Arizona Cardinals Cardinals NFL Team
Marshall Goldberg Passes Away
Marshall Goldberg, one of the greatest running backs in college football history and a member of Pitt’s famed “Dream Backfield” of the 1930s, died Monday at the age of 88 in Chicago, where he made his home.
Goldberg played professional football for the Chicago Cardinals in 1939-42 and in 1946-48 and was named All-Pro six times, in a career that was interrupted while he served as a Navy Seal in World War II. His interception against the Philadelphia Eagles clinched the Cardinals’ only NFL championship in 1947. The Cardinals retired his No. 99.
During his storied career at Pitt, Goldberg gained 1,957 yards between 1936 and 1938, a school record that stood until Tony Dorsett broke it in 1974. Goldberg was a two-time All-American, third in the Heisman balloting in 1937, and runner-up for the Heisman in 1938. In 1958, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Playing under legendary coach Jock Sutherland, Goldberg led Pitt to a three-year record of 25-3-2 and national championships in 1936 and 1937.
“Marshall was a Pitt sports legend, a devoted member of the University’s Board of Trustees, and an outstanding human being,” said University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg. “We feel privileged to have played a role in Marshall’s life as he was learning, growing, and building the foundation for all of the good things that followed his many contributions to Pitt athletics. We are saddened by the loss of a good friend, and our deepest sympathies are with Marshall's family.”
As a high school sophomore in Elkins, W.Va., Goldberg weighed just 110 pounds and was dubbed “Biggie” by his friends. But at Pitt he became become a strong and durable back who excelled not only as a runner but also as a passer, blocker and quick-kicker. Sutherland commented on Goldberg’s resilient running style by saying, “He has been knocked out only once…and he ran to a touchdown on the next play.”
In 1938, Sutherland had an embarrassment of backfield riches. Looking to maximize the breadth of his talent at the four backfield spots, Sutherland asked Goldberg to relinquish his starting left halfback post to the talented Dick Cassiano and move to fullback. Goldberg readily agreed.
With John Chickerneo operating as the No. 1 quarterback and Curly Stebbins entrenched at right halfback, what became known as the Panthers’ “Dream Backfield” was in place. The group earned national acclaim, not only as the best backfield in the country that year, but also as one of the best to ever play the game. Fordham head coach Jimmy Crowley, one of Notre Dame’s legendary Four Horsemen, said the Dream Backfield was even superior to his Irish corps.
Following his college and professional playing days, Goldberg went on to become owner and president of a heavy-machinery company in Illinois. In the 1980s, he served on Pitt’s Board of Trustees, becoming an emeritus member in 1986. While on the board, he served on the Athletics Committee, Student Affairs Committee and Academic Affairs and Libraries Committee. He also was on Pitt’s School of Information Sciences Board of Visitors.
Pitt retired Goldberg’s No. 42 jersey at halftime of the Panthers’ 21-17 victory over Miami (Fla.) on Sept. 18, 1997. He is one of only eight football players at Pitt to receive that honor.
In the Panthers’ final game at Pitt Stadium — a 37-27 victory over Notre Dame on Nov. 13, 1999 — Goldberg presided over the closing ceremony in which he “captured the spirit of Pitt Stadium” in a wooden chest. Two years later, he released the spirit at Heinz Field when the Panthers hosted Miami on Sept. 27, 2001. The chest remains on display in Pitt’s football practice facility.
“Marshall Goldberg set a timeless example of the student-athlete ideal,” Pitt athletic director Jeff Long said. “He was a fierce competitor on the field and a driven achiever off of it. His stature as one of the all-time best college football players is well documented. What people should also know is that he was a Hall-of-Fame caliber person and professional as well. Marshall Goldberg truly embodied what is great about the University of Pittsburgh. Our deepest sympathies go out to his family and loved ones.”
Pitt football coach Dave Wannstedt called Goldberg “one of the crown jewels of both Pitt and college football.” “I walk past his retired jersey every day at our practice facility, and it is a reminder of the high standards he set on and off the field. He was not only an outstanding player but also a true professional and gentleman. Marshall will be missed, but his legacy will live on for a very long time.”
Goldberg was a member of 15 halls of fame and was named by Sports Illustrated to the 1930s College Football Team of the Decade.
Cards To Open vs. 49ers In Week 1
AZCARDINALS.COM has learned the Arizona Cardinals Football Club will open its inaugural regular season at the new Cardinals Stadium by hosting NFC West Division rival San Francisco on Sunday, September 10th.
The 2006 season opener marks the first time the Cardinals will open at home in Week 1, due to the team playing at Sun Devil Stadium the past 18 seasons. In seven of the past nineteen seasons the Cardinals have opened on the road in Weeks 1 and 2, but the new state of the art and air conditioned Cardinals Stadium allows Arizona to host a game while temperatures remain elevated in the valley at the beginning of the NFL season.
The Cardinals and 49ers have met 28 times in their teams existences, with the 49ers holding a 17-12 lead in the series.
Most recently, in the NFL’s first regular season game ever played outside the United States, the Cardinals notched their first win of the 2005 season with a 17-point come-from-behind win over San Francisco. A crowd of 103,467 watched the game at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca, making it the highest-attended regular season game in NFL history.
The first meeting between the two organizations occurred at San Francisco’s Kezar Stadium during the 1951 season. The Cardinals defeated the 49ers by a 27-21 margin. The two teams have met twice annually since the NFL realignment prior to the 2002 season.
This year’s match up will mark only the second time the Cardinals and 49ers have met on opening day in the two team’s histories. The 49ers hosted the Cardinals opening weekend during the 1957 season. The Cardinals defeated the 49ers 20-10 in the Week 1 contest.
Cardinals Stadium will not only feature a retractable roof but will also be the first in the United States to feature a fully retractable grass playing surface. In addition to hosting Cardinals games, the stadium will host Super Bowl XLII in February of 2008. It will also be the annual site of the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and will host the first-ever BCS National Championship Game in January of 2007. The stadium will have a seating capacity of 63,000 with the ability to expand to 73,000 for mega-events.
2006 Regular Season Schedule Released
The Arizona Cardinals Football Club today announced the team’s 2006 regular season schedule and for the first time since 1987, the Cardinals will open the regular season with a week one home game.
With heat no longer an issue thanks to its state-of-the-art (and air-conditioned) new home, the team will open its inaugural season at Cardinals Stadium against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, September 10. The Cardinals are coming off a season sweep of the 49ers in 2005, though neither win took place in Arizona. The Cardinals victory came on October 5 in the NFL’s first regular season game ever played outside the United States as 103,467 fans witnessed Arizona’s 31-14 win at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca, the largest crowd ever to see a regular season NFL contest.
The schedule also includes a nationally-televised Monday night game from Cardinals Stadium on Monday, October 16 against the Chicago Bears. The game will air on ESPN, which is taking over the Monday night broadcast package this season, and will mark the first prime time appearance by the Cardinals in Arizona since Sunday, September 23, 2001 vs. Denver (ESPN). Last year’s Sunday night Cards-Niners game in Mexico City was the team’s most-recent prime time game (ESPN) and the team’s last Monday night game was September 27, 1999 vs. the 49ers at Sun Devil Stadium.
The Cardinals will have the opportunity to play their way into additional prime time appearances based on the flexible scheduling model for the final seven Sunday night games on NBC (see flexible scheduling details later in this release).
Arizona will see all three NFC West opponents right out of the gate as the opener against the 49ers will be followed by a road game at Seattle in week two and a home contest vs. St. Louis in week three. Up next is a trip to Atlanta to take on Michael Vick and the Falcons in week four. Arizona will then play back-to-back games at Cardinals Stadium, first against Kansas City on October 8 and then in the Monday night match-up against the Bears the following week. That will be followed by consecutive road games at Oakland and Green Bay. The Packers game will mark Arizona’s first appearance at Lambeau Field since the 1999 season and the team’s first visit since it was renovated in 2003.
The bye week comes exactly at the season’s midway mark and the Cardinals will return from it with back-to-back home games against the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions. It will be Dallas’ second visit to Arizona since the Cards left the NFC East prior to the 2002 season, while the Cardinals and Lions are meeting for the sixth time in as many years. On November 26, Dennis Green will return to Minnesota in the regular season for the first time as Cardinals head coach when his team faces the Vikings. Green had a 97-62 regular season record as Vikings head coach from 1992-2001 and took the team to the playoffs in eight of his 10 seasons there.
Arizona will return to divisional play in December and open the month at St. Louis and at home vs. Seattle. The team will then conclude its regular season home slate on December 17 when former Cards quarterback Jake Plummer and the Broncos come to Cardinals Stadium. From there the regular season finishes with road games at San Francisco on Christmas Eve and at San Diego in the regular season finale on New Year’s Eve.
TICKET INFORMATION: Season tickets for the inaugural campaign at Cardinals Stadium are on-sale now. To join the growing list of deposit holders waiting to select seats, call (602) 379-0102 or place a deposit online at www.azcardinals.com. Individual game tickets will go on sale to the general public this summer and specific details will be announced at a later date.
CARDINALS STADIUM: Recently recognized by BusinessWeek as one of the 10 most impressive sports structures in the world, Cardinals Stadium will not only feature a retractable roof but will also be the first in the United States to feature a fully retractable grass playing surface. In addition to hosting Cardinals games, the stadium will host Super Bowl XLII in February of 2008 (www.azsuperbowl.com). It will also be the annual site of the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and will host the first-ever Bowl Championship Series title game in January of 2007. The stadium will have a seating capacity of approximately 63,000 with the ability to expand to 73,000 for mega-events.
FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING: In order to provide the best match-ups to fans across the nation, the NFL has instituted a flexible schedule for the final seven Sunday night games on NBC. None of the Sunday night match-ups has been announced for the games in weeks 10-15 and week 17 (there is no Sunday night game in week 16). Twelve days before each game – or as few as six days in week 17 - the league will announce its Sunday night games. For the Cardinals, this means that with the exception of the Christmas Eve game at San Francisco, every game after the week eight bye has the potential of being moved to an NBC Sunday night game.
