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]

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. They subsequently moved from St. Louis to the Phoenix area in Arizona.

Preseason

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Sources
1 August 5 at Toronto Argonauts W 55–26 1–0 Exhibition Stadium 27,152
2 August 15 vs. Detroit Lions L 19–21 1–1 Oklahoma Memorial Stadium 40,000
3 August 22 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers W 21–10 2–1 Texas Memorial Stadium 15,000
4 August 28 at Los Angeles Rams L 21–34 2–2 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 52,013
5 September 5 vs. San Francisco 49ers W 27–24 3–2 Husky Stadium 23,000
6 September 11 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers L 13–21 3–3 Busch Stadium 30,055
7 September 20 vs. Baltimore Colts W 31–17 4–3 Fairgrounds Stadium 16,671

[8]

Regular season

For the 1959 season the Cards offered seats in three price tiers. Field box and upper box tickets were $5.00, seats in the reserved grandstand cost $4.00, and bleacher seats were priced at $2.50.[9] Season tickets for a four game home slate at Soldier Field cost $18, $14, and $10, respectively.[9] The club also offered a $10 "family plan," which admitted two children, age 14 or under, to every game with an adult season ticket purchase.[9]

Schedule

Game Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap Sources
1 September 27 Washington Redskins W 49–21 1–0 Soldier Field 21,892 Recap
2 October 4 Cleveland Browns L 7–34 1–1 Soldier Field 19,935 Recap
3 October 11 at Washington Redskins L 14–23 1–2 Griffith Stadium 25,937 Recap
4 October 18 at Cleveland Browns L 7–17 1–3 Cleveland Stadium 46,422 Recap
5 October 25 Philadelphia Eagles L 24–28 1–4 Metropolitan Stadium 20,112 Recap
6 November 1 Pittsburgh Steelers W 45–24 2–4 Soldier Field 23,187 Recap
7 November 8 at New York Giants L 3–9 2–5 Yankee Stadium 56,779 Recap
8 November 15 at Philadelphia Eagles L 17–27 2–6 Franklin Field 28,887 Recap
9 November 22 New York Giants L 20–30 2–7 Metropolitan Stadium 26,625 Recap
10 November 29 Chicago Bears L 7–31 2–8 Soldier Field 48,687 Recap
11 December 6 at Detroit Lions L 21–45 2–9 Briggs Stadium 45,811 Recap
12 December 13 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 20–35 2–10 Forbes Field 19,011 Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

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.
  8. ^ "1959 Chicago Cardinals (NFL)". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c E.J. O'Malley, "Purchasing NFL Tickets: A Guide to Ticket Information," Sports Forecast, vol. 2, no. 2. Chicago: E.J. O'Malley Publishing Co., 1959; p. 78.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1959_Chicago_Cardinals_season
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