1925 NFL Championship

Lore & Background

The franchise dates to 1898, when a neighborhood group gathered to play on the South Side of Chicago, calling themselves the Morgan Athletic Club. Chicago painting and building contractor Chris O'Brien acquired the team, which he moved to Normal Field on Racine Avenue. The team was known as the Racine Normals until 1901, when O'Brien bought used jerseys from the University of Chicago. After he described the faded maroon clothing as 'Cardinal red', the team became the Racine Street Cardinals. Eventually in 1920, the team became a charter member of the American Professional Football Association (APFA), which was rechristened the National Football League (NFL) two years later. The team entered the league as the Racine Cardinals, but changed their name to the Chicago Cardinals in 1922 to avoid confusion with the Horlick-Racine Legion, who entered the league the same year.

In Their Own Story

The Chicago air was crisp on that late afternoon in November. Players in heavy wool jerseys wiped sweat from their brows as the final whistle blew at Comiskey Park. There were no parades yet, just a quiet nod between teammates who knew they had secured something rare for this league. Mike Donahue looked over his roster and saw not just athletes, but pioneers building a legacy that would outlast them all.

Reader's Guide

The Cardinals have won two NFL championships, both while the team was in Chicago. The first, in 1925, was disputed by supporters of the Pottsville Maroons. Their second, and the first to be won in a championship game, came in 1947, nearly two decades before the first Super Bowl. They returned to the title game to defend in 1948, but lost the rematch 7–0 in a snowstorm in Philadelphia. The team has since suffered many losing seasons and, as of 2025, has the longest active championship drought in North American sports at 78 seasons. The team's all-time win–loss record (including regular season and playoff games) at the conclusion of the 2025 season was 603–836–41 (596–826–41 in the regular season, 7–10 in the playoffs). They have been to the playoffs 11 times and have won seven playoff games, including three in the 2008–09 NFL playoffs. During that season, they won their only NFC Championship Game since the 1970 AFL–NFL merger, and reached Super Bowl XLIII, losing 27–23 to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team has won five division titles (1974, 1975, 2008, 2009, and 2015) since their 1947–48 NFL championship game appearances. The Cardinals are the only NFL team that has never lost a playoff game at home: their 5–0 record encompasses the 1947 NFL Championship Game, two games during the 2008–09 NFL playoffs, one during the 2009–10 playoffs, and one during the 2015–16 playoffs.

Did You Know?

• In 1925, the NFL officially recognized the Chicago Cardinals as league champions based on the league's decision at the time, following the suspension of the Pottsville Maroons for playing a game in what was deemed 'anoth
• The Cardinals are the oldest continuously run professional football franchise in the United States.
• The Cardinals are one of only two NFL charter member franchises still in operation, along with the Chicago Bears.