By Darin March 9 is a pivotal date in football, marking a legendary franchise’s impending move and the birthdays of iconic personalities. From the Cardinals’ 1960 announcement to “The Boz” electrifying Oklahoma, this day highlights football’s business and bravado. Whether celebrating multi-sport talents like Jackie Jensen or defensive stalwarts like Art Hillebrand and John Huard, March 9 stands for grit and change.
Now let’s get our senses and emotions triggered into high alert with this stunning image of football yesteryear.
March 9 American Football History Timeline
March 9, 1960 – Per Joe Ziemba, the Cardinals announced that rumors of the franchise leaving Chicago for St. Louis. The relocation of the Chicago Cardinals to St. Louis in 1960 was driven by financial survival. In Chicago, the team was heavily overshadowed by the more popular Bears, leading to poor attendance and near-bankruptcy. Additionally, the NFL sought to block the newly formed AFL from entering the St. Louis market. In March 1960, owners unanimously approved the move, ending the Cardinals’ 62-year history in Chicago.
Life in St. Louis: The “Big Red” Era
Upon arriving in Missouri, the team shared both a name and a stadium (Sportsman’s Park, and later Busch Memorial Stadium) with the baseball Cardinals. To avoid confusion, they were often called the “Football Cardinals” or the “Big Red.”
The team saw flashes of brilliance, particularly:
The 1960s: Featuring Hall of Fame safety Larry Wilson and quarterback Charley Johnson.
The 1970s: Under coach Don Coryell, the “Cardiac Cardinals” became one of the league’s most exciting offenses, winning back-to-back NFC East titles in 1974 and 1975.
The Aftermath and Departure
Despite these peaks, the team struggled with mediocrity and stadium issues. As a tenant of the baseball team, they lacked control over revenue and modern amenities. After failing to secure a dedicated football stadium and facing declining attendance, owner Bill Bidwill moved the franchise again in 1988, this time to Phoenix (which eventually became the Arizona Cardinals). St. Louis remained without NFL football until the Rams arrived in 1995.
March 9 Football Hall of Fame Birthdays
- Art “Doc” Hillebrand (1876) A massive force for his era at 190 pounds, Hillebrand was a two-time All-American tackle and captain for Princeton. He later coached the Tigers to a perfect 11-0 season and a national championship in 1903, finishing his coaching tenure with a dominant 27-4 record.
- Jackie Jensen (1927) A versatile “speedster” for Cal, Jensen was a dynamic fullback and defensive back who once intercepted seven passes in a single season. While a College Football Hall of Famer, he is equally famous for out-pitching Bobby Layne to win the first NCAA baseball tournament and later becoming the 1958 AL MVP with the Boston Red Sox.
- John Huard (1944) The first player from the University of Maine to reach the College Football Hall of Fame, Huard famously recorded 22 tackles in his very first collegiate game. A two-time All-American, he led the Black Bears to their first postseason berth before playing four seasons in the NFL with Denver and New Orleans.
- Brian Bosworth (1965) Known globally as “The Boz,” he remains the only player to win the Butkus Award twice as the nation’s top linebacker. He was the defensive anchor of Oklahoma’s 1985 National Championship team and led the Sooners in tackles for three consecutive seasons before being selected by Seattle in the 1987 Supplemental Draft.
Conclusion
Looking back at March 9, we see a clear thread: the evolution of the “impact player”—from Art Hillebrand’s 19th-century dominance, to Jackie Jensen, who outshined a future President on the baseball diamond and terrorized defenses on the gridiron, to Brian Bosworth, who modernized the linebacker role into a media spectacle. These stories, along with the Cardinals’ franchise-altering move, show football as living history. These legends didn’t just play for their teams; they left an indelible mark on the game’s culture.
Are you enjoying the daily history of the gridiron? Perhaps tak a look at yesterday, March 8.
Thanks to our sources listed in the links above, especially Pro-Football-Reference and Newspapers.com
