Mike Dawson | THE BIG RED ZONE

As we move closer to the 2023 NFL Draft (April 27-29), The Big Red Zone is looking back on each of the 28 St. Louis Cardinals drafts (1960-87). This installment focuses on the 1976 Draft, which was held April 8-9 in New York.

If we’re going to lob tomatoes at George Boone for his failed drafts, we need to acknowledge—with golf applause, at least—his successful ones.

And by most measures, the Big Red’s 1976 draft was a hit—even though the Cardinals had picks in only 13 of the 17 rounds.

With three of their first four picks, the Big Red selected a rock-solid defensive lineman (Mike Dawson), a highly productive wide receiver (Pat Tilley) and a first-class running back (Wayne Morris)—all of whom would become starters and major contributors.

Much later in the draft, the Big Red chose a defensive back (Lee Nelson) who would help them for 10 seasons.

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With the NFL celebrating its centennial season in 2019, the league will soon be announcing its top 100 players of all-time. I thought it would be fun to look back and rank the Big Red’s top 100 players who played in St. Louis.

The Cardinals moved from Chicago after the 1959 season and played 28 years in St. Louis before Bill Bidwill moved to the desert in 1988. Several great players played under the arch during this period including four Hall of Famers.

These rankings are only based on the player’s time spent in St. Louis. Consideration was given to the player’s statistics, All-Pro/Pro Bowl selections, team leadership, and impact in the community. It is next to impossible to compare eras, so many of these picks were very difficult.

The Top 100 St. Louis Football Cardinals of All-Time: 70-61

70. Ahmad Rashad (WR)

Bobby Moore aka Ahmad Rashad played 2 seasons in St. Louis.

The Big Red drafted Oregon star Bobby Moore with their top pick in the 1972 draft (4th overall). Moore played only two seasons in St. Louis catching 59 passes for 909 yards and 6 TDs. He was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team in ’72 and set an league record for the longest non-scoring pass reception with a 98 yarder against the Rams. Moore changed his name to Ahmad Rashad in 1973 after adopting the Orthodox Muslim Religion. The name change didn’t go over well with some fans and even coaches. Rashad was traded to the Buffalo Bills in 1974 for backup QB Dennis Shaw. He later went on to star for the Minnesota Vikings.

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