 year career.

Leonard Davis

Position:  Tackle – #75
Height:  6’6″          Weight:  375 lbs
Born:  September 5, 1978 in Wortham Texas
College:  Texas
Drafted:  Arizona Cardinals picked in the 1st Round (2nd Overall) in 2001 Draft
Career:  2001 – Present – Arizona Cardinals (2001-2006), Dallas Cowboys (2007-2009), Detroit Lions (2011), San Francisco (2012)
Highlights:  3 time Pro Bowler.  Leonard Davis has played in 167 games and started every game over the first 10 years of his career.  He missed 2011 with an injury and is back on track in 2012 starting every game.  Davis is a massive offensive lineman and Arizona was excited to get Davis as he helped improve the running game and the pass protection.

 

DEFENSE

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN

Leo Sugar

Position:  Defensive End – #84
Height:  6’1″          Weight:  214 lbs
Born:  April 6, 1929 in Flint Michigan
College:  Purdue
Drafted:  Chicago Cardinals picked in the 11th Round (123rd Overall) in 1952 Draft
Career:  1954 – 1962 – Chicago Cardinals (1954-1960), Philadelphia Eagles (1961), Detroit Lions (1962)
Highlights:  2 time Pro Bowler.  Sugar established himself as a solid defender in his rookie season and he recovered two fumbles, returning one 5 yards for a TD.  During his 9 year career he played in 104 games and had 1 interception and 13 fumble recoveries where he scored 3 touchdowns.

Eric Swann

Position:  Defensive Tackle – Defensive End – #98
Height:  6’5″          Weight:  307 lbs
Born:  August 16, 1970 in Swann Station North Carolina
College:  Wake Technical CC
Drafted:  Phoenix Cardinals picked in the 1st Round (6th Overall) in 1991 Draft
Career:  1991 – 2000 – Phoenix Cardinals (1991-1999), Carolina Panthers (2000)
Highlights:  2 time Pro Bowler.  Swann played in 127 games in his 10 year career and had 2 interceptions returning 1 42 yards for a touchdown.  He also had 6 forced fumbles and 8 fumble recoveries.

Darnell Dockett

Position:  Defensive Tackle – #90
Height:  6’4″          Weight:  293 lbs
Born:  May 27, 1981 in Burtonsville Maryland
College:  Florida State
Drafted:  Arizona Cardinals picked in the 3rd Round (64th Overall) in 2004 Draft
Career:  2004 – 2012 – Arizona Cardinals
Highlights:  3 time Pro Bowler.  Darnell Dockett played in Super Bowl XLIII against the Pittsburgh Steelers and his biggest moment came in the big game when he sacked Ben Roethlisberger 3 times in the Super Bowl.  One word describes Dockett, durable,  he has missed only 1 game in 9 years. Dockett has been the center of that Arizona Defense and will continue to be for a long time.

Chuck Walker

Position:  Defensive Tackle – Defensive End – #79
Height:  6’3″          Weight:  250 lbs
Born:  August 10, 1941 in Uniontown Pennsylvania
College:  Duke
Drafted:  St. Louis Cardinals picked in the 12th Round (157th Overall) in 1963 NFL Draft; Buffalo Bills picked in the 22nd Round (172nd Overall) in the 1963 AFL Draft
Career:  1964-1975 – St. Louis Cardinals (1964-1972), Atlanta Falcons (1972-1975)
Highlights:  1 time Pro Bowler and 1 time First Team All Pro.  Chuck Walker played in 143 games over his 12 year career and had 17 fumble recoveries.

Freddie Joe Nunn

Position:  Defensive End – Linebacker – #50
Height:  6’5″          Weight:  262 lbs
Born:  April 9, 1962 in Noxubee County Mississippi
College:  Mississippi
Drafted:  St. Louis Cardinals picked in the 1st Round (18th Overall) in 1985 Draft
Career:  1985-1996 – St. Louis Cardinals (1985-1993), Indianapolis Colts (1994-1996)
Highlights:  Freddie Joe Nunn played in 157 games over his 12 year career and was responsible for 450 unassisted tackles and assisted on 8.  He also recovered 8 fumbles and had 67.5 sacks.

Simeon Rice

Position:  Defensive End – #97
Height:  6’5″          Weight:  268 lbs
Born:  February 24, 1974 in Chicago Illinois
College:  Illinois
Drafted:  Arizona Cardinals picked in the 1st Round (3rd Overall) in 1996 Draft
Career:  1996 – 2007 – Arizona Cardinals (1996-2000), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2001-2006), Indianapolis Colts (2007), Denver Broncos (2007)
Highlights:  3 time Pro Bowler and 1 time First Team All Pro.  Simeon Rice played for the winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXVII against the Oakland Raiders.  Simeon Rice was one of the most feared pass rushers in his time in the NFL; he had 51.5 sacks in a Cardinals uniform, and 16.5 in his Pro Bowl year of 1999. Rice later moved on to Tampa Bay where he won a Super Bowl championship in 2001.  Over his 12 year career, he had 392 unassisted tackles, 83 assisted tackles, 122 sacks, 28 forced fumbles and 5 interceptions.

 

LINEBACKERS

Dale Meinert

Position:  Linebacker – Defensive Guard – #62
Height:  6’2″          Weight:  220 lbs
Born:  December 18, 1933 in Lone Wolf Oklahoma
College:  Oklahoma State
Drafted:  Baltimore Colts picked in the 8th Round (88th Overall) in 1955 Draft
Career:  1958 – 1967 – Chicago Cardinals
Highlights:  3 time Pro Bowler.  Dale Meinert played in 125 games over his 10 year career and had 9 interceptions with one returns 24 yards for a touchdown and 13 fumble recoveries.

E.J. Junior

Position:  Linebacker – #54
Height:  6’3″          Weight:  238 lbs
Born:  December 8, 1958 in Salisbury Maryland
College:  Alabama
Drafted:  St. Louis Cardinals picked in the 1st Round (5th Overall) in 1981 Draft
Career:  1981 – 1993 – St. Louis Cardinals (1981-1988), Miami Dolphins (1989-1991), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1992), Seattle Seahawks (1992-1993)
Highlights:  2 time Pro Bowler and 1 time First Team All Pro.  E.J. Junior played in 170 games over his 13 year career and had 36.5 sacks, 12 interceptions and 7 fumble recoveries.

Leo Sanford

Position:  Linebacker – #73 and #51
Height:  6’1″          Weight:  224 lbs
Born:  October 4, 1929 in Dallas Texas
College:  Louisiana Tech
Drafted:  Chicago Cardinals picked in the 8th Round (90th Overall) in 1951 Draft
Career:  1951 – 1958 – Chicago Cardinals (1951-1957), Baltimore Colts (1958)
Highlights:  2 time Pro Bowler.  Leo Sanford played in 93 games during his 8 year career and recovered 11 fumbles and had 17 interceptions with 2 returned for 2 touchdowns; one for 92 yards and one 48 yards.

Larry Stallings

Position:  Linebacker – #67
Height:  6’1″          Weight:  230 lbs
Born:  December 11, 1941 in Evansville Tennessee
College:  Georgia Tech
Drafted:  Arizona Cardinals picked in the 18th Round (241st Overall) in 1963 NFL Draft; Buffalo Bills picked in the 9th Round (68th Overall) in the 1963 AFL Draft
Career:  1963 – 1976 – St. Louis Cardinals
Highlights:  1 time Pro Bowler.  Larry Stallings played 181 games in his 14 year career.  He had 9 interceptions and 13 fumble recoveries with 2 for a touchdown.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

Roger Wehrli

Position:  Defensive Back – #22
Height:  6’0″          Weight:  190 lbs
Born:  November 26, 1947 in New Point Missouri
College:  Missouri
Drafted:  St. Louis Cardinals picked in the 1st Round (19th Overall) in 1969 Draft
Career:  1969-1982 – St. Louis Cardinals
Highlights:  7 time Pro Bowler and 3 time First Team All Pro.  Roger Wehrli was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2007.  He played 193 games in his 14 year career with the Cardinals and had 40 interceptions with 2 touchdowns and 22 fumble recoveries.

Aeneas Williams

Position:  Defensive Back – #35
Height:  5’11”          Weight:  200 lbs
Born:  January 29, 1968 in New Orleans Louisiana
College:  Southern
Drafted:  Phoenix Cardinals picked in the 3rd Round (59th Overall) in 1991 Draft
Career:  1991 – 2004 – Phoenix Cardinals (1991-2000), St. Louis Rams (2001-2004)
Highlights:  8 time Pro Bowler and 3 time First Team All Pro.  Aeneas Williams is a NFL Hall of Fame finalist in 2012.  He started 207 of his 211 games played over his 14 year career and recorded 3 sacks, 55 interceptions with 9 returned for touchdowns, 23 fumble recoveries with 3 returned for touchdowns and 677 unassisted tackles and 117 assists.  Williams was the ultimate Cardinal and a big fan favorite in Arizona. Williams’ ranks 17th all-time in interceptions with 55, he scored 8 defensive touchdowns and played in 6 consecutive Pro Bowls. Williams will go down as possibly the greatest corner back in Arizona history.

Dick “Night Train” Lane

Position:  Defensive End – Defensive Back – #81
Height:  6’1″          Weight:  194 lbs
Born:  April 16, 1927 in Austin Texas
Died:  January 29, 2002 in Austin Texas (74)
College:  Western Nebraska CC
Drafted:  Undrafted
Career:  1952 – 1965 – Los Angeles Rams (1953-1953), Chicago Cardinals (1954-1959), Detroit Lions (1960-1965)
Highlights:  7 time Pro Bowler and 3 time First Team All Pro.  Dick “Night Train” Lane was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1974.  He played in 157 games during his 14 year career and had 68 interceptions with 2 returned for touchdowns along with 11 fumble recoveries with 1 returned for a touchdown.

Larry Wilson

Position:  Defensive Back – #8
Height:  6’0″          Weight:  190 lbs
Born:  March 24, 1938 in Rigby Idaho
College:  Utah
Drafted:  St. Louis Cardinals picked in the 7th Round (74th Overall) in 1960 Draft
Career:  1960 – 1972 – St. Louis Cardinals
Highlights:  8 time Pro Bowler and 5 time First Team All Pro.  Larry Wilson was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1978.  He played in 169 games during his 13 year career and had 52 interceptions with 5 returned for touchdowns along with 14 fumble recoveries with 2 returned for a touchdown.  He also had 5 rushing attempts and scored a 35 yard touchdown in 1963.

Tim McDonald

Position:  Defensive Back – #46
Height:  6’2″          Weight:  215 lbs
Born:  January 6, 1965 in Fresno California
College:  USC
Drafted:  St. Louis Cardinals picked in the 2nd Round (34th Overall) in 1987 Draft
Career:  1987 – 1999 – St. Louis Cardinals (1987-1992), San Francisco 49ers (1993-1999)
Highlights:  6 time Pro Bowler.  Tim McDonald played for the San Francisco 49ers in their win over the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX.   He started 187 of the 191 games he played in over his 14 year career and recorded 40 interceptions with 4 for touchdowns, 16 fumble recoveries with 1 for a touchdown and 1,063 unassisted tackles and 75 assists.

Pat Tillman

Position:  Defensive Back – #40
Height:  5’11”          Weight:  204 lbs
Born:  November 6, 1975 in Fremont California
Died: April 22, 2004 in Afganistan (27)
College:  Arizona State University
Drafted:  Arizona Cardinals picked in the 7th Round (226th Overall) in 1998 Draft
Career:  1998 – 2001 – Arizona Cardinals
Highlights:  In his short 4 year career, Pat Tillman played in 60 games and recorded 3 interceptions and had 3 fumble recoveries along with 238 unassisted tackles and 93 assists.  Tillman was a fierce competitor who played the game like he lived life non-stop. His memory and legacy will never be forgotten, and his spirit will live on in Arizona forever.  Tillman was killed in service for his country, as he served as an Army Ranger.

Adrian Wilson

Position:  Defensive Back – #24
Height:  6’3″          Weight:  222 lbs
Born:  October 12, 1979 in High Point North Carolina
College:  North Carolina State
Drafted:  Arizona Cardinals picked in the 3rd Round (64th Overall) in 2001 Draft
Career:  2001 – 2012 – Arizona Cardinals
Highlights:  5 time Pro Bowler and 1 time First Team All Pro.  Adrian Wilson played for the Arizona Cardinals in their loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII.  Wilson has started 158 games for the Cardinals and is responsible for 27 interceptions with 2 returned for touchdowns, 8 fumble recoveries with 2 returned for touchdowns and 713 unassisted tackles along with 166 assists.  Wilson is the picture of sticking it out with his team and he was rewarded with a Super Bowl appearance. He has two of the longest plays in Cardinals history a 99 yard fumble return and a 99 yard interception return both for touchdowns.

SPECIAL TEAMS

K – Neil Rackers

Position:  Kicker – #1
Height:  6’0″          Weight:  205 lbs
Born:  August 16, 1976 in St. Louis Missouri
College:  Illinois
Drafted:  Cincinnati Bengals picked in the 6th Round (169th Overall) in 2000 Draft
Career:  2000 – 2011 – Cincinnati Bengals (2000-2002), Arizona  Cardinals (2003-2009), Houston Texans (2010-2011)
Highlights:  1 time Pro Bowler and 1 time First Team All Pro.  Neil Rackers played for the Arizona Cardinals  Arizona Cardinals in their loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII.  He played in 180 games over his 12 year career and made 264 field goals with 26 in excess of 50 yards and he made 372 PATs with a lifetime average of 80% for field goals.  Over his career he scored 1,164 total points.

Larry Wilson was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1978.  He played in 169 games during his 13 year career and had 52 interceptions with 5 returned for touchdowns along with 14 fumble recoveries with 2 returned for a touchdown.  He also had 5 rushing attempts and scored a 35 yard touchdown in 1963.

P – Rich Camarillo

Position:  Punter – #16
Height:  5’11”          Weight:  202 lbs
Born:  November 29, 1959 in Whittier California
College:  Washington
Drafted:  Undrafted
Career:  1981 – 1996 – New England Patriots (1981-1987), Los Angeles Rams (1988), Phoenix Cardinals (1989-1993), Houston Oilers (1994-1995), Oakland Raiders (1996)
Highlights:  5 time Pro Bowler and 1 time First Team All Pro.  Rich Camarillo played in 205 games during his 16 year career and had a career average of 42.7 yards per punt and punted for 43,895 total yards.  In five years, Camarillo went to pro bowl 3 years and averaged 43.7 yards per punt a solid punter who turned the field over in Arizona’s favor many times.

PR – Terry Metcalf

Position:  Running Back – Wide Receiver – Punt Returner – #21
Height:  5’10”          Weight:  185 lbs
Born:  September 24, 1951 in Seattle Washinton
College:  Long Beach State
Drafted:  St. Louis Cardinals picked in the 3rd Round (63rd Overall) in 1973 Draft
Career:  1973 – 1981 – St. Louis Cardinals (1973-1977), Washington Redskins (1981)
Highlights:  3 time Pro Bowler.  Terry Metcalf played in 81 games over his short 6 year career and recorded 3,498 yards rushing with 24 rushing touchdowns.  He also caught 245 passes for 2,457 yards and 9 touchdowns.  Metcalf also played on special teams as a Punt/Kick return specialist and posted 3,087 yards in kick returns averaging 25.5 yards per return and another 936 yards on punt returns averaging 11.1 yards per return.  He recorded 2 touchdowns on kick returns brining back 2 kicks for 94 yards and 93 yards respectively and had 1 touchdown return as a punter for 69 yards.

KR – Ollie Matson

Position:  Running Back – Flanker – #33
Height:  6’2″          Weight:  220 lbs
Born:  May 1, 1930 in Trinity Texas
Died:  February 19, 2011 in Los Angeles California (80)
College:  San Francisco
Drafted:  Chicago Cardinals picked in the 1st Round (3rd Overall) in 1952 Draft
Career:  1952 – 1966 – Chicago Cardinals (1952-1958), Los Angeles Rams (1959-1962), Detroit Lions (1963), Philadelphia Eagles (1964-1966)
Highlights:  6 time Pro Bowler and 5 time First Team All Pro.  Ollie Matson was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1972.  Matson played in 171 games over his 14 year career.  He ran for 5,137 yards and scored 40 rushing touchdowns.  He also caught 222 passes for 3,285 yards and 23 touchdowns.  He was also an integral part of the Special Teams unit as a punt/kick return specialist.  Over his career he had 143 kick returns for 3,746 yards and 6 touchdowns with 3 of those returns in excess of 100 yards and an average of 26.2 yards per return.  He also returned 65 punts for 595 yards and 3 touchdowns with the long return at 78 yards.  In 1955 he averaged 18.8 yards per punt return and scored 2 touchdowns.

NICKNAME

• Contrary to popular logic, the team was not named after the beautiful bird but instead because the team played in used maroon jerseys the original team (in pre-NFL years) had purchased from the University of Chicago. When an observer scoffed that the jerseys were “faded red,” team owner Chris O’Brien countered that they weren’t “faded red,” they were “Cardinal red.”

TEAM NAMES

• Racine Cardinals (1920-1921)
• Chicago Cardinals (1922-1943)
• Card-Pitt (1944*)
• Chicago Cardinals (1945-1959)
• St. Louis Cardinals (1960-1987)
• Phoenix Cardinals (1988-1993)
• Arizona Cardinals (1994-Present)

HEAD COACHES

• John “Paddy” Driscoll (1920-1922)
• Gene Stallings (1988-1989)
• Hank Kahlman (1989)
• Joe Bugel (1990-1993)
• Buddy Ryan (1994-1995)
• Vince TobIn (1996-2000)
• Dave McGinnis (2000-2003)
• Dennis Green (2004-2006)
• Ken Whisenhunt (2007-2012)
• Bruce Arians (2013-2017)
• Steve Wilks (2018)
• Kliff Kingsbury (2019-present)

SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS

• None

SUPER BOWL APPEARANCES

• Super Bowl XLIII (2008) – Arizona Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

• 2008

DIVISION CHAMPIONS

• 2008, 2009

PLAYOFF APPEARANCES

• 1998, 2008, 2009

PLAYOFF RECORD

• 7-9 .625

HALL OF FAME PLAYERS

• Emmitt Smith RB (2003-2004)
• Ollie Matson RB (1952-1958)
• Charlie Trippi RB (1950-1955)
• Jackie Smith TE (1963-1977)
• Dan Dierdorf OL (1971-1983)
• Roger Wehrli DB (1969-1982)
• Dick “Night Train” Lane DE/DB (1954-1959)
• Larry Wilson DB (1960-1972)

RETIRED NUMBERS

• 8 Larry Wilson S (1960-1972)
• 40 Pat Tillman S (1998-2001)
• 77 Stan Mauldin OT (1946-1948)
• 88 J.V. Cain TE (1974-1977)
• 99 Marshall Goldberg RB (1939-1940, 1946-1948)

PRO BOWL MVP

• 2009 Larry Fitzgerald WR

AWARDS

COACH OF THE YEAR

• None

DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

• 1996 Simeon Rice DE

OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

• 2003 Anquan Boldin WR

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

• None

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

• None

NFL MVP

• None

SUPER BOWL MVP

• None

QUARTERBACKS

Derek Anderson, Pete Beathard, Bunny Belden, Steve Beuerlein, Jeff Blake, Dave Brown, Ronnie Cahill, Stoney Case, Chris Chandler, Pat Coffee, Ogden Compton, Paul Christman, GaryCuozzo, Paddy Driscoll, Hal Erickson, Boomer Esiason, Sam Etcheverry, Sammy Garza, Stan Gelbaugh, Kent Graham, John Grigas, Ralph Guglielmi, Max Hall, Shawn Halloran, Jim Hardy, Jim Hart, Don Hill, King Hill, Gary Hogeboom, Walt Holmer, Arnie Horween, Buddy Humphrey, George Izo, Charley Johnson, Gary Keithley, Shaun King, Kevin Kolb, Dave Krieg, Roddy Lamb, Matt Leinart, Joe Lillard, Neil Lomax, Mike Loyd, Ray Mallouf, Josh McCown, Hugh McCullough, Lamar McHan, Jim McMahon, Ray Nagel, John Navarre, Terry Nofsinger, Carson Palmer, Don Panciera, Steve Pisarkiewicz, Jake Plummer, M.C. Reynolds, John Roach, Jack Robbins, Steve Romanik, Jim Root, Timm Rosenbach, Phil Sarboe, Bud Schwenk, Jay Schroeder, John Skelton, Cliff Stoudt, Charlie Trippi, Frank Tripucka, Tom Tupa, Tim Van Galder, Pug Vaughan, Kurt Warner

©MMXIX My All Time Favorites, all pictures and logos, team names are property of the National Football League. This site is not affiliated with the NFL or Arizona Cardinals.  All Football Cards are low resolution scans from a personal collection and each is credited with the production company name and year.  This site is maintained for research purposes only.