 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1895-09-16)September 16, 1895 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | April 19, 1947(1947-04-19) (aged 51) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school | St. Ignatius College (Chicago, Illinois) |
| College | Loyola University Chicago |
| Career history | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| Executive profile atPro Football Reference | |
Charles W. "Charley" Bidwill Sr. (September 16, 1895 – April 19, 1947) was an American businessman. He was the owner of theChicago Cardinals of theNational Football League (NFL).[1][2] He owned the team for 14 seasons, the NFL campaigns running from 1933 through 1946. Bidwill was inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame in 1967.
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(June 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Bidwill was the son ofChicago 9th WardAlderman Joseph Edward Bidwill and Mary Anne Sullivan. His eldest brother Joseph Edward Bidwill Jr. was aclerk of theChicago Circuit Court and his younger brotherArthur J. Bidwill was aRepublicanState Senator. Loretta Mary Bidwill was his sister (1888–1973).
Prior to his ownership of the Cardinals, Bidwill was a successful businessman and wealthy lawyer inChicago, with ties toorganized crime bossAl Capone.[3] He was owner of a racing stable, the president of theChicago Stadium Operating Company and owner of a printing company.[4] Bidwill's only physical participation in athletics came only during his time atSt. Ignatius High School andLoyola University.
After graduation in 1916, he began his law practice, serving as assistant prosecutor for Chicago and corporation counsel. As a businessman, Bidwill was often referred to as "Blue Shirt Charlie" because he sometimes favored a blue shirt and high boots instead of the traditional white shirt and businessman's shoes.[5]
Bidwill was part owner of theChicago Bears, after he helpedGeorge Halas buyEdward "Dutch" Sternaman's share of the team in 1933.[6] According to Halas' account in his 1967 book,That's The Way the Ball Bounces, Bidwill purchased team stocks for $5,000: "From this desperate situation, I was rescued by the joint efforts of my mother and my good friend Charley Bidwill. Mother bought $5,000 worth of stock from her savings, Bidwill purchased $5,000 in stock and also arranged a bank loan for the remaining $5,000 needed to pay off Sternaman."
One night in 1932,Dr. David Jones, the then-owner of the Cardinals, and his wife were guests at an informal dinner party aboard Bidwill's luxurious power-cruising yacht,The Ren-Mar. Bidwill, then a vice president of theChicago Bears, spoke with Jones that night and the conversation turned to pro football, with Jones complaining of the poor state of his team. Half-jokingly, Bidwill's wife,Violet, asked Jones, "Why don't you sell the Cardinals to Charley?" Jones replied that he would sell anything he owned if the price was right. Bidwill soon turned to Jones and the two began to discuss an offer. Bidwill went on to buy the Cardinals from Jones for $50,000. Bidwill handed Jones a down payment of $2,000 and the two men shook hands. The sale was not announced until 1933 to allow Bidwill time to dispose of his stock in the Bears. It was well known that Bidwill would have much preferred to buy the Bears, butGeorge Halas refused to sell.[4]
In 1940 he tried but failed to buy theDetroit Lions. He then hiredJimmy Conzelman as coach, who later quit as coach to work for theSt. Louis Browns.[4]
In1944, due to World War II, many players were serving in theUnited States military, leaving a league-wide shortage of players. As a result, the Cardinals and thePittsburgh Steelers merged their teams for the season. The team's nameCard-Pitt was quickly dubbed the "Carpets" by detractors, as "every team in the league walks over them". The team lost ten straight to post an 0–10 record.[7]
After the war theAAFC placed a team in Chicago, theRockets, which publicly pushed for the Cardinals to leave town. In1947 Bidwill outbid the Rockets for the rights toAll-AmericanCharley Trippi, signing him to a then record $100,000 contract. Trippi was the final piece of what Bidwill called his "Dream Backfield" ofPaul Christman,Pat Harder,Marshall Goldberg,Elmer Angsman, and Trippi. They led the Cardinals to their first (and, to date, only) undisputed NFL championship in 1947.
Bidwill died ofpneumonia in April 1947,[1][2][8] shortly after signing Trippi. His widowViolet inherited the team and operated it until her death in early 1962.[9] During her tenure as the Cardinals owner, she and her second husband, Walter Wolfner, relocated the franchise toSt. Louis in1960. Following her death, she left the team to her adopted sons from her first marriage,Charles Jr. andBill.[10][11][12][13][14] He is a member of theChicagoland Sports Hall of Fame and was inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame in 1967.
Bill Bidwill bought his elder brother's share in1972.[15] During Bill's time as owner, the team relocated once more, toPhoenix, Arizona, in 1988, and since 1994 have been known as the Arizona Cardinals. He remained sole owner until his death in 2019. His sonMichael Bidwill, who had been team president and operating head of the franchise since 2007, inherited the team.[16]
Of the current NFL franchises as of2025, the Bears (Halas/McCaskey, since 1921), andNew York Giants (Mara family, since 1925) have been in the hands of one family longer than the Cardinals; thePittsburgh Steelers (Rooney family) were also founded in 1933, when the Bidwells took over Cardinals control. The2008 championship game was between the Bidwells and Rooneys' clubs.