Cardinals Seek Approval for Phoenix Move

Warmer weather and a bigger stadium are luring the National Football League’s Cardinals to Arizona after 28 years in St. Louis.

Team owner William Bidwill said Friday he wants to move the Cardinals to Phoenix before next season because “we can be more competitive there” in the future.

“One of the things I like about it is that I was sitting next to a man from Phoenix on the plane coming in, and he told me it was 72 degrees there,” Bidwill told reporters following a one-hour meeting with NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle.

The Cardinals, who haven’t made the playoffs since 1982, played before sparse crowds at Busch Stadium this season. Bidwill has complained about the stadium’s 54,392-seat capacity for years, but political squabbling in St. Louis delayed proposals for a new facility.

To gain league approval, the move must be supported by at least 21 of the 28 NFL owners. They will vote on Bidwill’s request at the league’s annual meeting in March or possibly before then. Coincidentally, the meeting will be held in Phoenix this year.

Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell said he would support the move if a vote were held today.

“No one wants to see a franchise move,” he said. “But Billy Bidwill has kept the league informed for four years about the problems he’s been having in St. Louis. This is no overnight move. It appears it got to the point where he couldn’t operate in St. Louis anymore.”

Tex Schramm, president of the Dallas Cowboys, said he had mixed feelings about the proposed move.

“Phoenix is an outstanding area for a National Football League franchise,” he said. “But I also have a feeling of compassion and regret for St. Louis. We had a lot of great games up there and a great rivalry.”

Asked if he would take legal action against the NFL if his request is rejected, Bidwill said: “I certainly don’t want to sue anyone.”

If the Cardinals move, it would be the third NFL franchise shift in the 1980s. The Raiders moved from Oakland to Los Angeles in 1982. Two years later, the Colts moved from Baltimore to Indianapolis.

Bidwill, who had until midnight to notify the NFL of his plans, had offers from several cities, including Baltimore, Jacksonville, Fla., and Memphis.

“All of the offers were very good,” Bidwill said, “but Phoenix offered the best opportunity.”

In St. Louis, where the Cardinals moved from Chicago in 1960, radio stations added to the melancholy mood by playing “By The Time I Get To Phoenix.”

“I have mixed emotions about the whole thing,” Cardinal offensive lineman Luis Sharpe said. “I feel real sorry for the fans of St. Louis. But I’m excited about going to a place like Phoenix. I’m sorry to leave the people here, but it was time to move on.”

The announcement was greeted with joy in Arizona, where the Cardinals hope to play next season at 70,491-seat Sun Devil Stadium in the Phoenix suburb of Tempe.

“I think this community will embrace the Cardinals with open arms,” said Phoenix attorney Mike Gallagher, a key figure in the negotiations. “As with any endeavor, you can always expect a certain amount of negativism. But I believe the overwhelming majority of the people here are 100% behind the move and the economic benefits it will bring.”

Bidwill has been offered nearly $17 million annually in ticket and concession incentives to play at Sun Devil Stadium on the Arizona State University campus. The team would later have the option of moving into a proposed domed stadium to be built in downtown Phoenix.

The push for a larger stadium in St. Louis touched off a political war over where the facility should be built.

Last fall, Bidwill rejected a proposed 70,500-seat, open-air stadium in St. Louis County. Last week, officials came up with an 11th-hour proposal for a domed stadium in downtown St. Louis. By then, however, Bidwill was leaning heavily toward the Arizona offer.

“You can’t fight city hall,” he said of the delays in St. Louis.

Maryland officials expressed disappointment over Bidwill’s decision.

“It’s a serious loss,” said Gov. William Donald Schaefer, who was active in the drive to bring the Cardinals to Baltimore.