The 1959 Chicago Cardinals season was the team's 40th and final season in Chicago. The Cardinals opened the season with a 49–21 home win over the Washington Redskins at Soldier Field, but finished with a record of two wins and ten losses, last place in the Eastern Conference. They tied with the Los Angeles Rams for the worst record in the 12-team league.[1]
| 1959 Chicago Cardinals season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Violet Bidwill Wolfner |
| Head coach | Pop Ivy |
| Home field | Soldier Field & Metropolitan Stadium (Bloomington, Minnesota) |
| Results | |
| Record | 2–10 |
| Division place | 6th NFL Eastern |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Their final home game in Chicago was on November 29, a 31–7 loss to the cross-town rival Bears at Soldier Field.[2] The home games of October 25 and November 22, both losses, were played in Minnesota at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington,[3][4] the future home of the expansion Minnesota Vikings, starting two years later in 1961.
In March 1960, the Chicago Cardinals relocated to St. Louis and became the St. Louis Cardinals,[5][6][7] bringing the NFL back to Missouri. They subsequently moved from St. Louis to the Phoenix area in Arizona.
Preseason
edit| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 5 | at Toronto Argonauts | W 55–26 | 1–0 | Exhibition Stadium | 27,152 |
| 2 | August 15 | vs. Detroit Lions | L 19–21 | 1–1 | Oklahoma Memorial Stadium | 40,000 |
| 3 | August 22 | vs. Pittsburgh Steelers | W 21–10 | 2–1 | Texas Memorial Stadium | 15,000 |
| 4 | August 28 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 21–34 | 2–2 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 52,013 |
| 5 | September 5 | vs. San Francisco 49ers | W 27–24 | 3–2 | Husky Stadium | 23,000 |
| 6 | September 11 | vs. Pittsburgh Steelers | L 13–21 | 3–3 | Busch Stadium | 30,055 |
| 7 | September 20 | vs. Baltimore Colts | W 31–17 | 4–3 | Fairgrounds Stadium | 16,671 |
Regular season
editSchedule
edit| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 27 | Washington Redskins | W 49–21 | 1–0 | Soldier Field | 21,892 | |
| 2 | October 4 | Cleveland Browns | L 7–34 | 1–1 | Soldier Field | 19,935 | |
| 3 | October 11 | at Washington Redskins | L 14–23 | 1–2 | Griffith Stadium | 25,937 | |
| 4 | October 18 | at Cleveland Browns | L 7–17 | 1–3 | Cleveland Stadium | 46,422 | |
| 5 | October 25 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 24–28 | 1–4 | Metropolitan Stadium | 20,112 | |
| 6 | November 1 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 45–24 | 2–4 | Soldier Field | 23,187 | |
| 7 | November 8 | at New York Giants | L 3–9 | 2–5 | Yankee Stadium | 56,779 | |
| 8 | November 15 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 17–27 | 2–6 | Franklin Field | 28,887 | |
| 9 | November 22 | New York Giants | L 20–30 | 2–7 | Metropolitan Stadium | 26,625 | |
| 10 | November 29 | Chicago Bears | L 7–31 | 2–8 | Soldier Field | 48,687 | |
| 11 | December 6 | at Detroit Lions | L 21–45 | 2–9 | Briggs Stadium | 45,811 | |
| 12 | December 13 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 20–35 | 2–10 | Forbes Field | 19,011 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Standings
edit| NFL Eastern Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
| New York Giants | 10 | 2 | 0 | .833 | 8–2 | 284 | 170 | W4 | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7 | 5 | 0 | .583 | 6–4 | 268 | 278 | L1 | |
| Cleveland Browns | 7 | 5 | 0 | .583 | 6–4 | 270 | 214 | W1 | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 | 5 | 1 | .545 | 6–4 | 257 | 216 | W1 | |
| Washington Redskins | 3 | 9 | 0 | .250 | 2–8 | 185 | 350 | L5 | |
| Chicago Cardinals | 2 | 10 | 0 | .167 | 2–8 | 234 | 324 | L6 | |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
References
edit- ^ "NFL standings: final". Milwaukee Sentinel. December 14, 1959. p. 4, part 2.
- ^ "Bears stay alive with 31-7 win". Milwaukee Sentinel. UPI. November 20, 1959. p. 2, part 2.
- ^ "Cardinals blow lead, lose to Philadelphia". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. October 26, 1959. p. 14, part 2.
- ^ "Giants beat Cards, take Eastern lead". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. November 23, 1959. p. 18, part 2.
- ^ "National Football League's Cards to move to St. Louis". Ocala Star-Banner. Florida. Associated Press. March 14, 1960. p. 8.
- ^ "Chicago Cardinals to move to St. Louis this season". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. March 14, 1960. p. 11.
- ^ "St. Louis-bound Cardinals Chicago's oldest grid pros". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Chicago Tribune press service. March 15, 1960. p. 11.
- ^ "1959 Chicago Cardinals (NFL)". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
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