Bill Bidwill entered a particular club on Sunday, cementing his legacy, when the late owner was inducted into the team's Ring of Honor during halftime of the Week 1 game against the Chiefs.
"He loved the NFL," current owner and Bill's son Michael said during an induction speech alongside the rest of his siblings. "He loved the Cardinals. He loved Arizona and he loved you (the crowd). Thank you for making this so special for us all."
On hand for the ceremony were fellow Ring of Honor members Adrian Wilson, Roy Green and Aeneas Williams.
Bidwill is the 19th member of the ROH. His father Charles, who is a Hall of Famer, owned the team and Bill joined the organization as a ball boy. Bill eventually became co-owner with his brother before becoming the Cardinals sole owner in 1972.
In 1988, Bidwill relocated the team from St. Louis to Arizona, with the team reaching the Super Bowl in 2008.
Among his decisions, Bidwill showed his commitment to diversity. Bidwill hired Rod Graves and Dennis Green in 2004 to become the first NFL owner to hire a Black general manager and head coach. The Cardinals also developed the "Bill Bidwill Coaching Fellowship" in 2015 to increase diverse opportunities in the coaching ranks.
The others in the Ring of Honor are owner Charles Bidwill Sr., Kurt Warner, Pat Tillman, Carson Palmer, Adrian Wilson, Larry Wilson, coach Jimmy Conzelman, Green, Jim Hart, Dick "Night Train" Lane, Ollie Matson, Williams, Marshall Goldberg, Dan Dierdorf, Roger Wehrli, John "Paddy" Driscoll, Ernie Nevers, and Charley Trippi.
"We're excited," Bidwill said during a pregame radio segment. "Whether it's the Cardinals or another team, you have tip your cap to my father. He was apart of the core groups of owners throughout the '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s, and 2000s that made expansion decisions, television decisions, and labor agreement decisions that made the NFL what it is today.
"I couldn't be more excited to put him in the Ring of Honor and he's going to be going in next to his father."
