Questions about the Cards playing at Sun Devil Stadium

[BigRedRage]

Beating the Cowboys during the regular season was like winning the super bowl. The fans rushed the field and tore down the goal posts. Paraded them down Mill Ave. Never seen anything like that for a NFL game.

.

wish i was there for that, I waited anxiously for it to happen in our playoff games at UoP but I guess things have changed.

 

[Catfish]

I remember sitting in the sun in the south end zone. Larry Centers would jump up and hang onto the railing when he scored there, and people would pat him on the back. I remember Big Tony dancing in the south end zone stands. The people there were tight, and were great fans. My wife and I had more fun there than anywhere else in the stadium.

Later we moved to section 9 on the west side, (no alcohol). Calmer bunch of fans, and Oh God, shade after the first quarter or so from the sports casting deck above and behind.

One of my worst memories there was a Giants game, where it had been a steady, cold, rain all morning and nearly all first half. I got soaked to the skin, and got hpyothermic, shaking so bad I could barely get the key in the lock to open my truck at half time. Spent the second half in the truck with the heater turned full blast shivering and drying out. Was never so glad to have a thermos of hot coffee as that last half of the game, listening to the radio and getting warm.

I remember a Chiefs game where the Cards had what had to be the world's slowest safety, (tall skinny guy), who couldn't catch the Chief's QB, even though he had the angle on him, when the guy ran a keeper around right end and set off for the end zone some 70 yards away. It was like watching two ultra slow players in ultra slow motion, but we couldn't keep Elvis from scoring.

Mostly I remember all the Dallas fans that owned our stadium when we played to a packed house but had only 30,000 Cards fans in the house against over 42,000 Pukes fans. One guy who had tics right in front of me, had his family decked out in Stars, and was merciless on us Cards fans when we lost. One game the Cards finally won, Aikman got decleated, and wouldn't you know it, the whole family stripped of their Pukes jerseys, and had Cards gear underneath so they wouldn't have to take any bad talk from Cards fans. Our whole section started getting on them, and they literally ran to their car so they wouldn't have to take any crap.

 

[wa52lz]

I loved the fireworks, concussion bombs, setting off all the car alarms.

And the fight song played after every score!

 

[MadCardDisease]

One of my worst memories there was a Giants game, where it had been a steady, cold, rain all morning and nearly all first half. I got soaked to the skin, and got hpyothermic, shaking so bad I could barely get the key in the lock to open my truck at half time. Spent the second half in the truck with the heater turned full blast shivering and drying out. Was never so glad to have a thermos of hot coffee as that last half of the game, listening to the radio and getting warm.

Coldest game I've ever been too. I remember the Hot Chocolate selling out before halftime. Miserable game to attend.

 

[Mulli]

Coldest game I've ever been too. I remember the Hot Chocolate selling out before halftime. Miserable game to attend.

John Robinson, USC coach, was at game to watch Johnny McWilliams. We let him sneak up into our row in the booze free section under the overhang. Nice guy. Coldest I had been until I experienced a Chicago winter.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

John Robinson, USC coach, was at game to watch Johnny McWilliams. We let him sneak up into our row in the booze free section under the overhang. Nice guy. Coldest I had been until I experienced a Chicago winter.

What an awful game to be at live. Didn't get to see any of the snow that was falling over the rest of the valley.

The only redeeming part was our row won the free pizza in one of those in game promotions. The bad news? They delivered the pizza to the wrong section. Insult upon injury.

 

[MrYeahBut]

The comeback to beat the 49ers. Was in the very top row on the east side. I was so drunk that I started projectile vomiting all over the place. 3 days later, Nov 9 1988 was the last time I took a drink. Clean and sober since then.

 

[ANDY440]

Section 38 South end zone
Swore if I ever got the ball after a PAT or field goal I would throw it as far as I could because they always came and took it away. Finally got one and threw it to the corner section,you welcome whoever got it.

Brought in an inflateable ref punching doll & lowered it with a rope from the upper deck,people in the lower level were hitting it as it swang wildly untill security got to me.

Walked up to the top row of my section to look over the railing,when I got there and steped on the bleacher my binoculars got knocked out of my belt pouch and fell right on one of the beer stands keg & broke the tap hose beer was spraying everyone within 10 feet. (never went down to claim them)

The Giants game was the coldest I've ever been PERIOD !

My season tickets did not arrive one year & I recived hand written replacements. I changed the number by adding a 7 I belive it was in fron of my section & got in the Loge with free food.

Many more great memories of tailgating,the goal post Dallas game, beating the Chargers to go to the playoffs ETC

 

[Darkside]

My buds and I loved going to Sun Devil stadium to watch Cardinals football. The best part about it, in my opinion, was you could always "upgrade" your seats because we were always losing, so people down on the field would just leave and my brothers and my buddies and I would grab our beers and snatch 'em. Lame I know, but we were more loyal fans than the thousands who left without fail every game. I actually enjoyed those times a lot more than the times I've gone to the new stadium.

 

[JeffGollin]

Beating the Cowboys during the regular season was like winning the super bowl. The fans rushed the field and tore down the goal posts. Paraded them down Mill Ave. Never seen anything like that for a NFL game...

I don't recall the year, but there are some on this board who'll remember the effort led by David Baker and others to fill the stands with Cardinal fans in order to deny Dallas (aka Team Felon) home field advantage.

I made the pilgrimage to SDS from NJ. A bunch of us got together for dinner the night before. (I still have the bb cap autographed by all who attended).

Next morning, we tailgated inside an indoor parking facility near SDS courtesy of JRein (aka Reino). Cards won the game in OT (on Butler's bank-shot FG off the upright). I missed the tearing down of the goal post and parade that followed because I had to make the flight back to NJ from Sky Harbor.

There was a single stop-over in Detroit. I was still wearing my sweat-loaded cargo shorts, Cardinal tee shirt and Buddy Ryan-style plantation hat. Since it was a red-eye flight, I curled up across 2 seats. Around 6 am, I was rudely awakened by a bunch of auto industry advertising executives who boarded the plane in Detroit. How embarrassing - I had to have looked like a homeless person.

In any case, it was an epic trip and a chance to meet guys with web handles like PDon, Carl P., SBNetSport etc. at a time when we weren't a very good football team - but we won that one!

 

[Cardinals.Ken]

...Made a ton of friends that we are still in touch with at least 20 years later...Loved the atmosphere. It was a football game and not a country club...The old meeting place for people from the board was great. Lower concourse in the North End Zone by the white truck. That's where many of us on ASFN met in person for the first time.

Our halftime meets there reminded me of Henry V; "We few, we happy few."

BigTony doing his endzone dances.

Tony sat a dozen rows in front of my season tix, always a highlight when Tony was on the big screen.

And the fight song played after every score!

That was both the most silly, and grandest, thing about scoring at SDS.

One of my worst memories there was a Giants game, where it had been a steady, cold, rain all morning and nearly all first half.

Coldest game I've ever been too

That game was down right frigid. I had brought a friend with me who got us ejected. With a nckname like "Coconut Rage", and our pockets full of smugglers, it was bound to happen.

 

[Capital Card]

The comeback to beat the 49ers. Was in the very top row on the east side. I was so drunk that I started projectile vomiting all over the place. 3 days later, Nov 9 1988 was the last time I took a drink. Clean and sober since then.

This was the game I became a Cardinal Fan. I wasn't there, but listed to it on the radio. I have a copy of it on DVD that I bought from some 49er fan. The commercials from back then are hysterical.

I even went to the Broncos vs. Packers preseason game that took place before the Cardinals moved here - and met Bart Star.

I was at this game too. My first ever NFL game, preaseason though it was. I still have the program.

 

[wa52lz]

That was both the most silly, and grandest, thing about scoring at SDS.

Link w/ lyrics and MP3 of the song, hearing that brings back memories
http://philadelphia-eagles.net/fightsongs/nfc-cardinals.html

 

[D-Dogg]

It was absolutely horrible, and I miss it very much.




I used to love raining water bottles down in the endzone. Once AW got ejected after kicking a guy in the helmet, and we peppered the endzone like crazy. Another time some other guy scored on us and was showboating, and bottles flew. The guy caught one and pretended to drink it and I died laughing. Massive fights there, too.

 

[Cardinals.Ken]

Link w/ lyrics and MP3 of the song, hearing that brings back memories
http://philadelphia-eagles.net/fightsongs/nfc-cardinals.html

Nice! Going to see if I can convert it into a ringtone.

 

[D-Dogg]

That was both the most silly, and grandest, thing about scoring at SDS.

I loved the cannon shot fireworks!

 

[Cardinals.Ken]

I loved the cannon shot fireworks!

One thing you always knew: you'd hear the canon shots at least once, sometimes twice, a Sunday. LOL

 

[Duckjake]

I don't recall the year, but there are some on this board who'll remember the effort led by David Baker and others to fill the stands with Cardinal fans in order to deny Dallas (aka Team Felon) home field advantage.

1997

 

[Duckjake]

Our halftime meets there reminded me of Henry V; "We few, we happy few."

Oddly enough we had fewer fans but more people at the halftime meets at SDS and more fans but fewer people at the halftime meets at PU Stadium.

Partly because guys like Rugby Muffin couldn't find us. Funniest picture ever posted on ASFN was the one of Rugby standing in front of the doors that opened to the halftime meet.

 

[Phrazbit]

I got really good seats to a game in the early 00s, like close enough to read the tattoos of the guys on sideline. It was a ridiculous high scoring game against the Lions, where the Snake led one of his trademark comebacks.

But what I remember most from that game is being up close and seeing the arms of Pittman and David Boston... and having no doubt that those 2 were both juiced out of their minds. You dont really get the impression of how bulked up those guys are on TV. Pittman especially who I had never really noticed up until then. His arms were as big as most of the players legs.

 

[BillsCarnage]

The season ticket lots were awesome...they were always empty, because the season ticket fan base was so small. I remember watching the streams of people walking from across the river bed, over the bridge, while the lots next to the stadium weren't close to being full.

Maybe on the North side, but we parked at the armory and it was always packed and they would just keep squeezing cars in. Quite tricky some days.

We we on the west side, so the heat wasn't an issue, but that NE corner was always empty. Yet you'd still see a half dozen or so ppl scattered through a section tanning it out.

Monsoon storms - Oh there were some good ones. I remember one that just blackened the sky as it rolled in.

There were a handful of dreadfully chilly rain games late in the season.

The fights - Oh the fights. Mix heat, beer and opposing fans and there was always entertainment. The worst one though was during a Raiders game (of course) in the east side upper deck. Actually a pretty nasty one spanning about 10 rows and lasted probably 10-15min before one cop showed up.

The bathrooms - nothing like pissin in a trough w/ fellow fans while it leaked on your feet.

The Broncos game - early 90's - w/ packed stadium and about 85% Bronco fans, and the Cards lost something like 42-0.

The first time a plane flew over after 9/11 and a collective/curious moan from the crowd. Most flight paths were changed but they couldn't w/ SDS.

The comeback vs the 9ers

The end of Steve Youngs career.

Beating the Cowpies and tearing down the goal posts.

And, of course Al Del Greco and his fake FG.

 

[Duckjake]

The bathrooms - nothing like pissin in a trough w/ fellow fans while it leaked on your feet.

LOL I used to harass the ASU grads about letting their Alma Mater play in such a dump. I guess ASU didn't have any billionaire oilmen or half billionaire Trial Lawyers to pay for upgrades. Like Texas and Oklahoma State did.

 

[ARZCardinals]

Preseason games 120 degrees and watching all 4 quarters

Watching the away fans outnumber the home fans every game

I enjoyed seeing the same Cardinals fans week after week - became buds

Parking and stopping at the pubs on the way in

Never getting a home game in Sept, but NE and GB could get home games in January

"you've got a winner in town"

Yelling "Larry, Larry, Larry" for Larry Centers

Being so tired from the sun beating down on us we'd go home and sleep

Buying a ticket for upper deck and just sitting anywhere we wanted in the stadium

being able to buy a scalped ticket for $10 for any game

Seeing the mass of Cowboy fans that showed up -- still hate em --it was their home game

Peeing in the open trough - nasty - won't ever miss that

Taking a date to a preseason game 120 degrees out and her asking 'are we gonna leave soon' I replied, "when the 4th quarter is over." - she ended up being my wife...that was the only game I paid for a cup of ice (for her).

entire 98 season

Seeing Anneas Williams shut every WR he ever faced down...one of the best CB's ever to play in the NFL. 10X's better than PP7

 

[JeffGollin]

1997

Team Felon fans came close to matching us in attendance if you used logo'd apparel on which to base your judgment. But after we beat them, you could see those folks removing their blue & white jackets, hats and tees.

 

[wa52lz]

My favorite memory is the tunnel that both teams would walk down in pre-game and halftime. It's the visitor's lockerroom for ASU games, but both teams dressed there for NFL football--in a building about the size of an interstate rest stop.

Anyway, the players from both teams would walk down this tunnel before kickoff for halftime, and the tunnel went right over the concourse on the north side of the stadium. If you were friendly and funny, security (the lady watching the overpass was Helen) would let you hang out there and talk to players.

My favorite time was when the Giants came to town, and this was when Jason Sehorn was still playing. My buddy and I called him "pretty boy" and asked for his wife's (Angie Harmon) number. He did a little bow. It was awesome.

like this?? Also you can here then fireworks and start of the fight song at the very end of the vid, when they score.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e2qHOaS1BA