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The team was formed as part of the American Association in 1882 where they enjoyed a four-year dynasty under flamboyant owner Chris von der Ahe. At that time they were called the Browns, under which name they joined the NL when the American Association went out of business. They were briefly the Perfectos during 1899 before settling on their present name.
Highlights from Cardinal history include the 1930s era "Gas House Gang" featuring Dizzy Dean, Joe Medwick, Pepper Martin and Enos Slaughter. In 1934, Dean and his younger brother, Paul, combined to win 49 games - still a single season record for brothers. Dizzy, whose real name was Jerome Herman Dean, won 30 of them, with Paul (nicknamed "Daffy") contributing 19 wins.
In the 1940s, the Cardinals dominated the National League, and in 1944 they met their cross-town rivals, the St. Louis Browns, in the "trolley car Series". Stan "The Man" Musial arrived in St. Louis. Known to loyal fans as "Ol' Number 6", Musial spent 23 years in a Cardinal uniform. In the 1970s, a statue of Musial was constructed outside Busch Stadium downtown.
The 1960s brought three National League pennants to St. Louis. Hall of Famers such as Lou Brock, Bob Gibson, Tim McCarver, Steve Carlton, and Orlando Cepeda led the "Redbirds" to a pair of World Series titles in the decade.
After a less-than-successful 1970s, new Cardinal manager Whitey Herzog revived the winning tradition at Busch Stadium. Herzog's brand of baseball, known in St. Louis as "Whiteyball", featured speed on the base paths, sparkling defense, and unconventional roster moves. In his 11 years as Cardinal manager, Herzog won three National League pennants, and a 1982 World Series title. The 1980s era Cardinals included stars Ozzie Smith, Willie McGee (who won two batting titles in a Cardinal uniform), John Tudor, Tom Herr, Jack Clark, Bruce Sutter, Keith Hernandez, Terry Pendleton, and Joaquin Andujar.
The 1985 World Series, christened the "I-70 Series" because it featured in-state rival Kansas City, is perhaps the most controversial in Cardinal history. Game 6 of that series featured "The Call". In the 9th inning, umpire Don Denkinger called Royals batter Jorge Orta safe at first base - a call later refuted by instant replay. The Cardinals, leading 1-0 at the time of the play and needing that victory to clinch the title, went on to lose Game 6 and then Game 7 the following night.
The Cardinals reached the post-season in 1987, losing to Minnesota 4-3 in the World Series, and in 1996, when the Atlanta Braves defeated them for the National League pennant.
In 1998 Cardinals' first baseman Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs battled to set the record for most home runs in one season. McGwire broke Roger Maris's record on September 8 with #62, and pulled away to finish with 70, a record that stood until Barry Bonds hit 73 in 2001.
In 2000, the Cardinals lost to the New York Mets for the title of National League champion. In 2001, the Cardinals advanced to the post-season as a "Wild Card" team after posting the second-best record in the National League, but losing the division to the Houston Astros. The Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Cardinals in a five-game playoff series. In 2002, the Cardinals won the Central Division and this time defeated the Diamondbacks 3 games to none to reach the NLCS, but lost 4 games to 1 to the San Francisco Giants.
In 2004, St. Louis posted the best record in the National League, and their most wins since the 1940s, earning home advantage for the NLDS and NLCS. In the Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Cardinals rolled, winning the series 3-1. Facing off against wild card and rival Houston in the NLCS, the Cards took a 2-0 lead, then lost three straight on the road. Coming home for Game 6, the Cardinals took a 4-3 lead into the 9th inning, but blew it. Jim Edmonds homered in the bottom of the 12th to win the game, and the next night, Albert Pujols helped St. Louis win Game 7 to take series, and was named MVP. The Cardinals now play the Boston Red Sox in the 2004 World Series, the third time the teams have faced each other in the Fall Classic.
For much of the last half of the 20th century, the legendary broadcaster, Jack Buck, was the voice of the Cardinals, calling play-by-play on St. Louis' KMOX radio.
Between 1960 and 1987, St. Louis was home to two big-league Cardinals teams, baseball and football. Sports fans and local news coverage got into the habit of saying "the St. Louis baseball Cardinals" or "the St. Louis football Cardinals" to distinguish the two. Locals also got into the habit of using "Redbirds" to refer specifically to the baseball team, partly because this nickname had been commonly used decades before the football team came to town.
1995
Frontiere moves franchise to St. Louis after 49 years in
Southern California. NFL owners approve team's relocation effort with 23-6-1
vote, April 12, bringing NFL football back to St. Louis after eight- year
absence. League owners originally block proposed move with 3-21-6 vote, March
15. Rams hire Steve Ortmayer as Vice President for Football Operations and
former Oregon coach Rich Brooks as 19th head coach in team history. Rams make
Florida DE Kevin Carter their number one draft choice. Rams greet St. Louis with
4-0 record to start season. Isaac Bruce produces record-breaking year with 119
receptions for 1,781 yards. Jackie Slater becomes first player in NFL history to
play 20 seasons with one team by starting against Carolina and sets record for
offensive linemen with 258 games played.
1996
Rams trade DE Sean Gilbert to Washington for sixth overall
pick in 1996 draft and later swap RB Jerome Bettis to Pittsburgh for
second-round selection in 1996 and fourth-round pick in 1997. Team moves into
state-of-the-art administration and practice facility in June and move training
camp from Maryville University in suburban St. Louis to Western Illinois
University in Macomb. S Keith Lyle ties for NFL lead in interceptions with 9.
1997
Rams celebrate club's 60th anniversary of professional
football. Dick Vermeil is hired as head coach and President of Football
Operations, replacing Rich Brooks, Jan. 20. Vermeil replaces Steve Ortmayer with
Lynn Stiles as Vice President/Football Operations. Vermeil assembles experienced
staff of five former professional football head coaches, including Mike White,
Bud Carson, Jim Hanifan, Frank Gansz and Dick Coury. Vermeil trades four picks
to New York Jets in exchange for first pick in 1997 NFL draft. Rams select
offensive tackle Orlando Pace first overall.
1998
Defensive coordinator Bud Carson announces retirement. Dick
Vermeil names Peter Giunta and John Bunting co-defensive coordinators. Rams
select DE Grant Wistrom and RB Robert Holcombe in first two rounds of 1998 NFL
Draft.
1999
Rams acquire Pro Bowl RB Marshall Faulk from Indianapolis in
exchange for second and fifth round draft choices in 1999 NFL Draft, April 15.
St. Louisan Trent Green, who attended Vianney High, highlighted an aggressive
off-season pursuit of veteran free agents. Rams also signed G Adam Timmerman of
Green Bay, S Devin Bush of Atlanta, and LB Todd Collins of New England. Rams
draft Torry Holt, wide receiver from North Carolina State University, in first
round, number six overall. Holt made 88 receptions for 1,604 yards and 11
touchdowns during his senior season at N.C. State. Green completed 28 of first
32 pass attempts before sustaining season-ending knee injury in third preseason
game versus San Diego, Aug. 28. Green's injury cleared the way for Kurt Warner,
a former Arena League and NFL Europe player who went undrafted out of Northern
Iowa. Warner set numerous records, led Rams to their first division championship
since 1985, became only the second player to throw for more than 40 touchdowns
in one season, and was the NFL's Most Valuable Player. Warner's only NFL
experience had been in the fourth quarter of season-ending loss at San Francisco
in 1998.
2000
The Rams win three playoff games in January, 49-37 over
Minnesota in the NFC divisional round, Jan. 16, and 11-6 over Tampa Bay in the
NFC Championship. Kurt's Warner's 31-yard pass to Ricky Proehl with 4:44
remaining brought the Rams from behind against Tampa Bay., Jan. 24. The Rams
defeated Tennessee 23-16 in Super Bowl XXXIV at Atlanta on a 74-yard pass play,
Warner to Isaac Bruce, with 1:54 remaining. The victory was not clinched until
LB Mike Jones made a touchdown-saving tackle at the one-yard line on the last
play, Jan. 31. Eight Rams, Warner, Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce, Orlando Pace,
Kevin Carter, D'Marco Farr, Adam Timmerman, and Todd Lyght, are selected to the
NFC Pro Bowl squad. Dick Vermeil retires and is replaced by assistant coach Mike
Martz as head coach, Feb. 2.
The Rams tie for the NFC West title with 10-6 record but lose
in first round of playoffs at New Orleans after a season in which two top
players, QB Kurt Warner and RB Marshall Faulk, miss a combined total of eight
games with injuries. Faulk scores 26 touchdowns in 14 games and is a unanimous
choice for NFL Player of the Year. Warner, Faulk, Bruce and Pace are selected to
the Pro Bowl. All but Pace withdrew because of the effects of injury. Torry Holt
replaced Bruce and led the NFC with 7 catches for 123 yards and a touchdown.
2001
Martz appoints Lovie Smith defensive coordinator, Bobby April
special teams coach, Ron Meeks secondary coach, Bill Kollar defensive line coach
and upgrades offensive assistant Ken Zampese to wide receivers coach, in
January. Henry Ellard becomes offensive assistant. Also appointed to coaching
staff is Matt Sheldon as defensive assistant. Rams draft three defensive
players, DT Damione Lewis (12), S Adam Archuleta (20), and DT Ryan Pickett (29)
in first round of NFL draft, continuing overhaul of that unit, April 21. Tackle
Jackie Slater and defensive end Jack Youngblood are inducted into Pro Football
Hall of Fame and, for the third time since AFC-NFC series began in 1970, Rams
play in the Hall of Fame game, defeating Miami Dolphins 17-10, Aug. 5-6. Rams
become second team in NFL history to open season with 6-0 record in three
consecutive years by defeating New York Jets 34-14, Oct. 21. The only other team
to accomplish feat was Green Bay Packers (1929-31). Kurt Warner is named NFL
Most-Valuable Player and Marshall Faulk is named NFL Offensive Player of the
Year. Rams win NFC West with 14-2 record, best in club history.
2002
Rams defeat Green Bay 45-17 and Philadelphia 29-24 to advance
to Super Bowl XXXVI. New England defeats Rams 20-17 on 48-yard field goal by
Adam Vinatieri as game ended, Feb. 3. Rams Isaac Bruce, Marshall Faulk, Kurt
Warner, Orlando Pace, and Aeneas Williams were selected to Pro Bowl. Bruce,
Warner, and Pace withdrew because of injuries. In separate moves, Torry Holt and
Adam Timmerman were added to NFC squad.
Martz appoints Carlos Mainord secondary coach, Feb. 28,
replacing Ron Meeks, who moved to the Indianapolis Colts.
Rams select LB Robert Thomas (31), CB Travis Fisher (64), and
RB Lamar Gordon (84) with first three selections in 2002 draft, each of whom
made significant contributions in initial campaigns. Injuries play big role in
7-9 season as starters miss 45 games. Rams join 2001 Washington Redskins as only
teams in league history to win next five games after starting the season 0-5.
Marc Bulger becomes third Rams' QB since 1970 (Dieter Brock 7, 1985; Kurt Warner
6, 1999) to post at least six consecutive wins to start a career. Rams stage two
double-digit fourth-quarter comebacks for first time since 1989, rallying from
10 down to beat San Diego 28-24, Nov. 10, and 17 points down to be archrival San
Francisco 31-20, Dec. 30.
2003
Team names Steve Fairchild offensive coordinator/quarterbacks
coach, Perry Fewell secondary coach, Frank Falks tight ends coach, and Bob
Babich linebackers coach. Through trades and free agency, Rams acquire veterans
C Dave Wohlabaugh, G David Loverne, T Kyle Turley, TE Cameron Cleeland, RB Leon
Johnson, P Sean Landeta, and S Jason Sehorn. Team selects DT Jimmy Kennedy (12),
LB Pisa Tinoisamoa (43), WR Kevin Curtis (74), WR Shawn McDonald (106) and CB
DeJuan Groce (107) with first five selections in 11-player draft class.
The Blues were one of the Expansion six to enter the league in 1967 when the NHL
doubled in size. The newcomers were hampered by restrictive rules that kept
virtually all the top players with the existing teams.
Although the Blues, originally coached by Lynn Patrick, then
Scotty Bowman, made the Stanley Cup finals in each of their first three years of
existence, they failed to win a game, losing twice to the Montreal Canadiens and
once to the Boston Bruins. The first Blues teams included aging retreads like
Doug Harvey, Jacques Plante and Dickie Moore, in addition to younger and
relatively inexperienced talent like Red Berenson and Bob and Barclay Plager St.
Louis has not been back to the finals since.
Through the 1970s, the Blues, playing mostly sub-.500 hockey,
were on the brink of financial collapse. Ralston Purina invested in the team,
and by 1980 they were the second-best team in the league in the regular season,
with Berenson as coach, Wayne Babych scoring 54 goals, and Bernie Federko
leading the team in scoring. The Blues fell flat in the playoffs that year,
losing in six games to the New York Rangers in the second round.
The Blues quietly slid back below .500, but they still made
the playoffs in 1982 (and have done so every year since 1980). The team was
still faltering off the ice. Purina got out of its investment with the team and
padlocked the arena. The team looked destined for a move to Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan in 1983 before the league blocked the sale to a group of investors
led by Bill Hunter, and ended up having to take over the team itself.
After Harry Ornest ended up purchasing the team, it became
competitive both on and off the ice. Doug Gilmour, drafted by St. Louis in 1982,
emerged as a superstar. By 1986, they reached the league semi-finals against the
Calgary Flames. Doug Wickenheiser's overtime goal in game 6 to cap a furious
comeback remains one of the greatest moments in team history, but they lost game
7 2-1.
Demers left for the rival Detroit Red Wings that summer, but
the Blues kept chugging along. General Manager Ron Caron was one of the more
astute in the league, landing Brett Hull, Adam Oates, Curtis Joseph, Brendan
Shanahan and Al MacInnis, among others, through the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Always a contender during this time period, they never passed the second round
of the playoffs.
Hull remained one of the league's top superstars, scoring 86
goals in 1990-1991 - second only to Wayne Gretzky (who himself played in St.
Louis briefly in 1996) in goals scored in a season in NHL history. The Blues
were the second-best team in the regular season last year, but a second-round
defeat to the Minnesota North Stars was exemplary of their playoff woes.
Mike Keenan was hired as general manager and coach and
quickly instituted some major changes. Gone was Brendan Shanahan, for instance,
and in was an aging Wayne Gretzky (who immediately bolted to the New York
Rangers following the season). Neither the fans nor the team ownership was fond
of what he did, and he was fired in 1996.
Caron was reinstated as general manager, but even he could
not stop the tide of free agency. Hull left for the Dallas Stars in 1998 and won
the Stanley Cup in his first year in the Lone Star State.
Still, defenseman Chris Pronger (acquired from the Hartford
Whalers in 1995), Pavol Demitra, Pierre Turgeon, and goalie Roman Turek,
continued to make the Blues a contender. In 1999-2000 they had the best record
in the NHL during the regular season, but were stunned by the San Jose Sharks in
the first round.
In 2001 the Blues made the conference finals before bowing
out to the eventual champion Colorado Avalanche.
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