1959 Chicago Cardinals season

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.

Regular season

Schedule

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 34–7	1–1	Soldier Field	19,935
3	October 11	at Washington Redskins	L 23–14	1–2	Griffith Stadium	25,937
4	October 18	at Cleveland Browns	L 17–7	1–3	Cleveland Stadium	46,422
5	October 25	Philadelphia Eagles	L 28–24	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 9–3	2–5	Yankee Stadium	56,779
8	November 15	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 27–17	2–6	Franklin Field	28,887
9	November 22	New York Giants	L 30–20	2–7	Metropolitan Stadium	26,625
10	November 29	Chicago Bears	L 31–7	2–8	Soldier Field	48,687
11	December 6	at Detroit Lions	L 45–21	2–9	Briggs Stadium	45,811
12	December 13	at Pittsburgh Steelers	L 35–20	2–10	Forbes Field	19,011

Standings

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

1. "NFL standings: final". Milwaukee Sentinel. December 14, 1959. p. 4, part 2.
2. "Bears stay alive with 31-7 win". Milwaukee Sentinel. UPI. November 20, 1959. p. 2, part 2.
3. "Cardinals blow lead, lose to Philadelphia". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. October 26, 1959. p. 14, part 2.
4. "Giants beat Cards, take Eastern lead". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. November 23, 1959. p. 18, part 2.
5. "National Football League's Cards to move to St. Louis". Ocala Star-Banner. Florida. Associated Press. March 14, 1960. p. 8.
6. "Chicago Cardinals to move to St. Louis this season". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. March 14, 1960. p. 11.
7. "St. Louis-bound Cardinals Chicago's oldest grid pros". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Chicago Tribune press service. March 15, 1960. p. 11.