History of the Arizona Cardinals Devil Stadium. Tragedy struck the team on April 22, 2004 when former safety Pat Tillman, a popular player who was an All-American at Arizona State, was killed in Afghanistan while serving in the United States Army. Tillman left professional football following the 2001 season to serve in the military in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Tillman became the first NFL player to lose his life in war since Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Bob Kalsu died in 1970 during the Vietnam War. Tillman's jersey number 40 was retired at the Cardinals' first home game of 2004. In early
2012 Louisville Cardinals football team game. They were invited to the Sugar Bowl where they defeated Florida. The Cardinals finished the 2011 season 7–6, and a 5–2 record in Big East play gave them a share of the conference championship with Cincinnati and West Virginia. Due to tiebreaking procedures, the Cardinals did not receive the Big East's automatic bid into a BCS bowl (West Virginia received the bid). The Cardinals were instead invited to the Belk Bowl where they were defeated by North Carolina State 24–31. 2012 Louisville Cardinals football team The 2012 Louisville Cardinals football team represented the University of Louisville in the 2012