Jump to content

RIP Bill Bidwill.


Recommended Posts

13 minutes ago, Rico said:

RIP Bill. Horrible owner, but still better than Ralph.

 

Bidwill moved his team.

Ralph didn't.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Bidwill

Quote

Bidwill's ownership was marked by little success. In his 57 years as at least part-owner, the Cardinals only made the playoffs eight times (1974, 1975, 1982, 1998, 2008, 2009, 2014, and 2015). He moved the team to Phoenix, Arizona, prior to the 1988 season after St. Louis refused to build a new stadium to replace Busch Memorial Stadium, in spite of the fact that the team was well supported by the local fans. Bidwill had also publicly pledged to support a future effort to gain an expansion franchise for St. Louis. Instead, he voted to approve a new franchise in Jacksonville, Florida. However, St. Louis eventually gained a new franchise anyway, the relocated Los Angeles Rams in 1995. The Rams returned to Los Angeles in 2016.

Bidwill had a reputation for running the Cardinals rather cheaply; the Cardinals had one of the lowest payrolls in the league for many years. Following the move to State Farm Stadium in 2006, the team began to spend more money. The increased revenue paid off in 2008, when the Cardinals won their division for the first time since 1975 (when the team was based in St. Louis), hosted a playoff game for only the second time in franchise history (the previous coming in 1947 as a Chicago team) and advanced to Super Bowl XLIII. They won two more division titles in 2009 and 2015.

 

Edited by WhoTom
  • Like (+1) 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, stuvian said:

a generation of mediocre football interrupted by a Kurt Warner comeback

 

not sure why this is a bad thing for football, the less guys like this the better

 

NO CARDINALS PLAYOFF WINS FROM 1948 TO 1998

 

the Bills are sorta working on it, but think of a streak of no playoffs wins going 1996 to ?????

 

imagine the next Bills playoff win occurring in over 25 more years....  actually.....

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, Rico said:

RIP Bill. Horrible owner, but still better than Ralph.

I lived in St Louis when Bill Bidwell was the owner.  He was quite possibly the worst owner in NFL history.    Anything good that ever happened to the Cardinal franchise in Arizona (because nothing good ever did on St Louis) happened after he stepped down.    Out of respect to him I wont get into the many issues, none of that matters. 

 

Ralph is a Hall of Fame member.  He did things in the early AFL days  that kept the league viable or there would be no AFL survival and merger.  He kept the Bills in Buffalo when he could have made TONS of money elsewhere.  He supported small markets and voted NO on every single relocation.  He cared about FANS.  Even today Buffalo benefits from his philanthropy.   These things are well documented. 

 

 

Edited by Bob in STL
Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, 1st&ten said:

From the article "...But privately he was an extremely charitable man, distributing money to many local causes, usually done quietly with no publicity. Charitable contributions also were made through the Cardinals Foundation, formed shortly after the franchise moved to Arizona in 1988..."

 

Ralph did things the same way during his life, and continues to give back (in a somewhat louder manner) posthumously through his foundation.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...