Bill Bidwill

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William V. "Bill" Bidwill, Sr. (born 1931 in Chicago, Illinois) is the owner of the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He inherited the team from his parents.

[edit] Parents

His father, Charles Bidwill, owned the team from 1933 until his death in 1947, while the team was in Chicago. His mother, Violet, authorized business partner Ray Bennigsen to carry on management of the team. She would remarry in 1949 (to St. Louis businessman Walter Wolfner). Two years later, Bidwill's two adopted sons, Charles, Jr. (Stormy) and Bill would be named president and vice-president of the team, respectively. In 1960, Violet would move the Cardinals to St. Louis. When she died in 1962, Charles and Bill became legal owners of the team, until Bill purchased it outright in 1972. Only the Chicago Bears, Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants have been controlled by one family longer than the Cardinals.

[edit] Education

After graduating from the elite Georgetown Preparatory School, Bidwill joined the United States Navy, serving until 1956. Afterwards, he attended Georgetown University, from which he earned a business degree. In 1960, after graduating from college, he joined his family's franchise, which had moved to St. Louis a few months before.

[edit] As owner of the Cardinals

Bidwill's ownership has been marked by little success. In his 45 years as at least part-owner, the team has had just 4 playoff berths. He moved the team to Phoenix, Arizona after the 1987 NFL season after St. Louis refused to build a replacement for Busch Memorial Stadium. Bidwill has a reputation for being cheap when it comes to signing big name players; the Cardinals have had one of the lowest payrolls in the league for many years. In recent years, however, the Cardinals have begun to spend similar amounts to other teams (due in part to the raising of the NFL's salary floor in its recent Collective Bargaining Agreement)and also from the opening of their new stadium and the revenue that came with it in 2006.

In recent years, Bidwill has ceded much of the day-to-day operations of the Cardinals to his sons, Michael and Bill, Jr.

[edit] Sources

• Biography on Arizona Cardinals web site
• http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/crdindex.htm
• http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2007-01-11/news/the-curse

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