A Few Thoughts on the Dollar Bill Years

Harry

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When one looks at the typical NFL owner you find a person who made a great deal of money as a businessman or someone who inherited a large amount of money, or both. Bill Bidwill Sr. was neither. His family made their money from the Cardinals. In 2015 when Forbes noted his net worth at $1.4 billion, the vast majority of that worth came from owning the Cardinals. Are the Capone rumors true? Wait; what? That’s another article.

To maintain his standard of living Bidwill had to draw from the Cardinal’s profits. Whereas many other teams used much of those proceeds to improve their teams. Of course in recent years the salary cap has forced the Cards to spend similar to other teams. However even in that aspect the Cards resisted the bells & whistles other teams offered. Making it hard for years to get top free agents.

This is a team that the league had to drag, kicking & screaming, into spending competitively. Consider the case of Clyde Duncan. In the 1984 draft the Cards came up with the brilliant idea to decide how much they wanted to spend on their top pick (they usually had a high one). They found a taker for the preferred amount in WR Clyde Duncan. He lasted 2 years and secured 4 receptions. No other team signed him when the Cards dumped him. The NFL made this practice a rule violation.

This is a team that traded away one of the great RBs in history, Ollie Matson. Though he eventually wore down playing for terrible teams, his election to the Hall of Fame is a testament to his ability. The Cards got 9 players in return, only a couple of whom were serviceable. Interestingly Pete Rozelle was the Rams GM who acquired Matson. Matson responded with one great year, but the lack of surrounding talent seemed to drain his skills. I suspect some of it was the continual disappointment of not contending.

Far worse was the giveaway of Night Train Lane, thought by many to be the greatest CB ever. The Cards’ compensation was Gerry Perry, DL & a kicker. He lasted 3 years with the Cards, starting only 7 games. Again when his Cardinal career ended, his NFL career also ended. Lane played 6 more years, being chosen for 3 Pro Bowls.

In 69 seasons since 1950 the Cards have posted 19 winning seasons. Of course they’ve never won a Super Bowl. In fairness to Dollar Bill he had little control until 1960. However, even when the Cards had a chance to win bigger in STL, Dollar Bill refused to make key defensive acquisitions that required a greater expenditure; a tragic missed opportunity for one of the most exciting teams in NFL history. IMO this situation, more than any other, was why Missouri would not commit to a stadium. The story got stranger in 1985 when St. Louis mayor Vince Schoemehl took it upon himself to secure an option to buy the Patriots. He offered to execute his option and swap teams with a Bidwill but was turned down. Bidwill thought the Cards were about to turn it around. Eventually the Cards left for Arizona. Imagine how different history would be if Bidwill had accepted. In 2007 Time Magazine labeled him one of the nation’s worst sport’s executives. After mostly struggling in AZ the team has finally started to make changes in operating philosophy which may yet make them an authentic competitor.

I would be remiss, especially with today’s issues, in covering Senior’s tenure st the helm without mentioning the Cards were one of the champions in creating minority opportunities in their front office. The Cardinals were the first NFL team to have a black head coach and general manager pairing, Dennis Green and Rod Graves, and the first to have a black female executive, Adele Harris. Socially this was a progressive franchise. Bidwill was honored in 2010 by a national concern for “extraordinary contributions towards NFL diversity.”

Bidwill was also philanthropic. It was just the Cards never seemed to be one of those causes. One time Jim Hart made an appointment to seek a raise. He brought with him a folder with a well laid out case he wished to present. When he walked into Bidwill’s office, Bidwill flipped an egg timer telling Hart he had 3 minutes. Of course the end was no raise.

Perhaps Bidwill was faced with Sophie’s choice. Sell a Cardinal team I truly believe he loved or risk his family’s financial well being by investing more in that team. Now with a new stadium, huge television revenue and a hard salary cap, perhaps that choice is not as threatening. Michael Bidwill may well be free to continually move this team forward. As Cardinal fan for about 60 years, I hope that wishful thinking has become reality. I’ve found most games are more fun when you have an authentic chance to win.
 

Cheesebeef

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no offense... but who cares about Bidwill and how he ran the Cardinals back in the day? I mean, I get if you were bringing something new to the table, but this is just a rehash of everything we already know. if there's a Capone angle, well that's certainly interesting from a historical WTF perspective, so why not just talk about that?

and that's coming from someone who thought Sr. was one of the worst owners in all of sports.
 

Redsz

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We have come a long way since Micheal took over. From bottom of the NFL to middle of the pack. Let's hope the overall upward trajectory continues.
 

DemsMyBoys

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Interesting post. I wasn’t a Cardinals fan back in those old days, so I learned something new.

I knew he was close with his money, but I’ve always thought a great deal of that was his living through the Great Depression.
 

Finito

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Worst owner in sports during his time.

thank for MB
 

JeffGollin

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My first reaction to Harry's piece was "so what's your point?"

What does Bill Bidwill's past management philosophy and style have to do with how the Cards will do in the coming year...and beyond?

Then I thought some more and concluded that that, while tomorrow brings with it a clean slate, our mistakes in the past "are what they are" and we can learn a lot from our gazillion past mistakes.

But then again, dwelling on our past miscues might just be the very thing "that losers do."

So, thanks for the trip down memory lane, Harry, but I think I'll pass - lest my ulcer unexpectadly explodes.
 
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jmt

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Well I’ve been a Big Red fan since the 60’s and Dollar Bill was the worst. It’s good to see Cincy and Jax and some other teams pass us in that category.
 

Rain Man

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Well I love Jim Hart. I've been a fan since '78. I was a little kid glued to the TV watching the Cards.

Reading this article makes me cringe as if knowing what was really going on I'd probably be a fan of another team
 

daves

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no offense... but who cares about Bidwill and how he ran the Cardinals back in the day? I mean, I get if you were bringing something new to the table, but this is just a rehash of everything we already know.
Well what exactly is the value of your post? I know a LOT about Cardinals history, but I didn't know much about the Ollie Matson and Night Train trades, and had never heard the story about Jim Hart and the egg timer.

There's not much going on with the Cardinals, the NFL, or sports in general right now and Harry posted some interesting info about Cards history, and you thought it would be a good idea to crap on his post? If it doesn't interest you, you're free to move on to all the vast wealth of other interesting content that's been posted lately. Way to contribute!

...dbs
 

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There is no doubt that the Cardinals were an under-funded FB franchise. And that contributed to their lack of success. Of course it didn't help that the Bidwills were lied to, big time, by other businessmen and politicians in both St. Louis and Phoenix when it came to the promises of new stadiums, "if you come or stay with us". It also didn't help that Bill Bidwill didn't have a business background to fall back on, and recognize that he was being taken advantage of. Mix in a heavy dose of misplaced loyalty and you have a recipe for failure.

In many ways the Cardinals are similar to the NY football Giants. Another poor (by FB standards) ownership group, The Mara family, one of the original NFL families. But thanks to Pete Rozelle, who recognized the need for a strong NFL team in NYC, (St. Louis/Phoenix was not very important for the NFL's success) he "pointed" them in the direction of George Young, who became a HOF GM. And while it didn't look like a blessing at the time, an intra family squabble (The Maras) led to the sale of 50% of the team to the Tisch family. And that brought significant cash to their franchise.

Once the Cardinals got a FB stadium. they started playing on a level playing field, and have been fairly successful. Under MB's direction, loyalty is appreciated, but you better also be successful. And say what you want, results aside, the Bidwills, at least for me, are an easy family to root for.

Excuse the rant. JMO.
 

Cardiac

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Thanks for the post Harry, I knew Dollar Bill was a horrible owner but didn't know the details of some of the players stories. Knew Duncan was a horrible draft pick but had no idea on why Bill had us draft him. Can't imagine working for the Cards in the scouting / GM department and having to put up with crap like that.

Thankful for Michael taking over and hopeful that the Cards are now a legit franchise.
 

cardpa

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Harry, thank you for the history lesson. Quite a few tidbits in it that I did not know. It helps explain why the team went the directions it went over the years. Again thanks.
 
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no offense... but who cares about Bidwill and how he ran the Cardinals back in the day? I mean, I get if you were bringing something new to the table, but this is just a rehash of everything we already know. if there's a Capone angle, well that's certainly interesting from a historical WTF perspective, so why not just talk about that?

and that's coming from someone who thought Sr. was one of the worst owners in all of sports.
Get outside, talk a walk, just no need to piss on someone else's parade.
 

kerouac9

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Wait... I think most of the old-school franchise owners only made their money from the team? Where did the Hunt family make their fortunes? The Mara family? Al Davis didn’t have a field of oil wells that I remember. The Rooney family didn’t invent the microchip.
 
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Harry

Harry

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Wait... I think most of the old-school franchise owners only made their money from the team? Where did the Hunt family make their fortunes? The Mara family? Al Davis didn’t have a field of oil wells that I remember. The Rooney family didn’t invent the microchip.
It’s true if you go back before the era of expansion and the big TV money there were many owners whose team generated their income. Things has changed greatly.

Al Davis bought 10% of the Raiders and later parlayed an agreement with one of the other 2 owners to use California partnership laws to gain operational control for himself.

The Rooney’s currently hold only 30% of the Steelers, the NFL minimum for control. It should be noted that for most of the team’s early existence it was a weak franchise. That all changed in the 70s.

The Mara family did indeed run a successful franchise with little outside capital. They did get a $10 million indemnity payment when the AFL merged into the NFL. They initially bought the team for $500.
 

daves

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Where did the Hunt family make their fortunes?
I always thought it was the same family as Hunt's ketchup... but, no:
Hunt was born in El Dorado, Arkansas, the son of oil tycoon H. L. Hunt and younger brother of tycoons Nelson Bunker Hunt and William Herbert Hunt. Lamar was raised in Dallas, Texas.

So, he was born wealthy from the oil business. Other things i did not know:
He was the principal founder of the American Football League (AFL) and Major League Soccer (MLS), as well as MLS's predecessor, the North American Soccer League (NASL), and co-founder of World Championship Tennis. [In addition to the Chiefs,] he was also the founder and owner of the Kansas City Wizards of MLS, and at the time of his death owned two other MLS teams, Columbus Crew and FC Dallas. In Kansas City, Hunt also helped establish the Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun theme parks.

The oldest ongoing national soccer tournament in the United States, the U.S. Open Cup (founded 1914), now bears his name in honor of his pioneering role in that sport stateside. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972; into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1982; and into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1993. The National Soccer Hall of Fame bestowed upon Hunt their Medal of Honor in 1999, an award given to only three recipients in history thus far.
Quite a list of accomplishments and accolades in areas unrelated to his family wealth!

...dbs
 

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The NFL is 100 years old. The Hunts and Davis families got into the FB business years later. They did so when FB was a big business. Not so in 1920.
 

Zeno

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The Capone angle wouldn't surprise me, Bidwill was a rumored crooked prosecutor and later a mob lawyer in Chicago. I think he ran a horse track or was a big time horse breeder too--both areas that would be difficult to avoid organized crime in the 20's-30's in Chicago with all the gambling ties.
 
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Harry

Harry

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Rather than spend my time conveying more history, here’s a link that will satisfy some of the curiosity. I will tell you there is much myth and legend buried in these stories. Check 10 sources and you’ll get 10 different stories. This is one of the more comprehensive sources and references the best book on the subject IMO.

https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2012/jul/04/citylights1-nfl-dirty-secret/
 

cardpa

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Rather than spend my time conveying more history, here’s a link that will satisfy some of the curiosity. I will tell you there is much myth and legend buried in these stories. Check 10 sources and you’ll get 10 different stories. This is one of the more comprehensive sources and references the best book on the subject IMO.

https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2012/jul/04/citylights1-nfl-dirty-secret/

Seems that the Bidwills had other income producing ventures including racetracks and dog tracks. It also appears that they may have supplemented their income in some shall we say less than legal operations. This should come as no surprise as a lot of wealth was created back in the era of prohibition. Charles Bidwill was a wealthy lawyer in Chicago which had more than it's share of gangsters and underworld dealings.
 

Cardsfaninlouky

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Idk how true it is but I've heard that BB wanted a domed stadium & didn't want beer sold? They offered a 70,000 seat open air stadium which he rejected. Have no idea if any of that is true or not? They ended up building the TWA dome to lure the Rams.
 

JeffGollin

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A non-biased source I trust (i.e. nothing to lose or gain) opined that the Town Fathers in StL weren't necessarily negotiating credibly.
 

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