The Professional Football career of Aeneas Williams was extraordinary, as he was a walk-on at Southern during his junior year and two years later would be a third round pick.

Williams was not on anyone's radar for greatness, but that is what he became in a career that began with the Cardinals.  Winning the starting Cornerback on the right side, Williams was an All-Rookie with six picks and finished third in Defensive Player of the Year honors.  The team moved him to the left side, where he was named a Pro Bowler six years in a row (1994-99), with First Team All-Pro honors coming in 1995 and 1997.  Williams also led the NFL in Interceptions in 1994 (9) and had 55 over his career, 44 as a Cardinal.

The rebuilding Cards would trade Williams to the St. Louis Rams, where he would win a Super Bowl.

Williams entered the Cardinals Ring of Honor in 2008 and got the Pro Football Hall of Fame call in 2014.

Considered to be the best Offensive Lineman in Cardinals history, Dan Dierdorf was the game’s premier Tackle in the 1970s.

A Cardinal throughout his 13 NFL seasons, Dierdorf settled into the Right Tackle slot in his fourth year.  The move was perfect for Dierdorf, who would earn Pro Bowl accolades that year and the next four, with a sixth one in 1980.  Dierdorf was named an All-Pro (three First and three Second Team) in all those Pro Bowl seasons.  He was so good at his peak that in 1976 and 1977, he did not allow a single sack.

Dierdorf, who was born in Canton, would fittingly enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996.

The Cardinals also honored Dierdorf in 2006 as a member of the inaugural group in their Ring of Honor. 

As Larry Wilson’s career was winding down, the St. Louis Cardinals had another star Defensive Back in Roger Werhli to take over command of the secondary.

An All-American at Missouri, Wehrli impressed scouts with his speed at the combine, which allegedly propelled him to a late First Round Pick.  Some pundits at the time might have thought it was a reach to take Wehrli, but that was debunked almost immediately, as the Cornerback was the runner-up for the Defensive Player of the Year (1969).

Wehrli promptly went to the following two Pro Bowls and became the top Corner in the middle portion of the 1970s after struggling the two years after.  Dubbed a "shutdown corner" by Dallas Quarterback Roger Staubach (which may have been the first time that term was used), Wehrli was named a First Team All-Pro three years in a row (1974-76) while also accumulating a four-year run of Pro Bowls (1973-76). 

Adding a seventh Pro Bowl in 1979, Wehrli slowed down afterward but would leave the game with 40 Interceptions.

Wehrli entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Cardinals Ring of Honor in 2007.

Charley Trippi was a coveted player from the University of Georgia, and the New York Yankees of the upstart All-American Football Conference thought they had him locked up.  The Chicago Cardinals, who drafted him first overall, earned his services when Cardinals owner Charles Bidwell signed him to what was a massive contract at the time, $100,000 over four years.

Trippi was the heart of what would become Chicago's "Million Dollar Backfield," as a rookie in 1947, he would lead the Cardinals to an NFL Championship.  Incredibly versatile, Trippi could play any offensive skill position and excelled at rushing, passing, and punting.  He played until 1955, finishing his career with the Cardinals and amassing 4,827 Yards From Scrimmage.

Trippi was selected for the 1940s All-Decade Team and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968.  The Cardinals selected Trippi for their inaugural Ring of Honor class in 2006.