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, a suburb of Phoenix, 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. Their executive offices and training facility remain in Tempe, although they are moving them to north Phoenix in 2028. 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. They returned to the title game to defend in 1948, but lost the rematch 7–0 in a snowstorm in Philadelphia.

In Their Own Story

The sun beats down on the turf at SoFi Stadium as the crowd roars, a sea of blue and yellow clashing with the red and white of Arizona. The air is thick with the smell of popcorn and anticipation as the Rams' defense lines up against a Cardinals drive deep in their own territory. It is the fourth quarter, score tied, and every snap feels like a chapter from the long history of this Pacific division feud. A linebacker reads the quarterback's eyes, anticipating the play that has been run for decades, while fans on both sides chant with a fervor born of years of competition.

Reader's Guide

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. 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.

Did You Know?

• The Cardinals are the oldest continuously run professional football franchise in the United States.
• The team has the longest active championship drought in North American sports at 78 seasons as of 2025.
• The Cardinals have never lost a playoff game at home, with a 5–0 record.
• The team's only NFC Championship Game win since the 1970 AFL–NFL merger came during the 2008–09 NFL playoffs.