The Tampa Cardinals were a

barnstorming Barnstorming was a form of entertainment in which stunt pilots performed tricks individually or in groups that were called flying circuses. Devised to "impress people with the skill of pilots and the sturdiness of planes," it became popular in ...

football team, that played pick-up games, led by future

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coa ...

Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe ( Sac and Fox (Sauk): ''Wa-Tho-Huk'', translated as "Bright Path"; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete and Olympic gold medalist. A member of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was the first Nativ ...

in 1926. During the time, the team was also billed as the St. Petersburg Cardinals and as Lena Vistas. The team was originally organized to play a New Year's Day exhibition against the Chicago Bears of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

in what would be Tampa’s first professional football game. However, the team would later pick up four other games while in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. The team has also been referred to as Thorpe's Cardinals.

1926 season

After the 1925 season, Thorpe formed a team composed primarily of Thorpe's teammates from the NFL’s Rock Island Independents, that would play several games throughout

. In a 1926 New Year's Day football exhibition, the Cardinals played against the Chicago Bears led by

Red Grange Harold Edward "Red" Grange (June 13, 1903 – January 28, 1991), nicknamed "the Galloping Ghost" and "the Wheaton Iceman", was an American football halfback for the University of Illinois, the Chicago Bears, and the short-lived New York Yankees ...

. The game itself was billed as a clash of old vs. new, with Grange, the rising star, taking on Thorpe, the aging legend. During the game Grange rushed for a 70-yard touchdown as the Bears notched a 17-3 victory at

Plant Field Plant Field was the first major athletic venue in Tampa, Florida. It was built in 1899 by Henry B. Plant on the grounds of his Tampa Bay Hotel to host various events and activities for guests, and it consisted of a large field ringed by an oval r ...

. After the game Thorpe and the core of his Cardinals team remained in Florida to play a few mercenary games under various other names. One game was a win over a Sarasota team constructed by former Florida Gator Robbie Robinson. One week, the Cards were hired to supplement the line-up of the

Haven-Villa of Winter Haven The Haven-Villa of Winter Haven was a professional football team based in Winter Haven, Florida in 1926. While the team originated as a successful local team. However, the team was taken over by members of the Tampa Cardinals, featuring Jim Thorp ...

, a local club playing out of Winter Haven. The Villas were set to square-off against the

Millville Big Blue Millville Football & Athletic Club also known as the Millville Big Blue was a professional football team based in Millville, New Jersey from 1921 until around 1928. The team won the mythical "Pro Football Championship of New Jersey" in 1923 and aga ...

, a successful independent club from

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

that was headed up by

Guy Chamberlin Berlin Guy "Champ" Chamberlin (January 16, 1894 – April 4, 1967), sometimes misspelled Guy Chamberlain, was an American football player and coach. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1962 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame ...

. Chamberlin was a friend and former teammate of Thorpes during their time with the Canton Bulldogs. Despite being scheduled to appear, Thorpe did not take the field during the game. The exact reason for his absence is not clear. The Cardinals, would go on to lose the game 28-7. In a rematch against Millville was soon scheduled. For the game the Cardinals then headed to

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...

where they were billed as the St. Petersburg Cardinals. However, this time Millville was now hired to represent Haven-Villa. The game was held at the St. Petersburg Kennel Club in order to accommodate an anticipated large crowd, however the game drew just 300 fans. This time the Cards held Millville to a scoreless tie. A third game was arranged for a few days later in Winter Haven to be played at the local high school stadium. In front of just 500 spectators, the Cardinals were defeated 38-0. In a fourth game between the two clubs the next day, at Adair Park in Lakeland, in the Cardinals final game in Florida. Thorpe’s team took to the field under the banner of the Lena Vistas while Chamberlin’s team was billed as the Eastern States All-Stars. The Cardinals lost yet again 24-0 to Milleville. The team then ended their season, due a lack of interest that led to a disappointing fan turnout. The team finished their tour of Florida with a 0-4-1 record.

References

Tampa Bay Football History Network
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Notes

{{Rock Island Independents , state=collapsed Defunct independent American football teams American football teams established in 1926 American football teams disestablished in 1926 American football teams in Tampa, Florida 1926 establishments in Florida