Arizona Cardinals

Lore & Background

The team was established in Chicago in 1898 as the Morgan Athletic Club, and joined the NFL as a charter member on September 17, 1920. The Cardinals are the oldest continuously run professional football franchise in the United States, and, along with the Chicago Bears, are the only NFL charter member franchises still in operation. In 1960, the team moved to St. Louis, where it was commonly referred to as the 'Football Cardinals', the 'Gridbirds', or the 'Big Red' to avoid confusion with Major League Baseball's St. Louis Cardinals.

Before the 1988 season, the team moved to Tempe, Arizona, where it played home games for the next 18 seasons at Sun Devil Stadium. In 2006, the team moved to their current home field in suburban Glendale. The Cardinals have won two NFL championships, both while the team was in Chicago: the first in 1925 (disputed) and the second in 1947. They returned to the title game in 1948 but lost 7–0. As of 2025, the team has the longest active championship drought in North American sports at 78 seasons.

Reader's Guide

The team plays its home games at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Their executive offices and training facility remain in Tempe, although they are moving them to north Phoenix in 2028. From 1988 to 2012 (except 2005), the Cardinals conducted summer training camp at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. In 2013, they moved training camp to their home field, then called University of Phoenix Stadium, now State Farm Stadium.

Did You Know?

• The team has won five division titles since their 1947–48 NFL championship game appearances: 1974, 1975, 2008, 2009, and 2015.
• The Cardinals are the only NFL team that has never lost a playoff game at home, with a 5–0 record.
• In their 37 seasons since moving to Arizona in 1988, the Cardinals have a total of six playoff appearances, three division titles, and one NFC championship.