Hall of Famer Larry Wilson Announces NFL Retirement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 14, 2003 3:27pm
Tempe, Arizona — NFL Hall of Famer Larry Wilson, 65,
one of the greatest defensive backs in league history
and “the last Chicago Cardinal” according to team
President William V. Bidwill, has announced his
retirement, effective May 30, following a 43-year NFL
career.
A fixture with the Cardinals since 1960, Wilson's NFL
career began with 13 seasons (1960–72) as a player and
continued with a variety of administrative positions.
“Number 8,” as he fondly has been called on occasion by
associates since his playing days, is one of only four
players in franchise history to have his jersey
retired.
“We decided to retire Larry’s number two years before
he retired,” Bidwill reflects.
A 1978 first-ballot inductee into the Pro Football Hall
of Fame with Lance Alworth, Alphonse “Tuffy” Leemans,
Ray Nitschke, and Week Eubank, Wilson received another
milestone honor in 1994 when he was named to the NFL’s
all-time team commemorating the league’s 75th
anniversary.
Wilson, who gained notoriety for his perfection of the
safety blitz, reached legendary status as a
hard-hitting six-time all-pro and eight-time Pro Bowl
free safety, appearing in 169 NFL games — all as a
Cardinal — from 1960–72.
“Larry Wilson personifies what made the NFL great,”
Bidwill lauds. “His competitiveness was his strength,
and he had a feel for the game, a real nose for the
ball. He was a leader as a player, and he’s been a
leader since.”
Wilson’s name remains referenced throughout the
Cardinals’ record book.
He still owns club records for career interceptions
(52), career interception yardage (800), and
single-game interception return yardage (115).
Wilson’s 96-yard interception return for a touchdown
against Cleveland on December 19, 1965 remains the
longest in Cardinal history, and his 91-yard
interception return for a touchdown the following year
against Philadelphia remains third on the same list.
He led the Cardinals in interceptions six times and
intercepted three passes in a single game twice.
He also held or shared the franchise record for career
interception returns for touchdowns (five) until 1997
when cornerback Aeneas Williams tallied his sixth.
In 1966, Wilson enjoyed one of his finest seasons with
an NFL-leading 10 interceptions, including three in one
game against the Chicago Bears on October 31, while
tying a league record by intercepting a pass in seven
consecutive games.
Wilson also held the Cardinal record for longest fumble
return, an 88-yard jaunt for a touchdown at Green Bay
on December 21, 1969, until 2000 when Williams broke it
with an NFL record-tying 105-yard return. Wilson’s
88-yarder was one of two career fumbles he returned for
touchdowns and one of 12 career fumbles he recovered,
the latter ranking fifth in Card annals.
When pressed to choose the most memorable moment from
Wilson’s career, Bidwill responds, “That’s easy. Who
can forget the day he intercepted a pass, and almost
scored, with casts on both hands? That was and is
Larry Wilson!”
Wilson started his climb up the team’s organizational
ladder as director of professional scouting (1973–76)
and director of professional personnel (1977–88. He
also guided the team as
interim head coach for the
final three games of the 1979 season, earning credit
for victories over the San Francisco 49ers and New York
Giants.
During the Cardinals’ inaugural season in Phoenix in
1988, Wilson was appointed vice president and general
manager to guide the franchise’s football fortunes as
it entered a new era in Arizona, a position he held
through the 1993 season. During that span, Wilson
hired a new head coach (Joe Bugel) and director of
college scouting (Bob Ackles), played an active part in
planning the Cardinals’ state-of-the-art training
facility, took a prominent role in the team’s draft
decision making, and implemented an aggressive approach
to free agency. Most recently as a team vice
president, his duties included responsibility for
Cardinal Charities, special events, team travel, and
training camp at
Northern Arizona University in
Flagstaff, Arizona.
Born March 24, 1938 in Rigby, Idaho, Wilson was a
running back at the University of Utah and selected by
the Cardinals in the seventh round of the 1960 NFL
Draft. Wilson converted to the defensive backfield due
to injuries.
Wilson and his wife, Nancy, will continue to reside in
Scottsdale, Arizona.
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