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FanSided

Top five Arizona Cardinals you forgot about

By Aarron Van Buren

ST. LOUIS, MO - CIRCA 1984: Stump Mitchell #30 of the St. Louis Cardinals carries the ball during an NFL football game circa 1984 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. Mitchell played for the Cardinals from 1981-89. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO - CIRCA 1984: Stump Mitchell #30 of the St. Louis Cardinals carries the ball during an NFL football game circa 1984 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. Mitchell played for the Cardinals from 1981-89. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /
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JACKSONVILLE, FL – SEPTEMBER 20: Arizona Cardinals tight end Stephen Spach #83makes a catch and runs downfield during a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium on September 20, 2009 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Gene Lower/Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FL – SEPTEMBER 20: Arizona Cardinals tight end Stephen Spach #83makes a catch and runs downfield during a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium on September 20, 2009 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Gene Lower/Getty Images) /

Our second member of the top five forgotten Arizona Cardinals barely made any noise. Stephen Spach was quite the journeyman throughout his career, and was relatively unknown heading into the game. Earlier in the 2008 season he spent time with the New England Patriots, getting action in the final three games to help them go undefeated in the regular season.

Spach was a healthy scratch for Super Bowl XLII. How could he have predicted that he’d be on two Super Bowl rosters in back-to-back seasons? He most likely would have played had he not torn his ACL in the divisional round win over the Carolina Panthers.

It was late in the fourth quarter that he made his most famous play. After a disastrous reverse attempt by Steve Breaston, the Cardinals faced a 3rd and 16, up by 6. Quarterback Kurt Warner found Spach over the middle for a huge gain that ultimately sealed the game.

The catch just fueled the team’s magic on the way to Super Bowl XLIII. Spach remained on the team through the 2010 season, and ended his career with a stop in St. Louis and finally Jacksonville. He only had two catches over his last two seasons. He definitely should be someone to come back and sound the Big Red siren pre-game.

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