Inductees

When the National Football League’s Chicago Cardinals moved to St. Louis in 1960, they shared the same name and the same stadium (Sportsman’s Park) with the well-established baseball Cardinals.  The football squad was soon simply called “The Big Red”.  The team was competitive for much of the 1960’s with such stars as Jim Hart, Larry Wilson, Charley Johnson, Jackie Smith, Jim Bakken, Roger Wehrli, and Sonny Randle. The 1970’s brought Don Coryell and his “Air Coryell” style to St. Louis.  The Big Red became one of the most exciting teams in the league with Hart, Terry Metcalf, Jim Otis and Mel Gray.  The offensive line of this period with Dan Dierdorf, Conrad Dobler, Tom Banks, Bob Young, and others was clearly the best offensive line in all football. The “Cardiac Cardinals” posted a 31-11 record from 1974-1976, but could never find success in the playoffs.   In 1987, team owner Bill Bidwill moved the team to Phoenix, taking the Cardinal name with him.