The 1959 Chicago Cardinals season was the franchise's 40th and last season in Chicago. The Cardinals opened the season with a 49–21 home win over the Washington Redskins at Soldier Field, but finished with a record of two wins and ten losses, last place in the Eastern Conference. They tied with the Los Angeles Rams for the worst record in the 12-team league.
Their final home game in Chicago was on November 29, a 31–7 loss to the cross-town rival Bears at Soldier Field. The home games of October 25 and November 22, both losses, were played in Minnesota at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, the future home of the expansion Minnesota Vikings, starting two years later in 1961.
In March 1960, the Chicago Cardinals relocated to St. Louis and became the St. Louis Cardinals, bringing the NFL back to Missouri. After 28 seasons in St. Louis, they moved to the Phoenix area in Arizona prior to the 1988 season.
Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Sources 1 at Toronto Argonauts W 55–26 1–0 Exhibition Stadium 27,152 2 vs. Detroit Lions L 19–21 1–1 Oklahoma Memorial Stadium 40,000 3 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers W 21–10 2–1 Texas Memorial Stadium 15,000 4 at Los Angeles Rams L 21–34 2–2 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 52,013 5 vs. San Francisco 49ers W 27–24 3–2 Husky Stadium 23,000 6 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers L 13–21 3–3 Busch Stadium 30,055 7 September 20 vs. Baltimore Colts W 31–17 4–3 Fairgrounds Stadium 16,671
Regular season
For the 1959 season the Cards offered seats in three price tiers. Field box and upper box tickets were $5.00, seats in the reserved grandstand cost $4.00, and bleacher seats were priced at $2.50.E.J. O'Malley, "Purchasing NFL Tickets: A Guide to Ticket Information," Sports Forecast, vol. 2, no. 2. Chicago: E.J. O'Malley Publishing Co., 1959; p. 78. Season tickets for a four-game home slate at Soldier Field cost $18, $14, and $10, respectively. The club also offered a $10 "family plan," which admitted two children, age 14 or under, to every game with an adult season ticket purchase.
Schedule Game Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap Sources 1 September 27 Washington Redskins W 49–21 1–0 Soldier Field 21,892 Recap 2 October 4 Cleveland Browns L 7–34 1–1 Soldier Field 19,935 Recap 3 October 11 at Washington Redskins L 14–23 1–2 Griffith Stadium 25,937 Recap 4 October 18 at Cleveland Browns L 7–17 1–3 Cleveland Stadium 46,422 Recap 5 October 25 Philadelphia Eagles L 24–28 1–4 Metropolitan Stadium 20,112 Recap 6 November 1 Pittsburgh Steelers W 45–24 2–4 Soldier Field 23,187 Recap 7 November 8 at New York Giants L 3–9 2–5 Yankee Stadium 56,779 Recap 8 November 15 at Philadelphia Eagles L 17–27 2–6 Franklin Field 28,887 Recap 9 November 22 New York Giants L 20–30 2–7 Metropolitan Stadium 26,625 Recap 10 November 29 Chicago Bears L 7–31 2–8 Soldier Field 48,687 Recap 11 December 6 at Detroit Lions L 21–45 2–9 Briggs Stadium 45,811 Recap 12 December 13 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 20–35 2–10 Forbes Field 19,011 Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Standings
Personnel Staff / Coaches
Roster
References