Arizona Cardinals: Every Individual Award Winner in Franchise History

AP Coach of the Year

Although not a player per se, COY is one of the highest honors that an NFL head coach can achieve, and since two of the franchise’s former top guys have won the award, it seems fitting to include it on this list.

The head coach of the St. Louis Cardinals from 1973 to 1977, Don Coryell, was awarded the AP Coach of the Year after the 1974 season.

That year, the Cardinals went 10-4 and made the playoffs for the first time since making it to the championship game in 1948. However, they lost in the Divisional Round to the Minnesota Vikings in a not-so-close 14-30 match.

However, the regular season was a marked improvement on the 4-9-1 record of the previous year, and the offense led by Jim Hart, Jim Otis, Terry Metcalf, and Mel Gray had multiple accomplishments. Hart was the NFC touchdown pass leader, and Metcalf had a combined 2,000 yards on the season; 718 rushing, 377 receiving, 340 punt return, and 623 kick return.

Interestingly, 1974 was the last 7-0 start for the Cardinals before the 2021 season. 

In 2014, Bruce Arians became the second Cardinals head coach to win the AP Coach of the Year award.

With an 11-5 record, Arizona made the playoffs for the first time since 2009 on the back of a stellar defense that ranked No. 5 in the league. The highest win total for the franchise since 1975 and dealing with a string of quarterback injuries made the double-digit wins even more impressive.

Since Drew Stanton and Carson Palmer both went down during the season, Ryan Findley was forced into the starting role in the Wildcard Round, which ended in a 27-16 loss. Still, Arians was well-deserving of this award after taking the franchise back to the playoffs and back into the ranks of relevancy.

AP Assistant Coach of the Year

In the same 2014 season that Bruce Arians won the COY, his defensive coordinator, Todd Bowles, was awarded the AP Assistant Coach of the Year award.

Putting into full effect the “No-Fly-Zone,” Bowles orchestrated one of the best defensive years in franchise history. Headlined by Patrick Peterson, Tyran Mathieu, Jeraud Powers, and Antonio Cromartie in the secondary, the defense also had a young Calais Campbell.

The defense finished the season with 18 interceptions and 35 sacks and were the carrying force that got the team back into the playoffs.

NFL Most Valuable Player

The most important award given out in the National Football League, no Arizona Cardinal has ever earned the distinction.

*Notable Cardinals QB Kurt Warner was the NFL MVP in both 1999 and 2001 as a member of the St. Louis Rams.