Cardinals vs. Rams: History between 2 franchises goes far beyond Arizona and St. Louis

How far do the Cardinals and the Rams go back? Quite a ways actually, to October 3, 1937 when the Chicago Cardinals defeated the Cleveland Rams 6-0 in a real barn burner. Unfortunately, the Rams turned the tables and lead the all-time series 35-34 with 2 memorable ties thrown in just for fun.

But of course the Rams and the Cardinals have something in common. That first became possible when the Bidwill family moved the team in 1960 that became the St. Louis Football Cardinals (don't miss the jaw-dropping Terry Metcalf highlight video). Although no championships came through St. Louis (that hasn't happened since the '47 Chicago Cardinals), the team gave many a thrill and over a three-year span ('74-'76), the Cardinals compiled a 31-11 record while establishing a trend that showed itself once again ...

... On a dark, drizzly day at the L.A. Colosseum in 1976, when true to their name, the Cardiac Cardinals who trailed 21-6 in the 3rd quarter, methodically went about their business (as if it was scripted) to claim a 30-28 victory with a field goal at the buzzer over the Los Angeles Rams. This game also saw Merlin Olsen (Father Murphy) walk into the Cardinals huddle, wave his finger and say bad things to Conrad Dobler, then walk off the field never to return. Why do I remember this Cardinals/Rams game? I was there.

But before that happened, St. Louis was where this guy played: The Greatest Cardinal Ever

There was also this Cardinals/Rams playoff game in '75, but we're not gonna talk about that.

Both teams have moved twice since that 1937 thriller between Chicago and Cleveland and now Your Arizona Cardinals get set to host the St. Louis Rams in beautiful downtown Glendale.

Arizona leads the series over St.Louis 15-11, which dates back to '96, and broke a three-game losing streak late last year that went back to a game that saw Kevin Kolb get sacked nine times! As if the eight sacks he suffered four days before weren't enough (that's gotta be some kind of a record). If nothing else, the guy deserves a Purple Heart and also why I always gave the benefit of the doubt to Kevin Kolb.

And who can forget a year later in St. Louis when Bruce Arians realized once and for all that #75 wasn't so 'elite' after all.

Something else we have in common of course in a guy named Kurt Warner, who strangely enough never played against the Cardinals as a Ram (0-1 as a Giant).

The Cardinals are 5-3 vs. the Rams at University of Phoenix Stadium and sitting atop the NFC West (and the entire NFL for that matter).   We're undefeated at home and face a dangerous division foe Sunday having recently defeated both the Seahawks and 49ers. Now it's time yet again to snap on the chin-straps for Cardinals vs. Rams.

For those interested in a listing of how (and when) the 32 current NFL teams came to be, visit NFL Team History

Editor note: If you hadn't noticed, BigRedBilly is now part of the front page staff. I am SOOO thrilled he is part of the team.