Not only did Kurt Warner lead the Cardinals to their only Super Bowl, his one-year rental quickly paved the way for a Pro Bowl career that saw him compile 15,843 yards and 100 touchdowns for Arizona. He even earned a Cardinals Ring of Honor despite his short five-year stint, signifying his importance to the franchise.
The third pick in the 1952 NFL Draft gave the Cardinals one of the best running backs of his time. Starting his rookie year, Ollie Matson earned five-straight Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections, for his combination of rushing, alongside kick and punt returns. He had 5,841 total yards in his career, including three separate 100-yard kick returns, and 40 touchdowns.
In his first year with the Cardinals, Dick Lane led the league with 10 interceptions en route to his first Pro Bowl selection. From there, he would total 30 interceptions as a Cardinal, the most in franchise history at the time, while also hauling in a 98-yard pass on offense, which is still tied for the longest pass in franchise history.
A 14-year career saw Roger Wehrli establish himself as the shutdown corner, as Roger Staubach liked to call him, earning eight Pro Bowl and three All-Pro selections in his career. He is still third all-time in Cardinals history with 40 interceptions as he didn't have a single season where he did not record at least one takeaway.
Arguably the greatest tight end in franchise history, Jackie Smith was the biggest piece of the offense for nearly 15 years despite being drafted in the tenth round. Starting with a 212-yard explosion as a rookie, he totaled 7,918 yards and 40 touchdowns as a Cardinal. Retiring as the all-time leader in receiving yards for TE, his spot in history is forever secure.
One of the greatest and most dependable players in team history, Aeneas Williams not only played in all 160 games of his career, but tallied 46 interceptions and 14 fumble recoveries en route to a career that had six-straight Pro Bowl selections in the vaunted defensive era of the 1990s. He secured the longest fumble return in NFL history at 104 yards and is Arizona's all-time leader with six career pick-sixes.
A genuine jack of all trades, Charley Trippi is best remembered for his legendary 1947 Championship game as part of the "Million-Dollar Backfield". They won the Cardinals their first Championship, in which Trippi recorded a 44-yard touchdown on the opening drive and a 77-yard punt return in the third quarter. He had 3,506 yards as a runner, but also added 16 touchdowns as a quarterback, averaged over 40 yards as a punt returner and made four career interceptions.
The anchor for an offensive line responsible for three-straight top-10 offensive seasons for the Arizona Cardinals that got them 10 wins every year, Dan Dierdorf was an All-Decade Team member for a reason. Unofficially, he was also part of the unit that allowed the fewest sacks in NFL history at just eight in 1975.
The greatest defender in Cardinals history, Larry Wilson was a pioneer of the sport as one of the first few to effectively use the safety blitz. He holds the Cardinals record for interceptions with 52, which included his league-leading 10 interception season from 1966 that earned him the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.
Second only to Jerry Rice in receptions, yards, and consecutive games with a catch, Larry Fitzgerald was one of the most consistent performers on the field. His 1,850 yards through the season were critical in helping the Cardinals make their only Super Bowl, as he snagged 17 TDs in the regular season and playoffs combined.
