Finally, their time in the sun Cardinals shine for first time in Arizona

Charley Trippi, one of the few living members of the Chicago Cardinals' NFL championship team from 1947, remembers wearing tennis shoes on the icy field that victorious day.Roger Wehrli, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who played for the Cardinals from 1969-82, has fond memories of the "Big Red" era when the football and baseball teams in St. Louis shared a nickname.

John Omohundro, a retired athletic trainer, has 42 years of Cardinals stories - like the time he used adhesive tape to "line" a football field in the outfield at St. Louis's Busch Stadium for practice, or the uneasy day in 1988 when the trucks were loaded for the team's move to Arizona.

Together, Trippi, Wehrli, and Omohundro represent three chapters in the Cardinals' history, which mostly is defined by losing seasons, the search for a more permanent home, and a perceived lack of commitment from ownership.Such history is front and center this week with the Arizona Cardinals preparing to play the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII next Sunday, in pursuit of their first NFL championship since '47.

"Our record hasn't always been what we wanted it to be, and it's been a long dry spell, but the ride here has been extremely enjoyable," said the 65-year-old Omohundro, now in his 42d season with the team and serving in an advisory role. "Finally, the reward has come. Patience has its virtue and this is a perfect example of it." (Globe Staff)