I: Sept. 17, 1920
II: Nov. 7, 1920
III: Nov. 28, 1920
IV: Oct. 7, 1923
V: Nov. 26, 1925
VI: Dec. 6, 1925
VII: Nov. 6, 1929
VIII: Nov. 28, 1929
IX: Oct. 24, 1933
X: Nov. 28, 1935
XI: Oct. 14, 1945
XII: Apr. 19, 1947
XIII: Dec. 28, 1947
XIV: Dec. 19, 1948
XV: Mar. 23, 1959
XVI: Mar. 13, 1960
XVII: Dec. 6, 1964
XVIII: Nov. 7, 1965
XIX: Nov. 16, 1970
XX: Dec. 27, 1975
XXI: Jan. 8, 1983
XXII: Dec. 16, 1984
XXIII: Nov. 8, 1987
XXIV: Mar. 15, 1988
XXV: Dec. 23, 1990
XXVI: Dec. 24, 1994
CARDINAL CHRONICLE I
September 17, 1920: In the Beginning. . .
- - - - - The Cardinals' place in NFL history was established this fateful Friday in Canton, Ohio, at the new league's second
organizational meeting. It was here that the franchise known as the "Racine-Chicago Cardinals" was admitted to the American Professional
Football Association (APFA), later to become the NFL. However, this team's story had begun much earlier - many years before that of the
NFL or any other professional football team still in existence.
- - - - - Back in 1898, a painting and decorating contractor named Chris O'Brien organized a neighborhood football team on Chicago's
south-side. At first, they played under the name Morgan Athletic Club, but later changed it to the Racine Normals; this new name included
both the street (Racine Avenue & Normal Boulevard ) and the field (Normal Park) names on which they played. In 1901, O'Brien received a
good deal on used jerseys from the Maroons of the University of Chicago. However, upon seeing the faded red jerseys, he exclaimed: "That's
not maroon, it's cardinal red!" And so, the team was given a new nickname - one that they would still be using almost a century later and 1,500
miles away: "Cardinals."
- - - - - Playing against local, mostly amateur competition, the Cardinals managed to remain in operation for several years. By 1906,
competition was so scarce that the team disbanded, but seven years later, O'Brien reorganized the Cardinals and the team's popularity steadily
grew. New uniforms as well as a new head coach, Marston Smith, were introduced for the 1917 season as the Cardinals went on to become the
champions of the Chicago Football League. World War I and the influenza epidemic forced the Cardinals to suspend operations for part of the
1918 season, but soon the team was reorganized once again by O'Brien. Finally, on September 17, 1920, the Cardinals joined the newly formed
APFA for a franchise "fee" of $100, although it is believed that none of the charter members ever paid it.
NEXT : November 7, 1920 - The Cardinals' first season almost becomes their last as they challenge the Chicago Tigers to a football game that will decide which team has the right to represent the Windy City.
 |
1996-2021, by "The Cardinal"
|
|---|