Long before the Cardinal football franchise moved to St. Louis, there were Missouri ties to the Cardinals and their first championship in 1947 back in Chicago. Their leader was a Missouri guy.
Paul Christman, the Mizzou two sport star was in that Cardinal backfield when the Chicago Cardinals won the 1947 NFL title game. Christman was also on the 1948 team that lost to title game. Both of those games in the 40’s were played against (ironically) Philadelphia.
Christman was a native of Maplewood and finished third in the Heisman voting back in 1939.
Another side note on Chicago and championship droughts. First, yes the Chicago Bears won Super Bowl XX during the 1985 season, but the Chicago/St. Louis/Arizona Cardinals have the longest football championship drought going back to 1947. Of course, there is the Cubs with their 101 years without a baseball championship, and the Blackhawks last won the Stanley Cup in 1961, the third team from the Windy City tied to dry spells in professional championships.
