Ring of Honor now includes two Bidwells
Bill Bidwell honored in pregame ceremony
The Cardinals added the 19th member of their Ring of Honor in a halftime ceremony at State Farm Stadium, unveiling late owner Bill Bidwill’s name inside the building with members of the Bidwill family and Cardinals legends looking on from down on the field.
Bidwill, known often as “Mr. B,” died in October of 2018 at age 88. His association with the Chicago, St. Louis and Arizona Cardinals spanned eight decades of his life.
Bidwill’s name on the red-painted ring around State Farm Stadium was positioned next to that of his father, Charles Bidwill Sr., owner of the Cardinals when they were in Chicago in the 1930s and 1940s.
Bidwill was part of many major decisions made by the NFL after it merged with the AFL in 1966.
“Bill Bidwill was a part of an essential group of owners who provided leadership through a difficult time in the league’s history,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a video played inside the stadium during the ceremony. “The league would not be as strong today without Bill Bidwill’s and the owners’ decisions and the vision that it took to make them. His focus was always in working together for the good of the game.”
Goodell noted that Bidwill was also at the forefront of diversity in employment practices, involved in hiring the NFL’s first African American female executive Adele Harris; the first African American contract negotiator, Bob Wallace; and the first African American head coach/ general manager tandem in Dennis Green and Rod Graves.
Bidwill wasn’t one to seek the public spotlight and preferred to stay out of it. One of the stories the family shared in the video at the stadium was about a nun who talked about some of the philanthropic work Bidwill had done with a columnist for The Arizona Republic.
For about the next year, Bidwill jokingly referred to the nun as “Sister Blabbermouth.”
“I know Mr. B. is looking down right now wondering ‘What’s all the fuss about?,’ “said former Cardinals star Larry Fitzgerald in his video comments. “Nevertheless, he had deep appreciation for the game, and in particular, for the history of his beloved team.”
The crowd roared as a banner covering the name William V. Bidwill was pulled away to reveal the Cardinals’ newest Ring of Honor inductee. Fellow inductees Aeneas Williams, Roy Green and Adrian Wilson — all former players — were on the field for the ceremony, as well as owner Michael Bidwill, his sister Nicole and his brothers Tim and Bill Jr.
“He loved the NFL. He loved the Cardinals. He loved Arizona, and he loved you, the Red Sea,” Michael Bidwill said, drawing a loud cheer from the crowd.