How They Got Their Name: Arizona Cardinals

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Perhaps not common knowledge among football fans is that the Arizona Cardinals are the oldest franchise in the NFL.  Getting their start all the way back in 1898, the Cardinals began play in the South Side of Chicago.  But they weren’t yet known as the Cardinals.  Instead, they were named the Morgan Athletic Club.  However, that name would be short lived.  Three years later, the team’s founder Chris O’Brien purchased used jerseys from the University of Chicago.  Being used jerseys, the original maroon color had faded into what O’Brien called a “cardinal red.”  Since the team played its home games on Racine Street in Chicago, that is when the team became known as the Racine Street Cardinals.

The Cardinals joined the American Professional Football Association (which later became the NFL) when it was founded in 1920 and five years later would win its first NFL championship when they beat the Pottsville Maroons.  But aside from another NFL championship in 1947, the Cardinals experienced little success.  After declining revenue, the team moved to St. Louis in 1960, where they became known as the St. Louis (football) Cardinals.  Then a lack of consistent fan support caused another move in 1988, this time to Phoenix.  The Phoenix Cardinals became the Arizona Cardinals in 1994, after fans pushed for the change.  However, despite the change in moniker, success was still difficult to come by for the franchise, until 1998 when they experienced their first playoff victory in 51 years.  They’ve had a few good seasons since, even going to the Super Bowl in 2008, but still remain one of 12 teams in pursuit of their first Super Bowl victory.

Garett