When the Cardinals lost, which was often, fans booed the owner, players accused him of being a cheapskate, and even the mayor wanted him to get out of town.
Mr. Bidwill eventually did just that, taking the club in 1988 to Phoenix, where the team's losing ways continued for nine years. Eventually the fans got friendlier and the team got better. Bidwill got the new stadium he always wanted in 2006, and in 2009, the Cardinals finally made it to the Super Bowl.
The move to Arizona enriched the Bidwill family, but St. Louis was left without a football club for seven years until it wooed the Rams from Los Angeles in 1995.