St. Louis Cardinals Football Trivia Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Prior to arriving in St. Louis in 1960, in which city did the Cardinals play their home games?

Answer: Chicago

The Cardinals were founded in 1898 in Chicago, and underwent a number of name changes, including Morgan Athletic Club and Racine Normals. As the Chicago Cardinals, they won two NFL championships in 1925 and 1947. Despite those two successes, losing seasons were the norm for the Cardinals, along with low attendances, as they tried to compete with the crosstown Bears. With the new AFL looking to expand into St. Louis, the NFL and the team owners agreed a deal to move the team to the Missouri city.

2. The Cardinals first home game in St. Louis was a 35-14 loss to the New York Giants and took place at which stadium?

Answer: Busch Stadium

Formerly known as Sportsman's Park, Busch Stadium was also home to the baseball Cardinals. Until 1953, it had also hosted the home games of the St. Louis Browns baseball team. The Cardinals recorded their first win there in week 5 over the Dallas Cowboys.

They ended the season with a 6-5-1 record, their first winning season since 1956. In 1966, the Cardinals would move to the new Busch Memorial Stadium.

3. The Cardinals remained competitive throughout most of the 1960s, behind the arm of which Pro Bowl quarterback?

Answer: Charley Johnson

Johnson, from New Mexico State University, wasn't drafted until the 10th round of the 1960 NFL draft, but proved to be a major player for the Cardinals. He passed for over 3000 yards in both 1962 and 1963, going to the Pro Bowl in the latter season.

4. The Cardinals had a number of head coaches during their stay in St. Louis, but the arrival of which one in 1973 transformed the club into a playoff contender?

Answer: Don Coryell

After a successful stint with the San Diego State Aztecs, Coryell arrived in St. Louis in 1973. After a disappointing debut campaign, he led the team to successive division titles in the following two seasons.

5. The Cardinals failed to progress in the playoffs in both 1974 and 1975, losing their opening game to which two teams?

Answer: Minnesota Vikings & LA Rams

The Vikings and Rams were two of the most dominant franchises in the mid-1970s, and the Cardinals also had the disadvantage of playing both of them on the road. Minnesota won 30-14 in 1974, and Los Angeles prevailing 35-23 the following season.

6. A key player in the mid-1970s Cardinal team was which offensive tackle, who would later go on to have a successful TV broadcasting career?

Answer: Dan Dierdorf

Dierdorf was a second round draft pick out of Michigan in 1971. He played his entire NFL career with the Cardinals and was selected to six Pro Bowls. After retiring, he was part of "ABC's Monday Night Football" team for 12 years.

7. After Coryell left St. Louis in 1978 to take over at the San Diego Chargers, the Cardinals fortunes slumped, before a brief revival in the early 1980s under which coach?

Answer: Jim Hanifan

A former assistant with the Cardinals under Don Coryell, Hanifan took over the head coaching post in 1980. He led them to one playoff spot in 1982, when they lost 41-16 to Green Bay.

8. The Cardinals didn't make many appearances on Monday Night Football during their final years in St. Louis, but one notable exception was in 1983, when they were involved in a rare tied game with which NFC East rival?

Answer: New York Giants

The Cardinals and Giants met in week eight in St. Louis. Both teams had struggled to 2-5 records at this point in the season. In a rivalry stretching back to 1926, the teams had only played to a tie once before, in 1964, in the days before overtime existed. With the score tied at 20-20 at the end of regulation, Neil O'Donoghue had three chances to kick a winning field goal for St. Louis in overtime, but missed them all.

9. Which quarterback drafted out of Portland State in 1981, did much to keep the Cardinals competitive during their last few seasons in St. Louis?

Answer: Neil Lomax

Lomax was selected in the second round of the 1981 draft, and became the team's starting QB in 1982. He threw for over 22,000 yards and 136 touchdowns in a Cardinal uniform in a career which ended in Phoenix in 1988.

10. At the end of the 1987 season, the Cardinals relocated to Phoenix after which owner failed in his attempts to persuade the city of St. Louis to build him a new stadium?

Answer: Bill Bidwill

The Cardinals played their last home game in St. Louis on December 13, with just 29,623 fans on hand to see them defeat the Giants 27-24. The NFL would return to the city in 1995 when the Rams relocated there from Los Angeles. Ironically, a new divisional alignment in 2002 placed the Cardinals and Rams in the same division, which meant that the Cardinals would be visiting their former home city every year in the regular season.

Source: Author Dizart

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nightmare before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

This quiz is all about the NFL Cardinals during their tenure in St. Louis from 1960-1987.

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