Bill Bidwill
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William V. "Bill" Bidwill, Sr. (born 1931 in Chicago, Illinois) is the owner of the NFL franchise Arizona Cardinals. He inherited the team from his parents. His father, Charles Bidwill, an early NFL player and sports businessman owned the team until 1947. His mother, Violet, ran the team until 1962. Bidwill and his brother Charles Jr. jointly ran the team until Bill purchased it outright in 1972.
After graduating from a private high 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.
Bidwill's ownership has been marked by little success. In the 35 years under his leadership, the team has had just 8 winning seasons and 4 playoff births. He is also notorious for moving the team from the good football market in St. Louis to Phoenix, despite long suffering St. Louis fans' love for their franchise. Bidwill has a reputation for being cheap when it comes to signing big name players, as can be seen by Arizona's perenially place as one the teams with the league's lowest payroll.
[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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