History of the NFL First 100 Year's You Sure Started Somethin'

By R.D. Griffith

Are you searching for a book about American Football that has it all? R. D. Griffith will take you on a comprehensive drive through the history and highlights of American Football, its salient details, from its inception at the turn of the century to its centralized embodiment now in the modern era, the NFL. He will share with you the challenges the game faced through the Great Depression and two World Wars, including the spicy anecdotes of the people comprising the great game of American Football throughout the years.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9781638443315

Book preview

Arizona Cardinals

Arizona/Phoenix/St. Louis/Chicago/Racine Cardinals/Normals/Morgan Athletic Club/Tigers/Bulls/Indians/Panthers/Rockets/Hornets

The Arizona Cardinals are the oldest continuously run American football club in the United States. They are one of two teams that were charter members of the NFL, the other being the Decatur Staleys, the franchise that became the Chicago Bears in 1920.

They were formed in 1898 as the Morgan Athletic Club from Chicago’s South Side, which was predominately Irish. In 1901, their owner Chris O’Brien moved the team to Normal Field in Chicago. For a while were called the Normals.

Also, in 1901, Chris O’Brien purchased hand-me-down jerseys from the University of Chicago Maroons football team. The jerseys were a faded maroon color, and when a journalist asked Mr. O’Brien about the faded maroon jerseys, he responded, That’s not maroon—it’s Cardinal red. From then on, the team became known as the Cardinals.

Since they played on the corner of Normal Boulevard and Racine Avenue (where Normal Field was located), the team became the Racine Cardinals—instead of the Racine Normals—about the same time.

In 1906, the Racine Cardinals disbanded for lack of suitable competition.

In 1912, the value of a touchdown increased from five points to six points.

Owner Chris O’Brien—who was a painting and decorating contractor—reorganized the Cardinals and turned them professional in 1913. In 1917, the Cardinals won their first Chicago League Championship under their first head coach, Marshall Smith. They only lost two games that year. In 1918, they were forced to suspend operations due to combination of World War I and the Spanish flu pandemic. Later that same year (after Armistice Day in 1918), they resumed operations and have been going strong ever since.

In 1920, they became a charter member of the American Professional Football Association (APFA), which became the NFL in 1922. The franchise fee at that time was one hundred dollars. They were one of ten teams that agreed to pay the fee. George Halas would later say that he didn’t think anybody paid the fee the first year, although the fee or a clerical fee of some kind was probably paid later in the year.

During the first meeting of the new league, the person keeping the minutes was unaware of Chicago football and put the Racine Cardinals down as being from Racine, Wisconsin. In 1920 and 1921, they then became known as the Chicago Racine Cardinals.

Marshall Smith was let go after the 1920 season. He was replaced with John Paddy Driscoll (Northwestern), who was possibly the greatest dropkicker in football history. In fact, his forty-yard run late in the November 7th, 1920 game against crosstown rivals the Chicago Tigers (also a charter member in the APFA)—in a loser leaves the league game—probably prevented the Cardinals from being a footnote in NFL history. The Cardinals finished 6–2–2 their first year in the league (1920).

The team was renamed the Chicago Cardinals in 1922 when a team from Racine, Wisconsin (the Horlick-Racine Legion), entered the league. When this happened, the Cardinals lost the support of many of their fans who lived near Racine Avenue. They felt their team had chosen a name with citywide appeal over the fan base that had been there from the start.

This was also the year the Cardinals moved to Comiskey Park, where they played until 1959, except for three years when they moved back to Normal Field (1926, 1927, and 1928).

The Chicago Cardinals and the Chicago Bears are the oldest football rivalry to date. It began on November 28, 1920, when the Cards defeated the Decatur Staleys (later the Chicago Bears), 7–6. Just one week later, on December 5, 1920, the Cardinals lost to the Staleys 10–0.

During the 1920s and 1930s, the Chicago Cardinals did not have a very substantial financial backing, even after winning their first NFL Championship in 1925 (their record was 11–2–1) in a controversial ruling against the Pottsville Maroons. The Maroons (10–2), who had beaten the Cardinals (21–7) on December 6th, had their charter revoked for invading the Frankford Yellow Jackets territorial rights. The Maroons had played the Notre Dame All Stars on December 12, 1925, at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. The Frankford Yellow Jackets also had a game that day with the Cleveland Bulldogs at Frankford Stadium. The Yellow Jackets complained about invading territorial rights, and the NFL Commissioner Joe F. Carr agreed and suspended the Maroons and their schedule. The Maroons beat the All Stars that day, by the way, 9–7.

The Cardinals had scheduled two games against the Milwaukee Badgers on December 10th and the Hammond Pros on December 12th. They won both games 59–0 and 13–0 respectively.

The Cardinals would win only one more NFL championship in 1947, and from then on, this would be debated as a curse because of the debacle.

The League never presented the 1925 championship to the Cardinals, and O’Brien, the Cardinals’ owner, refused to acknowledge it because of the circumstances. But when Charles Bidwill took over in 1933, he counted it as a championship for the Cardinals’ organization.

Their troubles continued after the 1925 NFL championship when their owner started selling off a lot of his key players.

In 1926, the first American Football League (AFL) was formed by Red Grange and C.C. Pyle. This new league arose following a dispute with the Bears. Dutch Sternaman’s brother Joey Sternaman (Illinois) was named part-owner and head coach for the first AFL’s Chicago Bulls. They would play at Comiskey Park and finish the season 5–6–3. The league only lasted one year, and only the New York Yankees survived and were brought into the NFL in 1927. Grange returned to the Bears in 1929.

By 1929, O’Brien was broke and was forced to fold the franchise mid-season. David Jones, a Chicago physician, paid $25,000 for the Cardinals franchise and took over as the new owner. Jones would bring in ex-Duluth Eskimo’s owner Ole Haugsrud as a manager and his partner Dewey Scanlon (Valparaiso) as head coach. Jones immediately released four players and took on a new crop of athletes, including Stanford All-American Ernie Nevers. Jones brought Ernie Nevers in as a player/co-coach that year. The problem was that he was only twenty-six years old and still wanted to play football. In a game against the Chicago Bears later that year (November 28, 1929), Nevers, known as the Blonde Blizzard, scored an NFL record 40 points in a 40–6 win. Ernie’s record as head coach from 1929 to 1931 was 16–16–3.

On November 6, 1929, the Chicago Cardinals defeated the Providence Steam Rollers 16–0 in Providence, Rhode Island, in the first night game ever played (under floodlights!) in the NFL.

By the 1930 season, Dewey Scanlon was relieved as head coach, and Ernie Nevers became the full-time head coach.

In 1931, the Cardinals defeated the independent St. Louis Gunners 26–6. The Cardinals captain, Ernie Nevers, called the Gunners the best independent club we have ever faced.

Over the next three seasons, Jones acquired many star players, but paid attendance did not increase enough for him to break even. So by 1932, Jones was at a point that he could no longer finance the Chicago Cardinals.

The Chicago Cardinals were sold again to a vice president of the Chicago Bears for the asking price of $50,000. A longtime Bears fan, Charles W. Bidwill Sr. divested himself of all his holdings with the Bears and started a new era for himself and the Cardinals. The Bidwill family remain the owners of the present-day Arizona Cardinals.

Through the 1930s, the Chicago Cardinals were not a winning franchise. They only accumulated two winning seasons in the decade (1931, 5–4; 1935, 6–4–2). In 1937, they were 5–5–1, finishing fourth in the Western Conference and seventh overall out of ten teams.

In 1938 after the second AFL had failed, the MWFL (Midwest Football League, semi-pro) changed its name to the AFL (semi-pro). The Chicago Indians played in its only year of existence and had the best record of 5–1. They lost to the Louisville Tanks 13–0 in the playoffs.

In 1939, the league changed its’ name again to the APFA (American Professional Football Association, semi-pro). The Chicago Indians would finish fourth in the standings with a 4–3 record. There were no playoffs this year and on January 7, 1940. The Columbus Bullies (9–4) were announced as league champions, even though they did not have the best record (the Los Angeles Bulldogs were 7–1). The APFA would dissolve before the following season.

In 1940, there was another semi-professional football league called the PCPFL (Pacific Coast Professional Football League). The city of Phoenix had a charter member in the league with the Phoenix Panthers. The Panthers finished in fourth place in 1940, with a 0–3–1 record. They then dropped out of the league after the inaugural season, never to return.

In 1939, trying to regain some credibility to the franchise, the Cardinals brought back Ernie Nevers (Stanford) as the head coach. The experiment failed as the Cardinals finished with a record of 1–10 that year. Ernie was let go at the end of the season.

In 1944, as a wartime emergency, they combined their team with the Pittsburgh Steelers and were called the Card-Pitt or Carpets. The combo of the two squads was due to a player shortage caused by World War II. The teams split the home games between Comiskey Park and Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. The losing ways carried on for both teams as they failed to win a game in ten attempts. In fact, they only came close in the first game of the season, losing to the Cleveland Rams 30–28. Every game after that was a double-digit blowout. In 1946, the Cardinals adopted the T-formation.

The Chicago Cardinals lost their beloved owner, Charles W. Bidwill Sr., on April 19, 1947, at the age of fifty-one. Shortly before he died, Bidwell signed Charley Trippi, an All-American out of Georgia, to a record one-hundred-thousand-dollar contract. Trippi joined Paul Christman (University of Missouri Quarterback), Pat Harder (University of Wisconsin-Madison Fullback), Marshall Goldberg (University of Pittsburgh Halfback), and Elmer Angsman (Notre Dame Halfback) in the backfield for the Cardinals. They had many nicknames, including the Blue Shirt Charley’s, the Million Dollar Backfield, and the so-called Dream Backfield. They were the first Million Dollar Backfield in the NFL. It was not until 1954 that the San Francisco 49ers fielded another Million Dollar Backfield.

Later that year, the Cardinals posted a 9–3 record and won the Western Division. They then went on to play the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL Championship on December 28, 1947. They won, 28–21, off two seventy-yard rushing touchdowns by Elmer Angsman and Charley Trippi, by a seventy-five-yard punt return, and a forty-four-yard rush from scrimmage.

Tragedy struck the Cardinals after losing to the Los Angeles Rams on October 19, 1947, when punter Jeff Burkett (Louisiana State) had to stay behind because of an appendicitis attack. He missed the team plane and had to take a United Airlines DC-6 back to Chicago on October 25th. The plane crashed in Bryce Canyon, Utah, and all fifty-two aboard perished. Burkett was the league’s leading punter at the time of the accident.

The following year, the Chicago Cardinals went 11–1 and won the Western Division again but lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL Championship game 7–0 on December 19, 1948. This was the first televised championship game in NFL history.

In 1946, the AAFC (All-American Football Conference) came into existence. They had a Chicago team called the Rockets. In their first season, the Rockets were coached by Dick Hanley (Washington State), only to be replaced after three games by Bob Dove (Notre Dame), Ned Mathews (UCLA), and Willie Wilkin (St. Mary’s). The three coaches lasted five games and were replaced with Pat Boland (Minnesota) for the remainder of the season. Surprisingly enough, the Rockets finished with a 5–6–3 record.

In 1947, AAFC Commissioner Jim Crowley (Notre Dame) resigned to take over as owner/coach of the Chicago Rockets. Crowley (FB) was an original player of the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame. After a 1–10 start, he was replaced himself as head coach with Hamp Pool (California/Army/Stanford). New ownership took over after finishing with a disappointing 1–13 season.

In 1948, with Ed McKeever (Texas Tech) as head coach, the Rockets ended with a disappointing 1–13 record. The Rockets’ star player Elroy Crazylegs Hirsch (Michigan) was injured early in the season and was not much good to them that year.

In 1949, they changed their name to the Chicago Hornets, and under new management and new head coach Ray Flaherty (Washington State/Gonzaga), the Hornets went a respectable 4–8. The league merged with the NFL the next year, but the Hornets were not one of the teams that made the cut. They gave thirty-two players to the NFL in the AAFC dispersal draft that was held on June 2, 1950. Hirsch went on to play for the Los Angeles Rams in 1949.

In the 1950s, the Cardinals only had one winning season (1956, 7–5) and only accumulated thirty-three wins throughout the decade. Attendance was poor, and they were practically forgotten by the city of Chicago, due in large part to the success of the Chicago Bears. The Bidwill family made a deal with the NFL in 1959 to move the team to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 season. The NFL agreed to the move partly to prevent the American Football League from using St. Louis as another new market, as they had done in other cities (Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Boston, Buffalo, etc.).

In 1959, Lamar Hunt—at the suggestion of the NFL—contacted the widow of Charles W. Bidwill Sr. and asked her to buy in to the Chicago Cardinals. Violet Bidwill Wolfner and the Bidwill family agreed to a 20 percent stake in the team, but Lamar backed out, and the next year started the fourth AFL.

The NFL conducted a survey in St. Louis and determined that they were capable of supporting a franchise. They held a vote with the other team owners, and the results were unanimous (12–0) in favor of the move. Their only competition was the local baseball team that was also called the Cardinals. Sports fans and local sportscasters referred to either as the baseball Cardinals or the football Cardinals when talking about the sports teams. At one time, the NFL had thought of changing the name of the Cardinals but decided against it.

In 1960, the newly formed St. Louis Cardinals, in their first year, went a surprising 6–5–1. The following year, the NFL moved to a fourteen-game schedule, and they went a pleasant 7–7.

Since 1943, all teams were required to wear helmets. The Chicago Cardinals’ helmets were a Cardinal red. In 1950, the helmet was changed to a white helmet. In 1960, they added the famous Cardinals logo to the side of a white helmet, and that is how it has remained to this day (with a few modifications).

In 1962, Violet Bidwill Wolfner died (January 29, 1962). She was sixty-one. The team was left to her two sons, Charles Jr. and Bill. Violet Bidwill Wolfner had been the first woman to become principal owner of an NFL team.

Throughout the 1960s, the St. Louis Cardinals were a much-improved team, more than they had been the decade before in Chicago. In 1964, they went 9–3–2 and would have made the playoffs were it not for the Cleveland Browns beating the New York Giants at the end of the season.

In 1964, Charles Jr. and Bill wanted to move the team to Atlanta, because they were building a new stadium there. St. Louis persuaded them to stay with the promise of a new stadium also, so they did. Thus, the Atlanta Falcons became a new NFL franchise in 1966.

In 1966, the Cardinals were 8–5–1, and in 1968, they were 9–4–1 but missed the playoffs in both of those years.

In 1967, the NFL changed the divisions and added the St. Louis Cardinals to the Eastern Conference in the Century Division along with the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the New York Giants.

By the 1970s, they had again reformed the league, and the Cardinals were placed in the NFC (National Football Conference) Eastern Division, along with the Dallas Cowboys, the Philadelphia Eagles, the New York Giants, and the Washington Redskins.

Bill Bidwill bought his brother, Charles Jr., out in 1972 and became sole owner of the team. He owns it to this day. There are only two other teams that have families who have owned their teams longer. They are the Chicago Bears (Halas) and the New York Giants (Mara).

In 1974, the Cardinals won the division (10–4) and went to their first playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings. In the franchise’s first playoff game since 1947, they lost to the Minnesota Vikings, 30–14, on December 21, 1974.

They won the NFC East again in 1975, with an 11–3 record under Coach Don Coryell (Washington). But they lost to the Los Angeles Rams 35–23, and in the process the Rams’ running back Lawrence McCutcheon (Colorado State) set a playoff rushing record of 202 yards on thirty-seven carries in that game.

In the 1974 and 1975 seasons, the team received the nickname the Cardiac Cardinals, due mainly to their many close games, nail-biters, and last-second, come-from-behind heroics.

The late ’70s also brought poor draft picks and tragedy. The first-round draft pick in 1978, Steve Little (placekicker, Arkansas) was paralyzed following a car accident. Tight end J.V. Cain (Colorado) died of a heart attack in training camp on July 22, 1979.

In 1982, the NFL expanded to a sixteen-team playoff field because it was a strike year. The Cardinals made the cut with a 5–4 record but lost to the Green Bay Packers in the first round (41–16) on January 8, 1983. The following season, they were a respectable 8–7–1. In 1984, they were 9–7 and just missed the playoffs due to a missed field goal by Neil O’Donoghue (Auburn), as time expired against the Washington Redskins (29–27).

By 1987, the franchise was looking to move again. Ownership had narrowed the choices down to Jacksonville, Baltimore, and Phoenix. On a handshake with city and state officials, Bill Bidwill decided to move the team to Phoenix, Arizona. Fearing for his safety from unhappy Cardinal fans in St. Louis, Bill Bidwill stayed away from some home games in 1987. The last game they played as the St. Louis Cardinals was on December 13, 1987. They beat the New York Giants by a score of 27–24.

The state of Arizona was supposed to build the team a new stadium once they arrived, but the savings and loan crisis of that year put a stop to that. So they ended up playing at Arizona State University’s Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona.

From 1988 to 1993, they were known as the Phoenix Cardinals, and in 1994, Bill Bidwill changed the name to the Arizona Cardinals due to fan preference. He was originally against it due to league rules trying to keep a team identity with a city. But the league unanimously approved the name change in 1994.

The Arizona Cardinals spent most of the 1990s in the cellar of the Eastern Division. Poor draft picks and bad trades could not help a team with good coaches. In 1998, quarterback Jake Plummer had one of his best years ever. He was a hometown favorite, having gone to nearby Arizona State. Jake the Snake and the Cardinals won close games once again earning them the nickname the Cardiac Cards. The Cards were 9–7 that year and went to their first playoff game since 1982.

Opening round of the 1998 playoffs was against the heavily favored Dallas Cowboys (January 2, 1999). Arizona had not won in Dallas in nine straight tries. They had lost sixteen of the previous seventeen meetings, including both meetings that year. But that did not seem to bother them.

They dominated on both sides of the ball and led 20–0 late in the fourth quarter before Dallas finally scored a late touchdown. No matter, the Cardinals held on and finally won their first playoff game since 1947.

The celebration was short-lived. They went on to Minnesota (January 10, 1999) the next week and lost by a resounding 41–21. The Vikings had a 15–1 record entering the game and a highest scoring offense in NFL history at this time.

Coming off their playoff run of 1998, the Cardinals were expected to do even better in 1999. Against great expectations, the team faltered, finishing with a 6–10 record. In 2000, Maricopa County voters passed a bill to build a new stadium for the Cardinals. It passed by a margin of 51 percent to 49 percent. The Cardinals began construction in Glendale, Arizona, in April 2003 after some legal obstacles. Their stadium is called the University of Phoenix Stadium, and it has a retractable roof, a slide-out glass surface (good for hot desert weather), and a state-of-the-art air-conditioning system with high-back seats.

In 2002, the NFL realigned the divisions again, and this time Arizona ended up in the NFC West Division with the St. Louis Rams, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Seattle Seahawks.

In April 2004, tragedy struck the Cardinals again when Pat Tillman—a safety and former All-American at Arizona State—was killed (April 22, 2004) during duty in the war in Afghanistan. He had enlisted in response to the 9/11 attacks in 2001. He was the first player killed in active duty from the NFL since the Buffalo Bill’s Bob Kalsu (Oklahoma) had died in action in Vietnam in 1970. Pat Tillman’s number 40 jersey was retired at the first home game on September 19, 2004.

In 2005, the Arizona Cardinals signed QB Kurt Warner (Northern Iowa) to a one-year deal for four million dollars. They later extended it to six years.

On January 1, 2007, the Arizona Cardinals hired the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive coordinator, Ken Whisenhunt (Georgia Tech).

In 2008, they won the NFC West and hosted their very first home playoff game since 1947. When they won the division titles in 1974 and 1975, they played road games. The 2009 Cardinals—who finished with a respectable 9–7 record—beat the Atlanta Falcons 30–24 on January 3, 2009. The following week, they traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina, and beat the Panthers 33–13. As the only division champions left in the playoffs, the Cardinals hosted the Philadelphia Eagles in their first NFC championship game. On January 18, 2009, they defeated the Eagles, 32–25 to advance to Super Bowl XLIII. It was their first Super Bowl appearance. On February 1, 2009, the Arizona Cardinals lost Super Bowl XLIII to the Pittsburgh Steelers 27–23.

The following year, they won the NFC Western Division again and beat the Green Bay Packers in the first round (January 10, 2010) 51–45 in overtime. In that game, the Packers exposed the Cardinals’ defense, and on January 16, 2010, they lost a lopsided game against the high-powered offense of the New Orleans Saints by a score of 45–14. Quarterback Kurt Warner retired a few days later, even though he still had one year remaining on his contract.

When training camp opened in the 2010 season, they had Heisman Trophy winner (2004) Matt Leinart (tenth overall pick out of USC in 2006 draft) as their hope for the future. He was cut at the end of preseason and picked up two days later by the Houston Texans. That left the Cardinals with ex-Browns’ quarterback Derek Anderson (Oregon State) and two rookies. Unsurprisingly, in the 2010 season, they went an abysmal 5–11.

On February 19, 2011, the Cardinals’ RB Ollie Matson (San Francisco) passed away. He had played for the Chicago Cardinals from 1952 to 1958. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972. He died from dementia, which was linked to chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

After the strike was settled in July of 2011, the Cardinals traded CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (Tennessee State) and a second-round draft pick in 2012 for the Philadelphia Eagles second-string QB Kevin Kolb (Houston). The Cardinals also picked up Todd Heap (Arizona State), a tight end who was released by the Baltimore Ravens on July 28, 2011.

During the 2011 season, the Cardinals would start off 1–5 and in week eight not only lose to the Baltimore Ravens 30–27 but also lose QB Kevin Kolb to a turf toe injury. Backup QB John Skelton (Fordham) took the Cardinals to a 3–1 record until Kolb’s return. Kevin Kolb returned in week thirteen against the Dallas Cowboys on December 4, 2011, and won the game 19–13 in overtime. Kolb hit RB LaRod Stephens-Howling (Pittsburgh) on a fifty-two-yard touchdown pass to win the game. The Cardinals finished the season 8–8 and missed the playoffs.

In 2012, the Cardinals started off the season in spectacular fashion by winning their first four games against the Seahawks, Patriots, Eagles, and Dolphins. They then lost eleven of their last twelve games to end the season. Their only victory after week four was a 38–10 win against the Detroit Lions on December 16, 2012. Cardinals’ owner Bill Bidwill had enough, and head coach Ken Whisenhunt was fired. He was replaced with Bruce Arians (Virginia Tech), who had been an interim head coach for the Indianapolis Colts in 2012. Arians had brought the Colts to the playoffs with a 9–7 record after head coach Chuck Pagano had to step down (October 1, 2012) after being diagnosed with leukemia. On January 17, 2013, Arians signed a four-year deal with the Cardinals. On April 2, 2013, the Cardinals received QB Carson Palmer (USC) in a trade with the Oakland Raiders for a sixth-round pick.

In the 2013 season, the Cardinals just missed the playoffs with a 10–6 record. Five of their losses were to playoff teams (twice to San Francisco and once to the Philadelphia, Eagles, New Orleans Saints, and the Seattle Seahawks). The only loss that probably cost them a shot at the playoffs was the loss to the St. Louis Rams on September 8th in a close 27–24 game.

In 2014, the Cardinals started out with a fast 9–1 record only to finish the season in a disappointing 11–5 season. On January 3, 2015, the Cardinals lost on the road to the Carolina Panthers 27–16 after having to start their third-string quarterback Ryan Lindley (San Diego State). This was because starter Carson Palmer (USC) and backup Drew Stanton (Michigan State) both had season-ending injuries. The Cardinals only put up seventy-eight yards in offense in the game, which is the fewest number of yards gained in a n NFL postseason game in the history of the NFL.

On February 1, 2015, the city of Glendale, Arizona, hosted Super Bowl XLIX at the University of Phoenix Stadium. This was their second time of hosting the Super Bowl in this venue (Super Bowl XLII was their first). The New England Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks 27–23 in the game.

In 2015, the Cardinals clinched the NFC West division with a 13–3 record and its first title since 2009. On January 16, 2016, the Cardinals defeated the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round by a score of 26–20 in overtime. In overtime, QB Carson Palmer (USC) hit WR Larry Fitzgerald (Pittsburgh) on a seventy-five-yard pass route on the first play in OT. From the four-yard line, two plays later Palmer again hit Fitzgerald for a touchdown to win the game. The Cardinals went to play in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the NFC Conference Championship. They had not played in this game since 2008. They lost the game 49–15 to the Carolina Panthers. They tied a league record with the 1978 Los Angeles Rams when they turned the ball over seven times in the game.

The 2016 season opened with a lot of promise. Hoping to build on the 2015 season, the Cardinals started out by losing QB Carson Palmer and most of the offensive line. They ended the 2016 season 7–8–1. On October 23, 2016, the Cardinals, for the first time since 1986, tied the Seattle Seahawks 6–6. In this game, the field goal kickers from both teams missed game-winning field goals. This was the lowest scoring tie since overtime was introduced in 1974.

On October 10, 2017, RB Adrian Peterson (Oklahoma) was traded from the New Orleans Saints for a sixth-round draft pick.

The 2017 season was not much better than the 2016 season and was finishing a dismal 8–8 and missing the playoffs. On December 31, 2017, Head Coach Bruce Arians (Virginia Tech) retired from coaching at the age of sixty-five. Steve Wilks (Applachian State) took over as head coach on January 22, 2018.

On December 31, 2018, the Arizona Cardinals fired Head Coach Steve Wilks after the team went a disappointing 3–13. The Cardinals will get the first pick in the 2019 draft.

On January 8, 2019, Kliff Kingsbury (Texas Tech) became the new head coach for the Cardinals. He spent the last six years as head coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

On October 2, 2019, Cardinal owner Bill Bidwill died. He was eighty-eight. Bill’s son Michael Bidwill (St. Louis University) became chairman after his father’s death.

On April 25, 2020, the Cardinals had the NFL’s draft number one pick, and they chose QB Kyler Murray (Oklahoma).

The Cardinals finished the 2019 season a dismal 5–10–1, only to finish the 2020 season 8–8 and miss the playoffs in the last game with an 18–7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

The Cardinals did not add a logo to the sides of the helmet till they were in St. Louis, in 1960.

The logo would be a cardinal head in red and black on a white helmet. In 2005, they made the cardinal logo a meaner cardinal, to show aggressiveness, still on a white helmet.

Super Bowl LVII will be held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale Arizona.

Owners

Morgan Athletic Club

Chris O’Brien (1898–1900)

Racine Normals

Chris O’Brien (1901)

Racine Cardinals

Chris O’Brien (1901–1906, 1913–1919)

APFA—Chicago Racine Cardinals

Chris O’Brien (1920–1921)

NFL—Chicago Tigers

Guil Falcon (1920)

First AFL’s Chicago Bulls

Red Grange (1926)

C.C. Pyle (1926)

Joey Sternaman (1926)

AFL (Semi-Pro)—Chicago Indians

Unknown (1938)

APFA (Semi-Pro)—Chicago Indians

Unknown (1939)

PCPFL (Semi-Pro)—Phoenix Panthers

Unknown (1940)

AAFC—Chicago Rockets

John L. Jack Keeshan (1946–1947)

Jim Crowley (1947) (part-owner)

Unknown (1948)

AAFC—Chicago Hornets

Benjamin Lindheimer (1949) (subsidized the team this year)

NFL—Chicago Cardinals

Chris O’Brien (1922–1929)

Dr. David Jones (1929–1932)

Charles W. Bidwill Sr. (1932–1943)

NFL—Card-Pitt

Charles W. Bidwill Sr., Art Rooney, and Bert Bell (1944)

NFL—Chicago Cardinals

Charles W. Bidwill Sr. (1945–1947)

Violet Bidwill Wolfner (1947–1959)

NFL—St. Louis Cardinals

Violet Bidwill Wolfner (1960–1962)

Charles Bidwill Jr. and Bill Bidwill (1962–1972)

Bill Bidwill (1972–1987)

NFL—Phoenix Cardinals

Bill Bidwill (1988-1993)

NFL—Arizona Cardinals

Bill Bidwill (1994–2019)

Michael Bidwill (2019–Present)

Championships

NFL—Chicago Cardinals

1925 NFL Champions

1947 NFL West Division Champions

1947 NFL Champions

1948 NFL West Division Champions

NFL—St. Louis Cardinals

1974 NFC East Division Champions

1975 NFC East Division Champions

NFL—Arizona Cardinals

2008 NFC Western Division Champions

2008 NFC Conference Champions

2009 NFC Western Division Champions

Coaches

Morgan Athletic Club

Unknown (1898–1900)

Racine Normals

Unknown (1901)

Racine Cardinals

Unknown (1901–1906, 1913–1916)

Marshall Smith (1917–1919)

APFA—Chicago Racine Cardinals

Marshall Smith (1920)

Paddy Driscoll (1921)

APFA—Chicago Tigers

Guil Falcon (1920)

First AFL’s Chicago Bulls

Joey Sternaman (1926)

AFL (Semi-pro)—Chicago Indians

Unknown (1938)

APFA (Semi-pro)—Chicago Indians

Unknown (1939)

PCPFL (Semi-pro)—Phoenix Panthers

Unknown (1940)

AAFC—Chicago Rockets

Dick Hanley (1946, first three games)

Bob Dove, Ned Mathews, and Willie Wilkin (1946, next five games)

Pat Boland (1946, last six games)

Jim Crowley (1947, first eleven games)

Hamp Pool (1947, last three games)

Ed McKeever (1948)

AAFC—Chicago Hornets

Ray Flaherty (1949)

NFL—Chicago Cardinals

Paddy Driscoll (1922)

Arnold Horween (1923–1924)

Norman Berry (1925–1926)

Fred Gillies (1927)

Guy Chamberlin (1928)

Dewey Scanlon and Ernie Nevers (1929)

Ernie Nevers (1930–1931)

LeRoy Andrews (1931)

Jack Chevigny (1932)

Paul Schissler (1933–1934)

Milan Creighton (1935–1938)

Ernie Nevers (1939)

Jimmy Conzelman (1940–1942)

Phil Handler (1943)

NFL—Card-Pitt

Phil Handler and Walt Kiesling (1944)

NFL—Chicago Cardinals

Phil Handler (1945)

Jimmy Conzelman (1946–1948)

Phil Handler and Buddy Parker (1949) (first six games)

Buddy Parker (1949) (last six games)

Curly Lambeau (1950–1951)

Cecil Isbel (1951) (last two games)

Joe Kuharich (1952)

Joe Stydahar (1953–1954)

Ray Richards (1955–1957)

Pop Ivy (1958–1959)

NFL—St. Louis Cardinals

Pop Ivy (1960)

Pop Ivy, Chuck Drulis, Ray Prochaska, and Ray Willsey (1961)

Wally Lemm (1962–1965)

Charley Winner (1966–1970)

Bob Holloway (1971–1972)

Don Coryell (1973–1977)

Bud Wilkinson (1978–1979)

Larry Wilson (1979) (last three games)

Jim Hanifan (1980–1985)

Gene Stallings (1986–1987)

NFL—Phoenix Cardinals

Gene Stallings (1988–1989)

Hank Kuhlmann (1989)

Joe Bugel (1990–1993)

NFL—Arizona Cardinals

Buddy Ryan (1994–1995)

Vince Tobin (1996–2000)

Dave McGinnis (2000–2003)

Dennis Green (2004–2006)

Ken Whisenhunt (2007–2013)

Bruce Arians (2013–2017)

Steve Wilks (2018)

Kliff Kingsbury (2019–Present)

Home Field Stadiums

Morgan Athletic Club

Unknown (1898–1900)

Racine Normals

Normal Field (1901)

Racine Cardinals

Normal Field (1901–1906, 1913–1919)

APFA—Chicago Racine Cardinals

Normal Field (1920–1921)

APFA—Chicago Tigers

Cub’s Park (1920)

First AFL—Chicago Bulls

Comiskey Park (1926)

AFL (Semi-pro)—Chicago Indians

Unknown (1938)

APFA (Semi-pro)—Chicago Indians

Unknown (1939)

PCPFL (Semi-pro)—Phoenix Panthers

Unknown (1940)

AAFC—Chicago Rockets

Soldier Field (1946–1948)

AAFC—Chicago Hornets

Soldier Field (1949)

NFL—Chicago Cardinals

Comiskey Park (1922–1925)

Normal Field (1926–1928)

Comiskey Park (1929–1958)

Soldier Field (1959) (four games)

Metropolitan Stadium (1959) (two games)

NFL—St. Louis Cardinals

Busch Stadium (1960–1965)

Busch Memorial Stadium (1966–1987)

NFL—Phoenix Cardinals

Sun Devil Stadium (1988–1993)

NFL—Arizona Cardinals

Sun Devil Stadium (1994–2005)

University of Phoenix Stadium (2006–2018)

State Farm Stadium (2018–Present)

Played as:

APFA—Chicago Tigers (1920)

First AFL—Chicago Bulls (1926)

AFL (Semi-Pro)—Chicago Indians (1938)

APFA (Semi-Pro)—Chicago Indians (1939)

PCPFL (Semi-Pro)—Phoenix Panthers (1940)

AAFC—Chicago Rockets (1946–1948)

AAFC—Chicago Hornets (1949)

The above teams have no connection at all to the Cardinals teams of the past and present.

Independent—Morgan Athletic Club (1898–1901)

Independent—The Racine Normals (1901)

Independent—The Racine Cardinals (1901–1906, 1913–1919)

APFA—The Chicago Racine Cardinals (1920–1921)

NFL—The Chicago Cardinals (1922–1943)

NFL—Card-Pitt (1944)

NFL—The Chicago Cardinals (1945–1959)

NFL—The St. Louis Cardinals (1960–1987)

NFL—The Phoenix Cardinals (1988–1993)

NFL—The Arizona Cardinals (1994–Present)

Hall of Famers

Chicago

Earl Curly Lambeau, HC (1950–1951), inducted in 1963

Ernie Nevers, FB (1929–1931), Head Coach (1929–1931, 1939), inducted in 1963

Jim Thorpe, RB (1928), inducted in 1963

Jimmy Conzelman, Coach (1940–1942, 1946–1948), inducted in 1964

John Paddy Driscoll, QB (1920–1925), Head Coach (1920–1922), inducted in 1965

Guy Chamberlin, TE/DE (1927–1928), Head Coach 1927), inducted in 1965

Walt Kiesling, OL/DT (1929–1933), inducted in 1966

Charles W. Bidwill Sr., Owner (1933–1947), inducted in 1967

Joe Stydahar, Coach (1953–1954), inducted in 1967

Charley Trippi, RB/QB (1947–1955), inducted in 1968

Ollie Matson, RB (1952–1958), inducted in 1972

Dick Night Train Lane, DB (1954–1959), inducted in 1974

St. Louis

Larry Wilson, FS (1960–1972), inducted in 1978

Don Maynard, WR (1973), inducted in 1987

Jackie Smith, TE (1963–1977), inducted in 1994

Dan Dierdorf, RT (1971–1983), inducted in 1996

Roger Wehrli, CB (1969–1982), inducted in 2007

Arizona

Emmitt Smith, RB (2003–2004), inducted in 2010

Aeneas Williams, CB (1991–2000), inducted in 2014

Kurt Warner, QB (2005–2009), inducted in 2017

Edgerrin James, RB (2006–2008), inducted in 2020

Duke Slater, T (1926–1931), inducted in 2020

Alan Faneca, G (2010), inducted in 2021

Other Awards

NFC Championship (George Halas Trophy)

Arizona Cardinals (2008)

Newspaper Enterprise Association NFL MVP Award

Kurt Warner, QB (2008)

Washington, DC, Touchdown Club NFL Player of the Year Award

Kurt Warner, QB (2008), Arizona

UPI Player of the Year Award

Pat Harder, FB (1948), Chicago

AP (Associated Press) NFL Coach of the Year

Don Coryell (1974), St. Louis

Bruce Arians (2014), Arizona

The Sporting News NFL Coach of the Year

Jimmy Conzelman (1947), Chicago

Don Coryell (1974), St. Louis

Pro Football Weekly NFL Coach of the Year

Don Coryell (1974), St. Louis

UPI NFL Coach of the Year

Don Coryell (1974), St. Louis

AP Offensive Rookie of the Year

Ottis Anderson, RB (1979), St. Louis

Anquan Boldin, WR (2003), Arizona

Kyler Murray, QB (2019), Arizona

AP Defensive Rookie of the Year

Simeon Rice, DE (1996), Arizona

NFL Comeback Player of the Year

Garrison Hearst, RB (1995), Arizona

Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award

Kurt Warner, QB (2008), Arizona

Larry Fitzgerald, WR (2016)

Byron Whizzer White NFL Man of the Year Award

Jim Hart, QB (1975), St. Louis

Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy

Chicago Cardinals (1947)

Ring of Fame/Honor

St. Louis

Larry Wilson, FS, inducted in 1999

Dan Dierdorf, OT, inducted in 1999

Jackie Smith, TE, inducted in 1999

Roger Wehrli, CB, inducted in 2007

Dick Vermeil, HC, inducted in 2008

Dan Reeves, Owner, inducted in 2008

Carroll Rosenbloom, Owner, inducted in 2008

Georgia Frontiere, Owner, inducted in 2008

Arizona

Charles W. Bidwill Sr., Owner, inducted August 12, 2006

Jimmy Conzelman, Coach, inducted August 12, 2006

John Paddy Driscoll, QB, inducted August 12, 2006

Marshall Goldberg, HB, inducted August 12, 2006

Dick Night Train Lane, DB, inducted August 12, 2006

Ollie Matson, HB, inducted August 12, 2006

Ernie Nevers, FB, inducted August 12, 2006

Charley Trippi, HB/QB, inducted August 12, 2006

Larry Wilson, S, inducted September 10, 2006

Dan Dierdorf, T, inducted October 16, 2006

Pat Tillman, S, inducted November 12, 2006

Roger Wehrli, CB, inducted October 14, 2007

Aeneas Williams, CB, inducted November 9, 2008

Kurt Warner, QB, inducted June 18, 2014

Adrian Wilson, S, inducted September 27, 2015

Jim Hart, QB, inducted December 3, 2017

Carson Palmer, QB, inducted September 29, 2019

First-Round Draft Picks

AAFC—Chicago Rockets

Secret Two-Round Draft by AAFC of Players Who Were to Be Seniors

AAFC—Chicago Hornets

AAFC—Dispersal Draft Held on June 2, 1950

The Chicago Cardinal Years

The St. Louis Cardinal Years

AFL-NFL Merger

The Phoenix Cardinal Years

Arizona Cardinal Years

Retired Numbers

Atlanta Falcons

Residents of Atlanta were anxious to get a professional football team once their Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium had been completed. One potential ownership group had invested money to bring an AFL (American Football League) team to town, while another group—with no guarantee of stadium rights—applied for franchises in both the AFL and the NFL.

On June 7, 1965, some local businessmen worked out a deal and were awarded an AFL franchise, but only if they could acquire the rights to the stadium through city officials. Pete Rozelle (University of San Francisco), then commissioner of the NFL, heard of this new development and flew down to Atlanta to block the deal the city had made with the AFL. He made the city choose between the AFL and the NFL. On June 30, 1965, the city of Atlanta was awarded an expansion team, and Rankin Smith Sr. (Emory University, Georgia) was granted ownership of the newest NFL team.

A joint contest was launched with the goal of nicknaming the team, 558 different names entered the contest from one thousand three hundred suggestions. Although several people picked the Falcons, a schoolteacher named Julia Elliot was declared the winner after writing in an essay, The falcon is proud and dignified, with great courage and fight. It never drops its prey. It is deadly and has a great sporting tradition.

Other names suggested were Firenuts, Firebirds, Lancers, Trashers, Crackers, Rebels, Bombers, Knights, and Awesome Guys.

The first coach of the newly named Atlanta Falcons was Norb Hecker (Baldwin-Wallace College), an assistant coach to Vince Lombardi (Fordham) and the Green Bay Packers. He was hired on January 26, 1966.

Lombardi was originally pursued as the Atlanta coach, but he turned the job down. Rankin Smith Sr. then asked Lombardi for recommendations. Lombardi did not recommend Hecker. Smith thought he was trying to pull a fast one on him, so he hired him anyway.

On November 27, 1965, the Atlanta Falcons were awarded the first pick in the 1966 NFL draft. They then were given the last pick in the first five rounds. They chose Tommy Nobis, a linebacker out of the University of Texas. Nobis became the first Falcon for the new franchise.

The second pick in the draft belonged to the Los Angeles Rams, who selected future Hall of Famer Thomas Mack, an offensive tackle from Michigan. He remains the only Hall of Famer from that year’s draft class.

The league held an expansion draft six weeks later, on February 15, 1966. The reason for this second draft was to help the new team build its roster in a short amount of time, so it could more quickly compete against more-established franchises. Sometimes, these redrafted players benefit from the change of team or location and end up becoming stars. Each NFL team had a deadline in which they could protect a certain number of players from their squad. All players that were left unprotected then became eligible for the new team to choose from in the expansion draft.

In 1966, the Falcons wore white pants and either black or white jerseys. The helmet was red with a black falcon crest logo. In the center of the helmet was a center black stripe followed by two gold stripes and two white stripes. The colored stripes represented Georgia (red and black) and Georgia Tech (white and gold), the two major college rivals in the state. Later, the gold was taken out, but the white remains to this day.

The Atlanta Falcons debuted their team on August 1, 1966, in a preseason game with the Philadelphia Eagles. They lost by a score of 9–7. When the team opened the regular season against the Los Angeles Rams on September 11, 1966, they also lost, this time by a score of 19–14. They proceeded to lose eight more games in a row before finally winning their first game on November 20, 1966, against the New York Giants. The score of that game was 27–16.

Two weeks later, on December 4, 1966, they won their second game by a score of 20–13 against the Minnesota Vikings. But they had to wait till December 11, 1966, before they won their first-ever home game. On that day, they beat the St. Louis Cardinals 16–10.

The Falcons finished the 1966 season with a 3–11 record but surprisingly did not finish in the cellar of the Eastern Conference. That dubious honor fell to the New York Giants, who finished with a record of 1–12–1.

In 1967, the NFL split the conference into divisions, and the Falcons were placed in the Coastal Division along with the Los Angeles Rams, Baltimore Colts, and the San Francisco 49ers. After realignment, the Falcons finished the 1960s with only twelve wins in four seasons. In 1970, they were scheduled to play their first Monday Night Football Game (November 30, 1970), which they lost at home to the Miami Dolphins 20–7.

In 1970, the NFL merged with the AFL and renamed the Falcons’ division the Western Division. The Baltimore Colts moved to the American Football Conference and were replaced by the New Orleans Saints. The very next year, in 1971, the Falcons had their first winning season. They finished with a record of 7–6–1.

In 1977, the Falcons’ defense was known as the Grits Ritzs Blitz and only allowed 129 points in fourteen games under defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville (Northern Michigan). Their average of 9.2 points a game allowed that year is an NFL record.

In 1978, the NFL expanded to a sixteen-game season, and Atlanta finished the year 9–7, making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. On December 24, 1978, they beat the Philadelphia Eagles 14–13 at home in their first-ever playoff game. The team won in dramatic fashion, scoring two touchdowns in the final five minutes. Unfortunately, they then traveled to Dallas on December 30, 1978, where they lost to the Cowboys 27–20. The Dallas Cowboys went on to the Super Bowl that year and lost to the Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers.

One of the Falcons’ better years was in 1980, when the team posted a 12–4 record only to lose to Dallas at home on January 4, 1981, in the first round of the playoffs 30–27. In the strike-shorted 1982 season, they again made the playoffs (5–4) but lost to the Minnesota Vikings 30–24 in the opening round. They fired head coach Leeman Bennett (Kentucky) after the loss.

In 1989, the Falcons drafted in the first round (fifth pick overall) Deion Sanders, a wide receiver from Florida State, who was selected to fill a much-needed position at the time. Deion was known by his nicknames Neon Deion or Prime Time and played both football and baseball. The two-sport star played for the New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves Major League Baseball franchises. Deion played football the Falcons for five years before he left town to join the San Francisco 49ers.

In 1990, the Falcons changed their colors to black helmets, silver pants, and either black or white jerseys. In 1997, the numbers on the white jerseys were changed from red to black. One year later the 2 legit 2 quit Falcons (a name derived from the popular MC Hammer song) finished 10–6 and made the playoffs as a wild-card team. They won their first playoff game against the New Orleans Saints 27–20 on December 28, 1991. The following week (January 4, 1992) they lost to the Washington Redskins 24–7.

In the 1991 draft, the Falcons chose QB Brett Favre (Southern Mississippi) as the thirty-third pick overall. Favre threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown on his very first attempt. He only threw four passes as a Falcon and completed none of them but threw two interceptions. Favre was traded to the Green Bay Packers in 1992 for a first-round pick.

In 1992, the Falcons moved into their new stadium, the Georgia Dome. On October 14, 1993, hometown-based TNT (Turner Network Television) broadcast from the Georgia Dome for the very first time. In that game, the Falcons defeated the Los Angeles Rams 30–24.

In 1997, the Falcons hired Head Coach Dan Reeves (South Carolina) to take over as head coach.

On October 26, 1997, the TNT network broadcasted the team’s last game from Ericsson Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Falcons lost to the Carolina Panthers 21–12. This was also the night that the Falcons’ owner, Rankin Smith Sr., passed away. He was seventy-two. Smith’s son Taylor took control of the team after his father’s death.

On November 8, 1998, the Falcons defeated the New England Patriots 41–10, breaking a twenty-two-game, sixteen-year losing streak in games played in cold weather. Tight end O.J. Santiago (Kent State) introduced the Dirty Bird dance that became the team’s trademark for the rest of the season. That year the Falcons had their best season in franchise history. Not only did they win the NFC West Division with a 14–2 record, but they also swept through the playoffs and won the NFC Championship game in Minnesota against the Vikings (15–1) in a thrilling 30–27 overtime epic. The Vikings lead the Falcons 27–20 with less than two minutes to go in the game when Vikings’ placekicker Gary Anderson (Syracuse) missed a thirty-eight-yard field goal. It was a shocking turn of events for Anderson, who had been perfect throughout the season making all thirty-five of his attempted field goals. The Falcons proceeded to march down the field and scored a tying touchdown. The Vikings had the chance to score once more in regulation, but head coach Dennis Green (Iowa) decided to run the clock out and try and win in overtime. Atlanta got the ball in overtime and never gave it back, using a thirty-eight-yard field goal to win the game 30–27. The Dirty Birds went to Super Bowl XXXIII only to lose to the defending champion Denver Broncos on January 31, 1999, by a score of 34–19.

In 2001, the Falcons traded their fifth overall pick and wide receiver Tim Dwight (Iowa) to the San Diego Chargers for the number one pick overall, which they used to draft quarterback Michael Vick (Virginia Tech). The Chargers used the Falcons’ original fifth-round pick to draft RB LaDainian Tomlinson from TCU.

In February 2002, Arthur Blank—the cofounder of Home Depot—purchased the team from the Smith family. The selling price was five hundred forty-five million dollars.

Before the 2002 season began, the NFL once again realigned the divisions and placed the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South Division along with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans Saints, and Carolina Panthers.

On January 4, 2003, the Atlanta Falcons (9–6–1) beat the Green Bay Packers 27–7 in the playoffs at Lambeau Field. Seven days later they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 20–6 in the divisional playoffs.

On March 19, 2003, Arthur Blank presented the new logo and uniform for the team. Blank said, The new Atlanta Falcons logo is fresh, strong, and dynamic, and yet appreciates the tradition and history of this franchise. He also said, The new logo depicts a new powerful, aggressive Falcon—one of fast movement. It is also representative of the evolution and direction of our team. The new uniforms had a red-and-white trim down the side of the pants and jerseys. The uniform had black or white jerseys and pants. They also added a red alternate jersey with black trim. A year later wearing white pants and red jerseys became the team’s primary uniform, and the black jerseys became the alternate uniform.

Unfortunately, Michael Vick broke his leg during the preseason and missed the first twelve games of the 2003 season. After seven straight losses, head coach Dan Reeves (South Carolina) was fired and replaced with an interim coach Wade Phillips (Houston). When Vick returned, the team went 3–1 but still ended the season a dismal 5–11.

Under new coach Jim Mora (Washington) and with a healthy Michael Vick at quarterback, the 2004 Falcons went 11–5 and won the NFC West Division for a third time. They went on to beat the Los Angeles Rams in the Georgia Dome 47–17 but lost the NFC championship to the Eagles in Philadelphia by a score of 27–10 on January 23, 2005. The Eagles went on to lose to the New England Patriots Super Bowl XXXIX.

The Falcons failed to achieve back-to-back winning seasons by going moderate 8–8 in 2005. The next season Michael Vick rushing for over one thousand yards (1,039), but the team finished with a disappointing 7–9 record.

In 2007, after Vick pleaded guilty to involvement in dog-fighting charges in the state of Virginia, the NFL suspended him from the league indefinitely. On December 10, 2007, he was officially cut from the Atlanta Falcons roster. He received a twenty-three-month prison for his crimes. Thirteen games into the 2007 season, coach Bobby Petrino (Carroll College) resigned to take a job with the University of Arkansas, and Emmitt Thomas (Bishop College) took over for the final three games. On January 13, 2008, the Falcons named former Patriots director of college scouting Thomas Dimitroff their new general manager. Ten days later they named former Jacksonville Jaguars’ defensive coach Mike Smith (East Tennessee State) their new head coach.

On April 26, 2008, the Falcons had the third pick overall in the 2008 draft, and they chose Matt Ryan (quarterback from Boston College) as their first pick. Ryan started all sixteen games and was named the Offensive Rookie of the Year that season. The team ended the season with a record of 11–5 but lost at home to the eventual NFC champion Arizona Cardinals 30–24.

The Atlanta Falcons held the longest streak without back-to-back winning seasons among all major American sports (NFL, NBA-National Basketball Association, NHL-National Hockey League, and MLB-Major League Baseball) from 1966 to 2008. In 2009, they went 9–7 and broke the streak.

In 2010, the Falcons went an impressive 13–3 and had the best record in the NFC that year. Unfortunately, they lost their first game to the eventual Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay Packers by a score of 48–21 on January 15, 2011.

In the 2011 season, the Falcons finished 10–6 and placed second in the division behind the 13–3 New Orleans Saints. They made the playoffs as a wild-card team. On January 8, 2012, they traveled to the Meadowlands and lost to the New York Giants 24–2. The Giants would go on to win Super Bowl XLVI.

On April 19, 2012, Falcon’s free/strong safety Ray Easterling (Richmond) committed suicide at his home in Richmond, Virginia; it was determined he had CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), which is progressive damage due to blows to the head. He played for the Falcons from 1972 to 1979. He was sixty-two.

In the 2012 season, the Falcons started out at 8–0 and were the last undefeated team of the year. They won their division with a 13–3 record and became the number one seed in the NFC. On January 13, 2013, the Falcons were losing to the Seattle Seahawks 28–27 with thirty-one seconds remaining, until placekicker Matt Bryant (Baylor) hit a forty-nine-yard game-winning field. The following week the Falcons played the explosive San Francisco 49ers squad in the NFC Conference Championship. The Falcons led 24–14 at half only to be shutout in the second half and lose to the 49ers 28–24.

On March 14, 2013, the Atlanta Falcons signed RB Steven Jackson (Oregon State) to a three-year contract. He had played the previous nine seasons for the St. Louis Rams.

The 2013 season for the Atlanta Falcons was one they would like to forget. They finished 4–12 and did not defeat a team that was playoff bound. They finished third in the NFC South ahead of Tampa Bay. Although they did give Head Coach Mike Smith a one-year extension.

In 2014, the Falcons were having another dismal season but had a chance to win the division in the last week of the season. They lost 34–3 to division champion Carolina Panthers on December 28, 2014. On December 29, 2014, the Atlanta Falcons parted ways with Head Coach Mike Smith.

On February 2, 2015, the Atlanta Falcons hired Seattle Seahawks’ defensive coordinator Dan Quinn (Salisbury State).

Also, in February 2015, the NFL found the Atlanta Falcons guilty of using artificial crowd noise in the Georgia Dome. They were fined a fifth-round pick in the 2016 draft.

The 2015 season for Quinn and co. started out 5–0 only to finish the season 8–8. It was a very disappointing start for what was considered a great year after week five.

The 2016 season would be a whole different story. The Falcons went on a roar and ended the season 11–5 and secured a first-round bye in the playoffs. On January 14, 2017, the Falcons hosted the Seattle Seahawks for the divisional playoff game. Atlanta won 36–20. They then went on to play the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game. On January 22, 2017, the Falcons defeated the Packers in a walloping 44–21 beating. The Falcons in the 2016/2017 season scored 540 points in the season which tied them for sixth all time. They unfortunately gave up 406 points which was twenty-seventh in the league and would prove to be the difference.

On February 5, 2017, the Atlanta Falcons were leading the New England Patriots 28–3 late in the third quarter of Super Bowl LI, only to have the Patriots come back from twenty-five down and tie the game and send it into overtime (first OT in Super Bowl history). The Patriots won the coin toss and marched down the field and scored a touchdown to win the game 34–28 in OT. This was the biggest deficit comeback in Super Bowl history. This was also the first overtime played in Super Bowl history.

QB Matt Ryan was named NFL MVP in 2016.

The Falcons moved into their new stadium (Mercedes-Benz Stadium) at the beginning of the season. The Stadium has a retractable roof that, when opened, it creates the illusion of bird’s wings opened. On the concourse inside the stadium, there is a one-hundred-yard bar that stretches down the concourse. The Stadium cost 1.2 billion dollars.

On December 12, 2017, the first player the Falcons ever drafted, Tommy Nobis (Texas), died from an extended illness. He was seventy-four.

They lost the first game in preseason at home to the Arizona Cardinals 24–14 on August 26th. They won their first game at the new stadium on September 17, 2017, to the Green Bay Packers by a score of 34–23. They would finish the season 10–6 but make the playoffs as the sixth seed and go to Los Angeles to play the Rams in the playoffs. On January 6, 2018, the Falcons defeated the Rams 26–13 in the wild-card round. The following week in the divisional round they played the Philadelphia Eagles on January13, 2018 and lost 15–10.

The Atlanta Falcons finished the 2018 season with a 7–9 record. They fired the OC Steve Sarkisian (BYU), DC Marquand Manuel (Florida), and Special Teams Coach Keith Armstrong (Temple).