Big Red Flashback: Pat Tilley Calls it a Career

Posted on July 27, 2025 by Bob Underwood

On July 28, 1987, the St. Louis Cardinals said goodbye to one of their greatest players.

Wide receiver Pat Tilley failed his physical examination after reporting to training camp at Eastern Illinois University.

*Pat Tilley celebrates on the sideline in 1978*

“I’ve got a pretty screwed up back,” the 34-year-old told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I’ve got a ruptured disc that was removed by surgery. I’ve also got a herniated disc. Put those two together and the chances of me ever playing again are very slim.”

‘It’s been almost a year since my operation and I’m still unable to do any activity beyond jogging, and even jogging aggravates my back. I don’t see my back ever improving to the point that I could be able to go out on the Busch Stadium AstroTurf and let Lawrence Taylor hit me.”

Tilley didn’t officially retire until after the season due to some contract formalities.

“There are certain things that have to be done through proper channels with a player who has an injury like mine,” Tilley said.

Tilley played 11 seasons in the NFL. He was the team’s 4th round draft choice in 1976 out of Louisiana Tech. From 1978 through 1982, he led the Cardinals in receiving and finished his NFL career with 468 receptions for 7,005 yards. He scored 37 touchdowns.

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How Al “Bubba” Baker Revitalized His Career with the Cardinals

Posted on July 19, 2025 by Bob Underwood

On July 19, 1983, the St. Louis Cardinals upgraded their pass rush when they traded defensive tackle Mike Dawson to the Detroit Lions for veteran defensive end Al “Bubba” Baker.

Dawson was the Cardinals’ No. 1 draft pick in 1976 and started 84 of 88 games in St. Louis. He had 31.5 sacks in seven seasons with the Big Red.

Baker was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year for the Lions in 1978, after setting an unofficial NFL record with 23 sacks in a single season. In his five years in Detroit, the 6-foot-6, 260-pounder started 67 games and had 75.5 sacks.

The Jacksonville, FL native was the Lions’ second-round draft pick in 1978 out of Colorado State University. He earned All-Pro honors in his rookie year and Pro Bowls in his first three seasons in the league.

Baker was one of the Lions’ most popular and colorful players. Not only could he sack the opposing quarterbacks, but his cheering, hugging, and hand-slapping style quickly made him a fan favorite in Detroit.

But his open unhappiness about his contract and a falling out with head coach Monte Clark led to the trade.

“I’d get four sacks and he’d (Clark) look at me like that’s still not enough and say, ‘you could have done better,'” Baker said in a St. Louis Post Dispatch interview. “I decided this is a real screwed-up game. I hated football. I just wanted Monday to come because that was the day we got paid.”

“He was unhappy here, and it was time to move on,” Lions’ director of player personnel, Tim Rooney, told the Detroit Free Press. “He may be happier elsewhere.”

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How Bill Triplett Breathed Life into Cardinals’ Ground Game

Posted on July 16, 2025 by Bob Underwood

Great story by Mark Tomasik on the career of former St. Louis Cardinals running back Bill Triplett and how he overcame a serious health issue and led the team in rushing in 1965.

Triplett started the season opener at the new Busch Stadium in 1966, but after an ineffective first half, he was benched in favor of rookie Johnny Roland. It was Triplett’s last start in St. Louis. He was traded to the New York Giants in the offseason.

How Bill Triplett breathed life into Cardinals’ ground game

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Luis Sharpe’s Bold Move: From Cardinals to Showboats

Posted on July 13, 2025 by Bob Underwood

On April 17, 1985, the St. Louis Cardinals suffered their first major defection to the rival United States Football League.

Left tackle Luis Sharpe signed a reported four-year, $2.3 million deal to join the Memphis Showboats.

The USFL was a spring/summer league that started in 1983. The league had successfully picked off NFL talent and paid top dollar for college stars, such as Herschel Walker, Jim Kelly, and Reggie White.

Sharpe was the Cardinals’ number one draft pick in 1982 out of UCLA and was named to the All-Rookie Team after his freshman season. In the three years preceding Sharpe’s arrival, the club had a composite record of 17-31. In his first three seasons in St. Louis, the team never had a losing campaign and posted an overall mark of 22-15-1.

Head coach Jim Hanifan often said he thought Sharpe was the best offensive tackle in the NFL

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Remembering Luis Sharpe: A Life Beyond Football

Posted on July 12, 2025 by Bob Underwood

Former St. Louis Cardinals number one draft pick, Luis Sharpe, has died. He was 65.

The Big Red selected Sharpe with the 16th pick in the 1982 NFL draft. The 6-foot-5, 275-pounder was named to three consecutive Pro Bowls from 1987 to 1989 and played 13 seasons in the NFL, all with the Cardinals organization. He also played a season in the USFL with the Memphis Showboats.

Sharpe was born in Havana, Cuba, on June 16, 1960. He and his family fled Cuba for Detroit for a better life when he was six years old.

“We were following the American dream,” Sharpe said in a 1982 interview with the St. Louis Post Dispatch. “My father moved to Detroit and worked in an auto factory.”

At Southwestern High School in Detroit, Sharpe earned All-American honors in sports and academics. He was recruited by over 200 schools and chose UCLA, where he began on the defensive line but soon switched to offense. “It was the best thing that ever happened to me,” he said.

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