R.I.P. Bill Bidwill (1931-2019)

[Mainstreet]

Rest in peace Bill Bidwill and condolences to the family.

 

[legend]

A life well lived. Rest in peace sir.

 

[Osbern61]

RIP, Mr B

 

[mwanamatapa]

Rest in peace, Mr B. Thank you for bringing the Cardinals to the valley and for all the excitement in watching them play. Condolences to the entire Bidwill family.

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[speedy]

RIP Mr. B!



Can’t help but think how this doesn’t spin the cardinal organization deeper and harder into a nose dive.

I’m going to take a break until after the funeral/the extensive media releases/the talking heads/and all the other powers that be in the NFL, finish yapping their faces for their own agendas, before we have a big discussion about this on the forum.

It’s sad he died in the middle of the last 3 years, as this program has been on a decline. Just sad.

 

[Dayman]

RIP, Mr. Bidwill. Sorry you never got that ring. We are all hoping your son can win one in your honor.

 

[NYCARDS]

RIP Mr B

 

[jf-08]

No one can ever question his character. That's what's important. Goodbye Sir.

Rest in Peace Eternally.

 

[carrrnuttt]

R.I.P. Mr. B.

Condolences to Michael and to the rest of the family.

 

[CardsFan88]

RIP BB

Thanks for bringing a team for me to cheer for 31 years.

 

[THESMEL]

Well he is my favorite, said it many times, meant it every time. He forgot more about professional football than most will ever know. He survived challenges and criticism that broke many teams now defunct. People never seem to realize that the NFL was not always a sure thing, there are many more defunct teams than teams that survived to play another day.

Yes Jerry Jones made the hall of fame from the cheap seats, imho. He paid a lot of money but was never really at risk as an owner. Never survived the war time Card- Pitts or could even comprehend the AFL merger before during or after. Chicago, St. Louis and even in Arizona after promises of a home stadium, Bill made the hard decisions, and took the heat, so the cardinals could play on.

Most the fans that complained never walked a mile in his shoes, if he followed their direction, he would never have seen the day 75 years later, when they received their first home stadium. Nobody shoulder more responsibility than lil Billy Bidwill. He was the number one Arizona Football club fan, God forges his finest metals, from the flames of adversity.

He’s welcome at my fire forever. Navy veteran, faith, family, football with balls of steel, nobody broke him, and I can’t think of any good man that the world has tried harder to break. His constitution is unquestionable.

 

[Dr. Jones]

I wrote a little about it here...

https://www.arizonasportsfans.com/forum/threads/keim-bidwill-other-thoughts.323087/

Bill Sr's health decline has been pretty rapid last few years from what I gather and I don't think he has been seen publicly in awhile hence Michael's ascension. Regardless of what you thought of him as an owner, his philanthropic contributions to the community are to be held in the highest regard. And that has trickled down to the rest of the organization including so many players who have exceeded their responsibilities charitably off the field both during and after their playing days here. Guy had a vision of a future of Phoenix that not many folks had 30 years ago and for that all Arizonans owe him a debt of gratitude.

The question for us fans will be what happens next. He has five kids, some involved and some not. How his trust is written up will determine a lot of what direction the franchise moves in.

I have wondered about this for the entire day. How his trust is written, will family members look at this billion dollar franchise as a negotiable asset, and finally....... Can Mr. B’s state of mind be challenged in court if certain family members aren’t happy with their share of the pie.

All of this can have huge ramifications on the franchise as we navigate through the next 18 to 24 months. Both on and off the field.


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[THESMEL]

I have wondered about this for the entire day. How his trust is written, will family members look at this billion dollar franchise as a negotiable asset, and finally....... Can Mr. B’s state of mind be challenged in court if certain family members aren’t happy with their share of the pie.

All of this can have huge ramifications on the franchise as we navigate through the next 18 to 24 months. Both on and off the field.


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I’m not worried about that at all, Lil Billy was prudent and the only thing professionally he put above the Health of the Cardinals was the health of the NFL- the sacrifices him and his father made against their own team for the well being of the NFL, like the money to keep the bears alive way back at the beginning of all things pro football - not just the NFL but all pro football. Hell yea the were cursed by the 1926 Pottsville before Charles bought the team - but who is still suiting up and playing in Sunday’s.

I think Michael will never face a live or die franchise decision, He is less prudent and puts the team at risk with Wilkes and now KK hiring, that is a luxury Bill, Viola and Charles never always enjoyed, but the collective bargains agreements keeps existing franchises between the lines - can’t see a contemporary franchise going defunct - May move but not go under.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

RIP. Very sad. Shame he never got to see a championship.

He was around in 1947...

 

[Brian in Mesa]

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[DemsMyBoys]

My condolences to his family and friends.

Rest In Peace, Mr. B. Your life was a life well-lived. May the angels lead you into Paradise and the arms of your loving wife.


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[AZCB34]

The measure of a man isn't the sports teams he owns, the stadiums he had built or championships won. The true measure of a man is his goodness to his fellow man. I have never heard a bad story of Bill Bidwill the man and that, to me, tells the story.

 

[Rohinaz]

Sad day in cardinal history. RIP and best wishes to the family.

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[Brian in Mesa]

I have wondered about this for the entire day. How his trust is written, will family members look at this billion dollar franchise as a negotiable asset, and finally....... Can Mr. B’s state of mind be challenged in court if certain family members aren’t happy with their share of the pie.

All of this can have huge ramifications on the franchise as we navigate through the next 18 to 24 months. Both on and off the field.

Weird stuff can happen in situations like this. Bill Bidwill and his brother first found out that they were adopted because of court proceedings after their father died.

 

[Arz101]

A life well-lived. RIP Mr. B.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

I have wondered about this for the entire day. How his trust is written, will family members look at this billion dollar franchise as a negotiable asset, and finally....... Can Mr. B’s state of mind be challenged in court if certain family members aren’t happy with their share of the pie.

All of this can have huge ramifications on the franchise as we navigate through the next 18 to 24 months. Both on and off the field.


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One would assume everything was drawn up before Bill Sr lost any cognitive ability. And that there's no way any legal professional would allow any changes afterwards.

What I do know is this - assuming they haven't taken on any partners over the years the family just inherited around a $2.5 billion asset (minus taxes of course). That sort of money always get messy when you have 5 kids some of whom do not get along at all. Look no further than the Lakers.

It just depends how the trust is written up and how the company is split up amongst his kids. Also - all of them are in their fifties and sixties. You're telling me none of them at their ages assuming he split up the team five ways would like to keep making maybe a million or two in distributions per year instead of getting handed a check for $250 million?

There will be interesting times ahead for sure. There's also MB handling of the team. The NFL is good about spreading the wealth, but bad seasons will definitely hit the Bidwill family's pockets. How many more losing seasons do the siblings endure before either an attempted coup or forcing a sale?

 

[Jersey Girl]

The measure of a man isn't the sports teams he owns, the stadiums he had built or championships won. The true measure of a man is his goodness to his fellow man. I have never heard a bad story of Bill Bidwill the man and that, to me, tells the story.

Very well said.

Rest in peace, Mr. Bidwill. I know it sounds dramatic, but moving the team to Arizona set in place a chain of events that would set me on a course of change and bring me to where I am today. Thank you for being a good man, charitable and inclusive. I'll be praying for your loved ones.

 

[LarryStalling]

Over the years, I have enjoyed many, many hours of entertainment provided by the Bidwill family. Bill, thank you for all of the good times and not so good times, but I relished being a Cardinal fan never the less. God speed!

 

[Redsz]

RIP Mr. B. A life well lived.

 

[BullheadCardFan]

RIP Bill Bidwill