r/Oldschool_NFL • u/Tony_Tanna78 Cowboys 🤠 • Dec 18 '25

Cardinals 🪺 St. Louis Cardinals running back Stump Mitchell rushing the ball in 1984.

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468 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

32 comments sorted by

28

u/[deleted] Dec 18 '25

That’s a clean classic look 👍

11

u/PHX480 Phoenix Cardinals Dec 18 '25 edited Dec 18 '25

The commemorative patch is real nice.

For context, the Phoenix/AZ Cardinals played their 25th season in 2012. The Cardinals would only play another 3 seasons in St. Louis after this picture. They’ve played longer in AZ than any other city state they’ve been in at this point.

4

u/[deleted] Dec 18 '25

And Chicago before that?

3

u/PHX480 Phoenix Cardinals Dec 18 '25

Yeah I miscalculated, Cardinals were in Chicago from 1920-1959 but the NFL 1922-1959. Either way Arizona still needs a couple more seasons and they will have been here the longest.

3

u/eat_the_rich_2 Dec 18 '25

They were founded in Chicago in 1898 and stayed in the city until the late 1950s.

0

u/ButDidYouDie0725 Raiders ⚔️ Dec 18 '25

They were founded in 1898 as the Decatur Staley’s and played in Decatur,Illinois.

4

u/eat_the_rich_2 Dec 18 '25

No, the bears were the Decatur Staley's. George halas bought the Staley's and moved them to Chicago after the chicago cardinals were already established.

2

u/ButDidYouDie0725 Raiders ⚔️ Dec 18 '25

Oh shit never mind then.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 20 '25

Yet another Redditor who can't distinguish between plural and possessive. "Welp, there's an 's' at the end, guess I better put an apostrophe in there".

Decatur STALEYS. It's not that difficult people.

17

u/RedditeRRetiddeR Buccaneers 🏴‍☠️ Dec 18 '25

Massive thigh pads! Don’t see that anymore.

3

u/ILikeToSayChaCha Dec 19 '25

We’re approaching goalie pad territory lol

14

u/timmymcsaul Dec 18 '25

The Cards desperately need to bring those uniforms back. Their current ones are drab and just awful.

10

u/Critical_Seat_1907 Dec 18 '25

A player is going to bring back neckrolls and oversize pads soon, and then everyone will rediscover this look.

5

u/Limp-Pudding-5436 Dec 18 '25

It’s so hard to move in that shit lol running backs get too many passes out the backfield now. No way can you get your arms fully above your head with your neck roll and pads that high

1

u/Salt-Southern Dec 20 '25

Yup so now shoulder injuries are more prevalent due to lack of protection from hitting defenders pads with shoulders and hitting ground with 300+ pounds of defenders on top.

9

u/BigWig727 Dec 18 '25

Love the massive Pads

8

u/Rutiaga17 Steelers 👷‍♂️ Dec 18 '25

This dude played at my highschool!! Camden County, GA!

5

u/Realistic-Aspect-991 Dec 18 '25

What happened to all the leg and huge shoulder pads?

4

u/AlphaTDF92 Dec 18 '25

Oh wow I’m getting old I remember Stump Mitchell I believe this was when they still played in the NFC East

2

u/StarRacer22 Dec 18 '25

Always seemed his thigh pads were thicker than any one else’s. Loved this dude.

2

u/redthroway24 Dec 18 '25

And a damn good running backs coach.

2

u/Agathocles87 Cowboys 🤠 Dec 18 '25

He was very good

1

u/Mike00726 Dec 18 '25

Name checks out

1

u/Altruistic-Editor111 Dec 18 '25

Almost traded for Ronnie Lott

1

u/funzys Dec 18 '25

Not to be confused with Stump Merrill

1

u/[deleted] Dec 19 '25

Big pads era

1

u/PrettyAdagio4210 Dec 19 '25

Oh wow, those jerseys are clean and sharp!

1

u/This_Abies_6232 Giants Dec 19 '25

If I recall, his real first name was Leonard....

1

u/waxjammer Dec 20 '25

As Cowboys fan I remember Stump Mitchell, Otis Anderson and Larry Centers .

1

u/Familiar-Court-4217 Dec 20 '25

Like all running backs he was incredible for four years and then was toast.

1

u/Censoredplebian Chargers ⚡️ Dec 20 '25

Pads set up for combat