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There are 77 days left until the Arizona Cardinals kick off the regular season at home against teh San Diego Chargers on Monday NIght Football.
As we have been doing for the last couple of weeks, we are focusing on a jersey number. Today is jersey number 77, but it is a little different.
Number 77 is retired. The number belonged to Stan Mauldin.
Mauldin was a member of the Chicago Cardinals. He played there from 1946-48 as a tackle. He was a part of the one championship the franchise had in 1947 and then his career came to a screeching halt.
After the one game he played in 1948, against the Philadelphia Eagles, Mauldin suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 27.
His contribution to the team's one title and his tragic death are why the team retired his number.